About a fortnight ago I got my order of Center Stage feet from Steve. I must say that the decision of ordering them was not an easy one - I deeply dislike products that I can not take from my system and re-insert a couple of hours or days after to confirm my findings. However considering that some people we know well were reporting nice things about them and they are not terribly expensive I put my order.
They did not arrive at the best moment - I was expecting some interesting gear to listen for a few days, and considering I am not retired or in holiday
, my time for listening has been limited and I will not be able to provide detailed follow-up as some other WBF members.
I decided to test them in the GAT preamplifier - I have been repeatedly comparing it with the ARC REF40 for the last months, as my preference has been balancing between the enjoyable (GAT) and the reality (ARC REF40). For my auditions I used mainly four recordings - (1) Schubert Winterresie - Peter Schreier, (2) Mercedes de Sosa Misa Criola, (3) Jordi Savall Routes de l'Esclavage and ( 4)Shostakovitch Symphony no 14 - Haitink.The GAT was playing the Purist Audio CD enhancer in a cheap CD player at level 70-75 when I was not listening.
As soon as I inserted the feet under the GAT I noticed a slight shift in tonal balance in the GAT - some fatness of cj, particularly when compared to the ARC, disappeared and dynamics increased in (2) and (3). At day 3 I decided to try an A/B, taking the feet out to confirm my findings, but when I re-inserted them a couple of hours after, the extra detail and focusing had gone. Since them I have been listening mainly occasionally, as I focused most of time in the Constellation Audio pre and amplifier. The improvement was gradual, but along defined lines - enhancements in detail detail and layering - Peter Schreier advanced in the room, the piano separated more clearly, (2) and (3) sounded snappier and crisper, low level surprising transients were more clearly found. Bass was really better in (2), particularly transient bass. In (4) the soloists advanced in the room, further away from the orchestra. I was perhaps expecting more in the dimensions of the orchestra and string sections, an area where the ARC REF40 surpasses the GAT, but here there as no improvement. If pressed to compare emotional improvements, the winner was really (2).
Overall the sound is more present and detailed, but not creating and enhancing any hardness in voices. The GAT performance clearly improved to the point I could connect it to the Constellation Audio Centaur without feeling the mismatch I found the first time I tried it weeks ago.
I am now pleased enough with the CMS feet to risk sending a second order for another two quartets do Steve. I feel I should now take the feet out to test the famous "soundstage collapse", but really do not want to take risks! I did it just for a few minutes using a friend as a test listener - I told him that I was inserting them when I was really removing them and he clearly stated he preferred the sound with them in place, before removal! It was a very short time, he explained that his choice was mainly due to more detail in the position where in reality the Center Stage feet were in place.
Surely the second quartet went now under the Vivaldi DAC ...
