[vcoheda]

i own two of the VTI audio shelves seen in the picture below.

for a good while, i only had one shelf. it sits next to my bed and rests on top of an oversized - think big - wooden end table. my current setup is as follows. i have my Meridian G08 sitting on the end table and then the audio shelf. the G08 is beneath the shelf and on top of the audio shelf is my KGSS. in preparation for my new amp, i ordered a second shelf and received it today. after setting it up, i thought the two combined were a bit too high. to shorten the height, i decided to remove the 3 spikes (see pic below) under the first shelf - the one placed directly on the end table - which lowered the entire height of things by about 2 inches, which was about what i was looking for.

i sat down and starting listening to some music. i had the same CD in as the night before. the first thing i noticed was that the music just did not sound as good. the sound stage was smaller, the bass had less impact, and in general the dynamics just seemed a bit off. for a good while i struggled with this, wondering what could be wrong. then it dawned on me. the metal spikes i had removed. they - somehow - influenced the sound, affected the vibrations generated from the KGSS. i put the spikes back on. everything was like last night or back to normal - larger sound stage, more bass impact, better dynamics. i tried it again. spikes off, spikes on. same result.

then i thought about another post i made a while back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif got the cardas blocks today. ... next tried 3 or 4 blocks under the amp portion. no change. then 4 blocks under the power supply. 1st track. what happened? very noticeable increase in sound stage and imaging. removed the blocks. everything got a bit smaller. put the blocks back. larger. why they did nothing under the CD player or amp, i don't know, but under the power supply. yes. they work. i guess you just have to play around with them for a while.

vibration does strange things.

 

[malldian]

I am in the process of building a audio rack, this makes me wonder if I need to include some type of vibration dampening on it... Could I just use something on the levels with the actual components?

 

[vcoheda]

vibration and resonance, and dampening them or isolating components to deal with the issue is something that i have trouble grasping in its entirety. but what my experience does tell me is that vibration/resonance can affect the sound negatively and is an area to which some thought and consideration should be given.

the best way may be to just experiment and to see what works. that's what i have done.

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i also want to add a comment. the difference between spikes and no spikes was not "night and day" but almost nothing in audio is. on the other hand, it was not subtle. it was noticeable, to me. what i mean by that is, if i were at a meet in a noisy environment and maybe listening to gear i was only half familiar with, i doubt i would have noticed any difference when using or not using spikes. but in my own home, late at night when it is quiet, using gear i own and am very familiar with and listening to a CD i know intimately, having listened to it forwards and backwards many times, the difference between spikes and no spikes is apparent; and in audio, these differences - things that actually make the listening experience better - are important.

 

[883dave]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif i also want to add a comment. the difference between spikes and no spikes was not "night and day" but almost nothing in audio is. on the other hand, it was not subtle. it was noticeable, to me. what i mean by that is, if i were at a meet in a noisy environment and maybe listening to gear i was only half familiar with, i doubt i would have noticed any difference when using or not using spikes. but in my own home, late at night when it is quiet, using gear i own and am very familiar with and listening to a CD i know intimately, having listened to it forwards and backwards many times, the difference between spikes and no spikes is apparent; and in audio, these differences - things that actually make the listening experience better - are important.

Very well said...

Vibration and component isolation is a very important part of Hi-Fi

 

[fjf]

And here people laugh at Patrick's research...