Introducing Center Stage 2M

[darkfrank]

I've just purchased a set of CS2M 0.8 to replace my CS2 0.8 between the component and the Black Platinum platform. Are there any good to replace the spikes under the Black Platinum platforms with the CS2 0.8?

 

[joelavrencikCMS]

I've just purchased a set of CS2M 0.8 to replace my CS2 0.8 between the component and the Black Platinum platform. Are there any good to replace the spikes under the Black Platinum platforms with the CS2 0.8?

I think you would get better overall performance if you utilized the CS2 0.8s under a component rather than the platform.

 

[Sa-dono]

Center Stage2M

Designed by Joe Lavrencik, Critical Mass Systems​

Introduction

We are very pleased to announce a major revision and replacement to our Center Stage2 audio feet. Each Center Stage2 model has been improved and replaced by Center Stage2M.

There were several objectives behind the development of Center Stage2M. Firstly, we wanted to build upon the proven approach developed for the LS (loudspeaker) series of Center Stage2 products.

I have no input on the back and forth, as isolation like all elements will come down to the listener and their system. As such, I have no problem with subjective reviews, and any unbridled enthusiasm.

CS buyers are spending their money, so if they feel it's worth their money, it is. I understand how others may feel that money could be more wisely allocated elsewhere, and for them, maybe it is.

As to the above, while bazello's comment may have had another purpose, unless you have a hidden crystal ball or 100% accurate psychic I don't know about, there is no way of knowing there won't be a CS3. At the release date of the CS1, Joe probably saw no way to improve it, either. Unless Joe is done, there is nothing saying there won't be another moment of serendipity.

As with all things tech related, if someone always waits, they'll never buy. And despite what manufacturers would have buyers believe, newer is not always better.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/thre...tage-2-in-positive-feedback.26948/post-550714 _________________________________________Sa-dono

With all due respect, the difference between me and you is I’m the guy who’s doing it. You have no right to contradict my statement. There is no CS3 for the very reason you allude to. The CS2 balance is so finely tuned, 1/1000th changes result in a trade-off. I don’t do trade-offs. Period.

There will be 2 more versions for turntables/loudspeakers different than the current version. I’ve moved on. I’m mentally done with CS2. That’s it. Don’t assume you know more about me than I do.

Regards,

JL

_______________________________________________

You seem rather truculent in response to what is a valid concern from consumers. After all, we see it all the time with smaller boutique audio product manufacturers. When they have one main product (or a very small product base) and the initial hype train starts to lose steam, they are often faced with needing to rev it back up. A one hit wonder does not a business make. And how better to do so than by releasing a "new and improved" revision. At that point existing customers are either left with an obsolete early version of a current product or will need to spend money to upgrade (if an option to do so is provided) especially if they ever decide to sell. I'm sympathetic to newer, smaller businesses trying to compete against the big boys. I think you should also be sympathetic to these sort of concerns from potential customers. Early adopters begin to feel like beta testers. So, I don't think anyone is claiming to know more than you about your own product. But in this hobby: once bitten, twice shy. It's good to hear you'll expand the breadth of your product offering to turntable and speaker footers. That makes sense.

For the curious, could you explain this a bit more: "so finely tuned, 1/1000th changes result in a trade-off". It seems there will be a wide variation in application resulting from the varying weight of the load being isolated. Does a 5 pound load vs a 50 pound load under the same footers not introduce greater than 1/1000th variability?

_______________________________________________

JL,

With all due respect, are you claiming some type of clairvoyance?

1) When you released the CS1, did you intend to release the CS2?

2) If serendipity or advancement in materials occurred, whether for your stands or footers, are you saying you will never release a CS3 or other newly named footer?

I guess if you want to put your money where your mouth and confidence is, please right here and now offer FREE UPGRADES if you ever release a CS3 or new upgraded footer. If you're willing to do such, I will certainly believe the definiteness of your statement. If not, and I certainly understand the reasons not to, the future is unwritten.

JL,

I hope your business is doing well.

