Introducing Center Stage 2M

Agree with these thoughts on "immersion". This was the selling point of the CS2 feet that I auditioned as well. But I'd simply say they created a forward sound. For me, though, forward doesn't mean "immersive" especially when accompanied by a relative collapse of soundstage depth as I experienced with CS2 feet. The front to back spatial variation, e.g. guitars in front of the drum kit, was largely lost. Especially when these feet were under tubed equipment. A forward sound can also be achieved with other tweaks, e.g. certain cables, tube rolling, even platter mats, etc. It's a coloration. Ask recording engineers if the sound is intended to be shoved up front everywhere, all the time. :). Nevertheless, if this sound is your particular brand of vodka, then by all means ... Go for it!
No doubt cables can change the presentation — when I added an LFD cable to my analog source, from turntable to phono stage, I was amazed how much the soundstage changed. Where the sound field before was somewhat shoebox shaped, with the front plane essentially at the speakers and extending back and in my case the sides, when well recorded, extended well past the speakers and even, seemingly, beyond the walls. Perhaps not as deep as some visitors would have liked as the front of my Alexia were only about 46” from rear wall, but overall a very rectangular, 3D, boxed shaped soundstage. The LFD cable changed the shoebox to a hemisphere, projecting some vocalists into the room towards the listening position, but also adding height and depth. Images took a more realistic position in space, I perceived better layering, and my system gained a level of believability.

So far, no tweaks have made sound appear to come from below the floor. I wonder if, in development of a new tweak, anyone has experienced that? If recording mics are above the orchestra, why don’t our systems make the sound come from below? (A little tongue in cheek, but why not?)
 
  • Like
Reactions: bazelio
I won't buy components that sound different from what I want to hear in the hope I can modify them with a footer.
Agreed.

That would be doing it backward.
You buy the best component that you can afford, then you see if you could make it better by adding the footer.
But if you are happy with the component, why worry about it?

Same for cables or any other tweak.
Footers are not any different.
Not sure why you single out footers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tima
That is true, but even the Olympics are every 4 years.
Manufacturers need to be wary of releasing products too soon, as multiple reissues do piss customers off - that is a fact.

World records are broken all the time, not necessary during Olympics.

Ok, so what do you rather Joe do?
Continue to sell an inferior product, knowing he has invented something that's clearly better.

Or sell the improved product at an highly inflated price?
Tell Joe, what will make you happy?
Do tell.
 
Last edited:
This is more about the previous supposed be-all, end-all products which were then essentially deprecated in fairly rapid succession. The forum marketing blitz left a clear impression on a number of customers (as seen here first hand), which was anything but an expectation that (in some cases) 5 figure investment would shortly be obsolete. Iphone customers don't have reason to believe there's no further room for improvement, and there's a very strong second hand market for the older versions. The mobile phone market is also a multi-billion dollar market with numerous competitors all working within the same narrow market windows. The world is largely aware of this and it has been the case for many years. Apple's saying that "Christmas doesn't come late" highlights this. Back to feet though. Perhaps it was arguably a mistake to market these new feet as CS2M if they bear no similarities to and have no basis in design with CS2, as you say. But either way, the issue that I see is how looking back now, earlier direct communication from the manufacturer was confusing at best. I'm not even a customer, but I remember the posts well. And I completely understand the reaction of those who are affected in this particular scenario. Mobile phones, gold cables and other baubles offer no solace.

There's no such thing as a be-all, end-all product.
If you believe in that, then we might as all just stop coming to this forum.
And all equipment manufacturer should just stop innovating.

End-game is the most silly thing I ever hear.
That's why I only bought one set of 0.8, because I wanted to hear what it can do for my system.
But of course there is going to be better products, if there's a break through in how things are done.

If you believe someone as smart as Joe will never be able to make another better product.
I don't think the fault is with Joe.

Again, same question as I asked XV-1.

Ok, so what do you rather Joe do?
Continue to sell an inferior product, knowing he has invented something that's clearly better.

