Active isolation, another report

[spiritofmusic]

I was going to do all of this w my tt, which is in most need of isolation, but for reasons of necessity, I thought I'd give a go at isolating my cdp
So, currently my gear is on a 3-tier Symposium Acoustics Isis rack w RollerBlocks modules at each tier
This has been a very happy partnership, w a nice balance of bass control and air
And in my new impvd acoustics space, this rack is still proving to be beneficial

Now I've acquired on loan, a Kuraka E-Mini 450 active platform
This is on a par w the more ubiquitous Herzans and Accurions/Halcyonics, and in the UK at least is the easiest one to acquire for trial
So, plonked it on the floor, got it operational, and set up my Eera Tentation cdp on it

Initial impressions were v interesting
Immediate change in bass output
Often a trial leads to a seeming loss in bass
As was the case here
But it became apparent within moments that it wasn't bass that was lessened, but bass bloat/euphonic colouration
This meant that music lightened somewhat but drive and natural warmth all increased
Bass lines, and bass playing technique incl fingering techniques, all improving clarity and intensity
This then lead to a decluttering in mids which then lead to treble articulation and energy improving
A lot of hidden detail and imaging revealed, but the most noticeable upstick of the whole exercise is this extra low frequency cleaning up and resultant improved intelligibility, this acting as a springboard for the whole picture to open up
Fascinating

 

[Mike Lavigne]

I was going to do all of this w my tt, which is in most need of isolation, but for reasons of necessity, I thought I'd give a go at isolating my cdp
So, currently my gear is on a 3-tier Symposium Acoustics Isis rack w RollerBlocks modules at each tier
This has been a very happy partnership, w a nice balance of bass control and air
And in my new impvd acoustics space, this rack is still proving to be beneficial

Now I've acquired on loan, a Kuraka E-Mini 450 active platform
This is on a par w the more ubiquitous Herzans and Accurions/Halcyonics, and in the UK at least is the easiest one to acquire for trial
So, plonked it on the floor, got it operational, and set up my Eera Tentation cdp on it

Initial impressions were v interesting
Immediate change in bass output
Often a trial leads to a seeming loss in bass
As was the case here
But it became apparent within moments that it wasn't bass that was lessened, but bass bloat/euphonic colouration
This meant that music lightened somewhat but drive and natural warmth all increased
Bass lines, and bass playing technique incl fingering techniques, all improving clarity and intensity
This then lead to a decluttering in mids which then lead to treble articulation and energy improving
A lot of hidden detail and imaging revealed, but the most noticeable upstick of the whole exercise is this extra low frequency cleaning up and resultant improved intelligibility, this acting as a springboard for the whole picture to open up
Fascinating

you have now entered the 'active zone'.......you have talked about for such a long time.

smear, blur, and bloat get cleaned up with true active. your view on what a reference rendition of particular tracks changes.

just a reduction in distortion, plain and simple.

not personally tried the Kuraka e-series mini products, but they appear to work similarly to the Stable Table TS series I currently use.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Mike, the UK distribn for Minus K, Herzan and Kuraka, plus Speirs & Robertson, is just 10 miles away
They actually rate the Kuraka over the Herzan, get more demand and sales from UK labs for the Kuraka than the Herzan
Hey, I'm not here to knock the Herzan, I know, you know, it's stellar
But the Kuraka is on a par and is 1/3 cheaper, so no brainer for me
What's fascinating is how similar its effects were to the Accurion (Halcyonics) i4Large trial I did a few yrs back
It is fascinating to hear that streamlining of bass that simply causes a kind of "lubricating" of the spectrum further up
Mike, I have the Kuraka and Minus K passive spring platform for a while yet
To fully test the Minus K, I need to find a 40kg ballast plate (to max capacity to limit of 48kg w my 8kg Eera cdp, this not so easy to come by)
And I'm planning to test the Stacore Advanced passive pneumatic platform
I'd like to consider the new Taiko Tana active/passive combination platform, but it's tentative €10k price tag just too rich for me

 

[murphys33]

how does the minus K compare against the active platform?

 

[thekong]

I am not surprised at the result, actually I expected that kind of improvement with active, Minus K, or even the older tech pneumatic tables like the Vibraplane!

The only question remain is how effective they are comparing to each other. I am sure the active, and maybe the Minus K, are better than the pneumatic tables technically, but given the price difference, I would be very interested to know how they compare during the listening test!

I am sure Mike, having the pneumatic table under the Rockport before, and the active now, would have a very good idea on the topic.

 

[PeterA]

I am not surprised at the result, actually I expected that kind of improvement with active, Minus K, or even the older tech pneumatic tables like the Vibraplane!

The only question remain is how effective they are comparing to each other. I am sure the active, and maybe the Minus K, are better than the pneumatic tables technically, but given the price difference, I would be very interested to know how they compare during the listening test!

I am sure Mike, having the pneumatic table under the Rockport before, and the active now, would have a very good idea on the topic.

Would it not be more informative to actually do a direct comparison between a pneumatic table and an active device under the same turntable in the same system? Then one could know to what extent one device/typology is more effective than the other.

 

[thekong]

Would it not be more informative to actually do a direct comparison between a pneumatic table and an active device under the same turntable in the same system? Then one could know to what extent one device/typology is more effective than the other.

Yes, Peter, I believe that would be ideal !

 

[rockitman]

you have now entered the 'active zone'.......you have talked about for such a long time.

smear, blur, and bloat get cleaned.

How many years have we been talking the virtues of active isolation...4 ? It took Rod Serling 6 years to get the network execs to give the Twilight Zone its first season. The irony !