That said, what a shocker……NOT!!! I was right and you were wrong! It didn’t take Nostradamus to guess the future. Are you big enough to admit your mea culpa and apologize to bazelio and me? With my last response you knew I was right back then, and you didn‘t respond since you knew you couldn’t put all of your chips in behind a questionable future. I expect no response, again.

Want to bet on there being a next footer? I kid…

 

[joelavrencikCMS]

JL,

I hope your business is doing well.

That said, what a shocker……NOT!!! I was right and you were wrong! It didn’t take Nostradamus to guess the future. Are you big enough to admit your mea culpa and apologize to bazelio and me? With my last response you knew I was right back then, and you didn‘t respond since you knew you couldn’t put all of your chips in behind a questionable future. I expect no response, again.

Want to bet on there being a next footer? I kid…

Sure thing. You were right and I was wrong. I made an improvement. I didn't think it was possible at the time I wrote that, but I found the solution to a problem I didn't think was solvable years ago. It was stupid of me to fly off the handle and write that and I apologize to you and bazelio. I hope you both will accept my sincere apology.

 

[bazelio]

It's too bad the existence of unsolved problems in the previous version of this expensive product has only come to light after the release of yet another newer version. Perhaps an apology there is also warranted.

 

[howiebrou]

Seems perfectly reasonable for there to be a CS3 both from a technical and business point of view in the fullness of time.

 

[LL21]

Speaking for myself, with reproduced music still a long way off from 'real live music', I am very happy to see upgrades and successor models PROVIDING that they continue to offer value for money...ie, a real price increase warrants a real performance improvement.

Whether it is the DCS Vivaldi vs the new Vivaldi Apex or any other upgrade or successor model, if both older and newer products offered value for money, I welcome the designer being willing to keep at it, honing, improving and driving the design forward to greater heights. Its the only way we ever push ourselves to improve.

 

[gleeds]

Steve, when supplies improve I would love to try the latest version of CS footers. I have enjoyed using the excellent Wave Kinetics A10-U8 for some time, now replaced by the same technology but in a pillow-type configuration. I liked the classic look of the CS footers when I saw them in your system at the Lamizator Horizon US launch event. Good luck to you and Joe introducing the next-gen product.

 

[joelavrencikCMS]

It's too bad the existence of unsolved problems in the previous version of this expensive product has only come to light after the release of yet another newer version. Perhaps an apology there is also warranted.

I honestly don't think so. To be very clear, I owe you a personal apology for the text of my post. It was unprofessional of me. I do not apologize at all for finding solutions to what I considered to be, at the time, an unsolvable problem. I solved it by inventing something totally different; adjustable loudspeaker feet (LS loudspeaker feet). These took 3 years to plan and develop. I circled back to the CS2 feet on a whim, more or less, to see if I could rework them in a new way following the LS approach; working with the damping array subtractively in 10/thousandths of an inch. I could have argued that the CS2s and the CS2Ms are different, because they are, but being "different" wasn't the important point. CS2Ms are not a CS3. But, that's not important here.

It always bothered me that I wrote what I wrote to you and Sa-dono. Again, it is the text of that post that I apologize for. I don't apologize for finding a new approach that offered solutions to a problem. Any good manufacturer would do that very thing and, had better for sure! I don't think you and Sa-dono are implying that there is an exclusive restriction applied to me with respect to doing my part to improve our enjoyment of music. You're a bigger man that that, I suspect.

In this case, please accept my apology as it was offered and please, please, please leave everything else out of it.

 

[joelavrencikCMS]

Seems perfectly reasonable for there to be a CS3 both from a technical and business point of view in the fullness of time.

Thank you for expressing that it is the responsibility of all good manufacturers to help our hobby evolve.

 

[joelavrencikCMS]

Speaking for myself, with reproduced music still a long way off from 'real live music', I am very happy to see upgrades and successor models PROVIDING that they continue to offer value for money...ie, a real price increase warrants a real performance improvement.

Whether it is the DCS Vivaldi vs the new Vivaldi Apex or any other upgrade or successor model, if both older and newer products offered value for money, I welcome the designer being willing to keep at it, honing, improving and driving the design forward to greater heights. Its the only way we ever push ourselves to improve.

