Help! My failure in DIY source elevation/isolation...
Jul 19, 2003 at 1:08 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 7

radrd

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My attempt (you can skip down to the important part)...

I recently purchased a new source and I want to use a couple of aftermarket power cords with it. Unfortunately, the IEC socket is too close to the bottom of the player for the power cords to plug in without the entire player resting on the plug (very bad idea). So, I decided to elevate my source to give the plug some clearance.

I have never really put any stock into buying stands and whatnot for vibration control. My player is a relatively vibration free environment anyway. Nevertheless, I wanted to make sure not to do anything that might potentially negatively impact sound quality.

So, I put some thought and a little (not enough) research into creating a platform and bought a couple of .5" thick granite tiles and some .25" thick cork. I put the cork on the bottom, and the granite on the top. I didn't glue them together. Then, I put my player on top of them.

I didn't expect much, if any difference in sound quality, as those components seemed like decent choices.

I was wrong.

Bass was significantly rolled off, soundstage somewhat collapsed, and a lot of impact and warmth was gone. I kept trying to convince myself that it was all in my head, but after listening to a couple of my favorite CDs, I realized that the problem was clearly my platforrm attempt I removed the cork and granite, and voila! Back to the great sound I had before.

The problem (the important part)...

I would like to buy some aftermarket cords, but first I need to find a good platform/stand to raise my source at least .5" without having any negative impact on the sound. If there is a positive impact, then that would be great, but mostly I just want everything to sound the same and be able to use my cords.

Solutions???

I must spend <$200. Less is better. Considering my low budget attempt so far, I think you get the idea.

I don't want to screw around with my own DIY efforts anymore. I suck at it, and with further failed attempts, you can bet that it will get more expensive than buying something.

Whatever I get needs to support both my Cyrus CD7Q player, which measures ~ 14"D x 8"W x 4"H and the PSX-R power supply, which has the same measurements.

Monoblock stands would probably work well, or a single shelf/stand that measures at least 17"x14".

Here is what I have found so far that looks promising:
http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...207&class&3&4&

Cones/pods/etc. might work, but the bottom of these components is strange with vents, so I'm not sure whether those would work well. I would definitely have to get four for each component instead of the recommended three if I went that route.

Any opinions as well as slightly more expensive, or less expensive solutions would be highly appreciated. Thanks for reading this lengthy post.
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Jul 19, 2003 at 2:28 AM Post #2 of 7
I just got some little rubber vibration-absorbing feet from Herbie's Audio Lab - $8 each and exactly .5" tall. Look here
 
Jul 19, 2003 at 6:25 AM Post #4 of 7
Quote:

so what happened when you just removed the cork?


Didn't try that. I read on Audioaslum that granite by itself has a signature sound that is undesirable, and moving my source is a big pain in the butt because it is both the player and the hefty power supply. So, I took it all off and I don't plan on bothering with it again. I suppose in the spirit of true DIYism I should do everything in my power to make my project work out, but to be honest, I just wanted to get back to listening to music.
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Jul 19, 2003 at 7:01 AM Post #5 of 7
Why not just add some bigger feet on the CD player?
 
Jul 19, 2003 at 7:39 PM Post #6 of 7
How about Vibrapods? I'm thinking they are about .5" tall or so. I use them myself, very nice positive effects they have.
 
Jul 19, 2003 at 9:46 PM Post #7 of 7
radrd, amazing really but my observations (about the cork) match yours exactly. When I was trying to design some isolation platform for CDP the first thing I tried was 4 abouth an inch thick cork blocks under the feet and it screwed the sound.
What has worked fantastic for me was SD dampers

www.sonicdesign.se

These are basically polymer foam feet to be put underneath the gear. They come in different stiffness for different weight.
What it did for me is tighten the bass and bring more precision to the midrange. I was very sceptical at first, but the effect is there.
 

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