Clear Audio Magix levitation feet - impressions and pics! - Page 2

Under the P300 Power Plant, when I replaced Feet of Silence with Magix it removed the bass emphasis and made synergy better. It was flatter from top to bottom, a little boring too.

It seems like Feet of Silence emphasize the frequencies around 50-70Hz. Since power conditioners output a 60Hz sinewave it's not a good match. It gives too much bass. Maybe it's a good match for K1000...


When I replaced the Feet under amp with Magix it got flatter as well. It made it more neutral. There is more attack and decay, there is true dynamics and resolution. Everything is smoother.

NEED MORE MAGIX!!!

I put the Feet of Silence back under P300 Power Plant and bass got boomy and muddy. Midrange was gone. Lows and highs were emphasized, it sounded messed up.

I moved the Magix under the Premier Power Plant now, they replaced Feet of Silence also. Since I had to unplug the system when installing them I need to wait a day until the system is warmed up. But so far I'm getting very smooth sound with more vocal information.

I hope I don't need Magix for both P300 and Premier, I don't have enough cash!

It will make the sound worse because of EMI.

I did lot of testing today, I compared Feet of Silence against Magix.

I realized that Feet of Silence give fake transparency, just like Valhalla cables and colder ambient temperature. The edginess gives fake blackness and whiteness.



Combinations of both

I thought of using both Feet and Magix under the same component. I tried it with my Cary 303/300 transport.

Feet of Silence -> metal plate -> Magix -> Cary: Sounded about the same as Magix on its own.

Magix -> metal plate -> Feet of Silence -> Cary: Sounded whiter than Magix on its own. The Feet signature was still there.

It seems that internal dampening of the gear is important. Why else would adding Feet between component and Magix matter? The Feet can move around many cm in all directions while the Magix is stiff. Magix can only move about a 10th of a mm sideways, but the disc can tilt sideways and rotate around. If the component is balanced properly nothing seems to be touching inside the Magix.

It also seems like the material touching the chassis matters. With Magix there is a big disc and with Feet there is a steel ball touching the chassis.



EMI?

After I put Magix under Cary transport and used computer to listen I noticed it sounded less white. It didn't make sense. Then I removed the Magix under Cary and moved them to another part of the room, the sound seemed to get whiter. Then I put the Magix in front of me beside my headphone cable, there was less whiteness. I moved back and forth and tested with ERS Paper around the Magix. I didn't want to believe it made a difference. But I couldn't deny the conclusion that Magix give a little magnetic field around them. The difference was very small though.

I heard a difference earlier when I added more sheets of ERS Paper between Magix and P300 Power Plant. I also added extra sheets of ERS between Magix and DAC but wasn't sure I heard any difference. My P300 Power Plant and Cary transport are on top of my desk and my headphone cable runs between them. My headphone cable isn't shielded.




Isolation for computer

Like I said before, I use Magix under the PSU of my computer, but I haven't tested it. The computer case doesn't have any isolation, only the PSU.

First I put 3 Feet of Silence under the computer case where my mainboard is.

Feet of Silence under computer case: Louder, whiter, smoother, faster bass. Heavy and strong bass, little boomy. I heard the Feet of Silence signature.

Removed Feet under computer case: Muddier, less strong, less loud, less white. Muddy and dull.


Removed Magix under PSU: Dull, veiled, something is in front of music. Thin openness, too smooth and dull. Open, muddy and boomy.
I heard this signature right after I added the Premier Power Plant into my system, but I didn't hear it again after a week, I thought it was because of burn-in, but it was from Magix under PSU which I added a week later!


Feet of Silence under PSU: Darker and more transparent. Blacker and whiter. Not smooth and thin anymore. Darker. Bass is heavier but still little muddy. Too much bass! Different sounds are emphasized. Fake transparency. Fake openness from fake blackness and fake whiteness. Not real depth.


Magix under PSU: More low-level detail and smoothness. More true. Less fake bass. Less fake whiteness and blackness. Different sounds are emphasized compared to Feet of Silence. It sounds flatter and more neutral.
Longer attack and decay makes it less white and edgy! It sounds fuller and smoother because of it.

I tested the Cary 303/300 transport, the mainboard and power supply are inside the same chassis. I first listened to it with the built in cones, then with Feet of Silence.

Feet of Silence under Cary: Faster, smoother, fuller, boomier. Much higher resolution. Blacker and whiter. Too heavy bass.


Feet of Silence are better than no isolation, even when they give too much bass.

I liked this setup the best, but the cables were too stretched. It doesn't look that stable too, it looks like something will break.

Here is video of when Magix arrived: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dKBIWDKVE8

Headphone cable isolation

I'm using a Magix for the Valkyrja headphone cable. The cable used to be pressing against my desk, now it's pressing against the Magix.
The other half of the headphone cable is still pressing against the floor under my table. At least half of the vibrations are gone now.


First impressions: Didn't hear a difference. Maybe a little more bass and calmer sound. But I couldn't be sure. Worst money ever spent.

I will keep it and see if I hear any long-term differences.

Magix for P300 Power Plant transformers

I'm using Magix for the P300 Power Plant transformers. I'm hearing one of the biggest improvements ever. It is like listening to music for the first time. Everything I complained about the P300 are gone, it used to sound muddy and edgy, but not anymore.
I also replaced the stock 20awg wiring with Nordost Vishnu (1x16awg) and Valkyrja (3x22awg). I think they made the biggest improvement because I'm hearing the Vishnu flavor with more detail than ever.


First impressions: Rear soundstage emphasis. Soundstage is clear, open, smooth and HUGE! More low-level detail. Sharper, heavier and smoother bass. It sounds very lean, neutral and lifeless, but still much better than before.


It doesn't make sense I would get more detail just by replacing the stock wiring into thicker wiring. Magix must have been the reason for the improved detail.

The Micro Mono-Filaments of Vishnu and Valkyrja are amazing. I remember similar improvements when I wired K1000 with Valkyrja.

Magix vs Feet of Silence

Feet of Silence is like the Valhalla of isolation feet because it gives fake transparency. Magix is like the neutral Tara Labs Zero.

I have realized that Magix combined with Feet of Silence gives the best sound for me.

Putting Feet of Silence in the beginning of the chain (transport and DAC) gives edgy and incomplete sound which results in fake blackness and whiteness, but there is lack of low-level detail.
Putting Magix in the beginning of the chain gives fuller sound with longer attack and decay. There is more resolution.

Using Magix under computer and DAC, and using Feet of Silence under the amp gave the best sound. I could hear fullness + solid bass! Instead of Feet of Silence making it cold and edgy it just made everything more solid while keeping most of the attack and decay from the transport. It sounded smooth, round and solid with a little coolness added on top. It was the best of both worlds!













I also experimented with multiple steps by combining Magix and Feet of Silence.
Magix + Feet sounded the worst of all. It sounded incomplete and there was lack of low-level detail.
Feet + Magix sounded the best. But when I removed the Feet under the Magix I didn't seem to hear a difference. I only care about night and day improvements. Magix works good on its own so that's what I will keep using.


With Feet of Silence the transients sound "jumpy" like it can't "grip" the attack and decay because the component moves around too much. It's because the rubber bands are loose that's why. The edginess gives the illusion that there is more blackness between transients. It reduces the vibrations from entering the gear which gives a black background but it also makes it more solid than neutral. It's a great match for trance music because of the transients.
I have also noticed that the Feet of Silence are a great match for the warm summer because it gives a coolness flavor to the sound.

But too much Feet of Silence isn't good because then the background gets blacker than real life with lack of low-level detail. Magix + Feet of Silence is great for fine tuning the sound!