Bravo!

 

[microstrip]

Bravo!

Joe,

What are the upgrade possibilities and conditions for owners of previous versions of CS footers?

 

[joelavrencikCMS]

Joe,

What are the upgrade possibilities and conditions for owners of previous versions of CS footers?

microstrip

Because CS2M is so different than CS2, we couldn't offer an upgrade path this time. We were able to do this for the transition from CS to CS2, but not 2 to 2M. We kept the retail price increase for the 2M low compared to the 2 to help compensate for this, in some measure.

CS2 is a great product which stands on its own, in my opinion. It has been a consistent audio product award winner from its introduction.

All the Best

Joe

 

[marcbrown]

@joelavrencikCMS Hey Joe, been garnering the little bit of info on stacking of light weight units together like you mentioned you do at shows when needed. For a while i need to stack some units and would like to get some of your new .08" CS 2Ms to go with the.08" CS 2s i already got from you and steve. My set-up has a solid level amp stand with the TOL Quantum Symposium Platform on top. Now i am testing 4 of the CS 2s under a Devialet unit (13 lbs.) with a Nordost qx-4 (11 lbs.) right on top of Devialet unit. A mac mini (3 Lbs.)is in direct contact with qx-4. Lastly a shakti stone (1 lb.) on top of highly modified mac mini.
How would you suggest footers be placed? With the CS 2Ms supporting Devialet, qx-4 and mac mini or other way around? With the CS 2Ms under mac mini?
Or do you have other ideas instead? Thanks for any input from the Footer Maestro, marc brown

 

[joelavrencikCMS]

@joelavrencikCMS Hey Joe, been garnering the little bit of info on stacking of light weight units together like you mentioned you do at shows when needed. For a while i need to stack some units and would like to get some of your new .08" CS 2Ms to go with the.08" CS 2s i already got from you and steve. My set-up has a solid level amp stand with the TOL Quantum Symposium Platform on top. Now i am testing 4 of the CS 2s under a Devialet unit (13 lbs.) with a Nordost qx-4 (11 lbs.) right on top of Devialet unit. A mac mini (3 Lbs.)is in direct contact with qx-4. Lastly a shakti stone (1 lb.) on top of highly modified mac mini.
How would you suggest footers be placed? With the CS 2Ms supporting Devialet, qx-4 and mac mini or other way around? With the CS 2Ms under mac mini?
Or do you have other ideas instead? Thanks for any input from the Footer Maestro, marc brown

Hi marcbrown

I'd do it the way you have it and let the sound settle. I'd be tempted to change things around as you suggest after I'd lived with it for awhile. But that's me....

Joe

 

[marcbrown]

Thanks Joe, just now got to see this due to a family funeral came into play. So you do not feel the the .08" CS 2M footers will help in my situation? Just go with .08" CS i have from steve already?

 

[marcbrown]

Your footers that i have in now are a big improvement over previous well known footers. I am very much engaged with my music as is. I just wondered was there more that the CS Ms could do by replacing my regular CS with CS M . Or by adding them to what i have now,if you perceive a gainer is likely.

 

[Steve williams]

Hi Marc

if yiu never hear the CS2M you will be eternally happy with the CS2 footers. However the CS2M does bring a more enhanced sound that takes you deeper into the music. Both footers are superb. If you are happy now I can promise it does get better with the CS2M

 

[marcbrown]

@on @joelavrencikCMS , I had figured the CS2 Ms would give an improvement by just replacing them for the regular CS2s. I also wondered if utilizing them both would give more worth chasing. Hence why i asked Joe about his experience with stacking.

 

[joelavrencikCMS]

Your footers that i have in now are a big improvement over previous well known footers. I am very much engaged with my music as is. I just wondered was there more that the CS Ms could do by replacing my regular CS with CS M . Or by adding them to what i have now,if you perceive a gainer is likely.

I think I misunderstood your question, originally. I can say without hesitation that the CS2M footers outperform the CS2. There is no question about it.