Having read the entire thread ... I think Steve and Joe have behaved very honourably
Ultimately the market will decide if these really are a leap forward... pun intended
Be interesting to know how many returns there have been ?
I am just speculating but given the small footprint of these I am thinking they use “smart metal” for vibration control or absorption/ conversion to heat
The fact that they need excellent contact with the components, suggests there needs to be good coupling to the component so that there is transfer of vibrational energy to the footer, where much of this is turned into heat
This may be why it takes a while to bed in, to obtain the good contact, and the warning about removing the paper surface and not putting on screws etc
Also this will allow greater equilibrium between the footer and the component, much like you need to leave a thermometer long enough in your mouth to get an accurate reading of temperature ... this is the Zeroth law of thermodynamics
Hi awsmone
You touch on several thought-provoking concepts and points that encapsulate the essence of numerous other posts. In no particular order:
Without trying to do any disservice to the complexity of Zeroth, it’s a law of thermal equivalence, usually between multiple thermodynamic systems. I would say that CS depends upon the opposite condition and cross border entropic transfer.
There was an earlier post that touched on humans preserving entropy and perhaps this is good place to circle back to that to better explain what I’m getting at with electromechanical thermodynamic systems.
You, me, everyone are irreversible biodynamic entropic systems. Irreversible systems will always find equilibrium, eventually. Entropy is the tendency for a system to descend into a state of disorder. For us, entropy accelerates. We can slow it down by following proper dietary regimens and exercise etc, but we can’t stop it. As we age, our vision begins to fail, our hair turns grey, our muscles atrophy, we lose our hearing, our joints begin to fail, disease begins to set in, and well, you get the picture. I don’t mean to sound morbid, but eventually so many systems fail that life can no longer be sustained. Interestingly, we are not at equilibrium at that point. Equilibrium, is reached when we turn to dust. This is always the way it ends; this is the 2nd law (SLT).
Luckily, our components are not irreversible systems. (kind of pisses you off considering the previous paragraph). I discussed this previously, so I won’t drag you through the garden here. I will agree that heat is a driver of entropy, so you’re partially right, but CS depends on maintaining differences, not similarities. You are also correct that intimate contact with the component is necessary.
On another topic, CS does not use “smart materials”. You are correct that its constituent materials are heavily invested in material science. But, they are not exotic in any way. It’s the sequence and dimension of the materials that get the ball rolling. You are also correct that FLT (1st law) occurs. But this, in my opinion, is not the primary driver of performance, as I stated previously in this thread. I’ll put it this way, there’s no way in hell I’m good enough to significantly lower transmissibility over a frequency range of 20k+ Hz in the distance of 13/16”. Ain’t happening. I know what I did, and that ain’t it.
You’re a pretty darn good speculator; intriguing points of view.
So far as I know, there haven’t been returns and I don’t anticipate any. But, you touch on the larger issue of the limitations of the product so, here’s what I know for sure:
CS requires a flat surface under your components. If you look at the photo, the silver “button” must be placed on a flat surface and the paper must be in direct contact with the bottom of the component. If your rack doesn’t allow you to do that or it cannot be modified in some way to afford this, then CS isn’t for you. If CS is for you, you can use 3 feet, but the 4th foot nets at least 30% better performance.
As a sidebar, I finalized the CS design with only 3 under my gear. My gear was sitting on scrap wood dragged out of the garage (maybe 1400 Janka, EM of around 4 Gpa) and I had no idea what would happen with the 4th foot added, or what would happen if CS was placed on CMS racks. These were not primary design concerns.
CS depends on the chassis of the component being “thermodynamically accessible”. This characterizes every component on the market, so far as I know. There could be 1 exception, but I haven’t been able to prove that to myself yet. There is 1 manufacturer that fabricates a proprietary foot for some but not all its components (I think). They go a step further by installing a “false bottom” on some of their components with a Teflon buffer between the inner and outer bottom plates. They also add a nylon post inside the component that connects the foot to the chassis and the top of the chassis to the bottom of the chassis. This construction in combination with Teflon and nylon could derail the benefits of CS; an unfortunate clash of new school and old school where no one wins. But still, TBD.
Thank you for your post!