 

[spiritofmusic]

I'm due to check the benefits of passive air Stacore Advanced v passive spring Minus K v active Kuraka in the nr future
Due to the hassle of moving a v heavy tt, the fact that moving it puts so many things out of alignment, and the logistical nightmares involved, I've decided to make the reasonable assumption to make a final decision based on trial of these under my cdp
The Kuraka is already showing itself to be beneficial under my cdp
I'll next discern the differences trialling the Minus K and Stacore, and make my decision v the Kuraka

 

[rockitman]

I'm due to check the benefits of passive air Stacore Advanced v passive spring Minus K v active Kuraka in the nr future
Due to the hassle of moving a v heavy tt, the fact that moving it puts so many things out of alignment, and the logistical nightmares involved, I've decided to make the reasonable assumption to make a final decision based on trial of these under my cdp
The Kuraka is already showing itself to be beneficial under my cdp
I'll next discern the differences trialling the Minus K and Stacore, and make my decision v the Kuraka

not a good idea. Your conclusions on a cdp won't necessary follow to a TT. Completely different animals.

 

[spiritofmusic]

You may be right Christian
But the impvts I heard here w the cdp mirror my trial of Accurion i4 platform under tt a few yrs back
Then, as now, there was a massive reduction in bass hash leading to a decluttering and energising of the sound
I pinched myself yday that the results were so similar
I'll take a punt
My trial is really to see if the active Kuraka truly has a performance advantage over passive Minus K and Stacore
Atm it truly shows its merits, and for me w so many positives thru my room acoustics and pwr grid in gelling my sound as is, if Kuraka active really gives me something even more that's hard to live w'out, then I'll put funds to progressively isolate each piece of gear, starting w tt, then cdp, then pre, poss balanced pwr transformer, maybe monos and pre psu
Spkrs could be fascinating too, my Zus have built in 350W/ch Hypex modules/Lundahls transformers, w down firing subs
Active isoln could certainly benefit those sub amps, just unsure how it would deal w continuous down waves of 16-40Hz from those sub drivers

 

[KeithR]

Spkrs could be fascinating too, my Zus have built in 350W/ch Hypex modules/Lundahls transformers, w down firing subs
Active isoln could certainly benefit those sub amps, just unsure how it would deal w continuous down waves of 16-40Hz from those sub drivers

Lots of Zu owners use Herbie's decouplers/dampeners under the spikes.

I would complete your room before going down the isolation route.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Keith, room has been complete for a few months now
I've got a suite of GIKS in there as well, and my only avenue to investigate after maxxing out in room/pwr grid/cbls/grndg, is isoln
This is the first evidence I need to go down this path in a fair amount of OCD overkill
Too bad Zu's Sean Casey can't see fit to release those Experiences, my potential budget for them is likely to go on isoln

 

[KeithR]

Too bad Zu's Sean Casey can't see fit to release those Experiences, my potential budget for them is likely to go on isoln

Choosing isolation over new speakers makes zero sense in my audiophile book - but your OCD, not mine

Sean had the Druid VI at Munich, and will have it at LAAS. I have heard Definition V may be ready for RMAF. No idea on Experience, but having lunch with him next week.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Keith, I'd choose new spkrs if I was unhappy w current set, but I'm not
The Zu Def 4s are transformed in this room
Apogees are a left field, highly compelling option, but even here I'm skeptical in my circumstances
So I love my spkrs, amps and sources
Room and pwr grid optimal
Cabling and grounding excellent
Isolation for me is the last frontier
But, you can ask Sean what the hold up in the Experiences is LOL, and get back to me, PM if you prefer

 

[spiritofmusic]

Ok, have put events in motion to do a bit of a three way shootout Kuraka active v Stacore Adv passive air v Minus K passive spring
Going to perform this on my Eera cdp
I've already got a good reference point w the prev active Accurion trial on my tt and my recent experience of active Kuraka on my cdp, these two trials much more similar than different
I also have the data point of trial of Shun Mooks Diamond Resonators in my current rig as an alternate comparison point
Really excited for this little experiment
With my current setup nicely optimised re excellent room acoustics, spookily quiet power, really satisfying opening up of performance of my Zus w NATs SETs, for me specialist isoln is the final frontier in optimising sound

 

[microstrip]

Mike, the UK distribn for Minus K, Herzan and Kuraka, plus Speirs & Robertson, is just 10 miles away(...)

What is the price of the Kuraka E-Mini 450 ? I could not find it anywhere.

 

[spiritofmusic]

I'm not sure, but the impression I was given that's it's about 1/3 less expensive than Herzan, so c£5k in UK I'd guess

 

[PeterA]

Ok, have put events in motion to do a bit of a three way shootout Kuraka active v Stacore Adv passive air v Minus K passive spring
Going to perform this on my Eera cdp
I've already got a good reference point w the prev active Accurion trial on my tt and my recent experience of active Kuraka on my cdp, these two trials much more similar than different
I also have the data point of trial of Shun Mooks Diamond Resonators in my current rig as an alternate comparison point
Really excited for this little experiment
With my current setup nicely optimised re excellent room acoustics, spookily quiet power, really satisfying opening up of performance of my Zus w NATs SETs, for me specialist isoln is the final frontier in optimising sound

That sounds great and I am eager to read about the results. When will you be able to share your listening impressions?

 

[spiritofmusic]

As soon as I can secure the Stacore Adv from Poland, and I find a practical 40kg ballast plate for the Minus K, I'll be good to go
My system is so transparent now w the new room and pwr grid, that comparisons here will be easy to pick up on and enable me to best spend my cash (credit card limit not withstanding LOL)