Or sell the improved product at an highly inflated price?
Tell Joe, what will make you happy?
 
Agreed.

That would be doing it backward.
You buy the best component that you can afford, then you see if you could make it better by adding the footer.
But if you are happy with the component, why worry about it?

Same for cables or any other tweak.
Footers are not any different.
Not sure why you single out footers.

I singled out footers because this thread is about a footer. I agree the same holds for cables.

Edit: I don't think designers should offer vanilla designs. I don't go into buying a component that I think I can make better. I do believe component sound can be partly a function of what it sits on and it has got to sit on something.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Bobvin and delphi17
I agree it's a silly notion. Not everyone does though, and that's why "end game" is bandied about in the audiophile industry far and wide ad nauseam. If you're new to this common phrase (sometimes posited with slight variations to the wording) then you're not very observant or haven't been around long. More importantly however, whether or not the notion of end game gear in general has validity was never the point. I'm also not going to restate the central point to you a third time, but instead suggest you read my previous posts more carefully.

I will read it more carefully, and try to comprehend.

However, I think the important thing is, what do you think Joe should have done?
How could you have done better in this situation?
 
I would prefer a manufacturer to do their due diligence and go to the end of what is practical and sustainable for a given price. not 12 - 18 months later basically state I FUUUCKED up and I now have and even better product. That to me is poorly thought out and short term profit focused. this type of behaviour pissed real customers off.

Centerstage 2 was released 2018, which is 3 years ago.
Not sure where you got the 12-18 month from?
 
I would prefer a manufacturer to do their due diligence and go to the end of what is practical and sustainable for a given price. not 12 - 18 months later basically state I FUUUCKED up and I now have and even better product for an almost same price. That in commercial terms means the manufacturer has no idea of the market of his customers.

That to me is poorly thought out and short term profit focused. this type of behaviour pissed real customers off.

If you don't even know when it was announced? Why are you even arguing about this?
It's easy enough to go back in the forum, and see Steve's first post about it.
 
If you don't even know when it was announced? Why are you even arguing about this?
It's easy enough to go back in the forum, and see Steve's first post about it.
I am not making that a not a paid commentary that gets 50/60% off the prices to state that V2 or V3 is even better than what was perfect with V1.

send me some of these amazing footers that take 14 days to settle ( for your ears to get used to the sound) before you are allowed to comment on the SQ - but don't dare remove them as you go back to nothing.

I am a reasonable man and happy to be proven wrong.
 
  • Like
Reactions: peter pan
I am not making that a not a paid commentary that gets 50/60% off the prices to state that V2 or V3 is even better than what was perfect with V1.

send me some of these amazing footers that take 14 days to settle ( for your ears to get used to the sound) before you are allowed to comment on the SQ - but don't dare remove them as you go back to nothing.

I am a reasonable man and happy to be proven wrong.

I believe they have a 30 day money back guarantee for your first set.
Which is more than twice the 14 days required.
You owe it to your great system to be proven wrong.

You can contact your dealer directly to do that.

I am sure you will be gobsmacked like I was.
And probably even more so as it's the new updated version.

And it's easy enough to A/B, just let them settle, enjoy the music.
And just take them off, it's very immediate how much you will miss them being there.

The CS2 0.8 worked wonders for my Mola Mola Tambaqui, so I would suggest to have it under the Dac first.
 
I believe they have a 30 day money back guarantee for your first set.
Which is more than twice the 14 days required.
You owe it to your great system to be proven wrong.

You can contact your dealer directly to do that.

I am sure you will be gobsmacked like I was.
And probably even more so as it's the new updated version.

And it's easy enough to A/B, just let them settle, enjoy the music.
And just take them off, it's very immediate how much you will miss them being there.

The CS2 0.8 worked wonders for my Mola Mola Tambaqui, so I would suggest to have it under the Dac first.

Frankly, I don't want be stuck with v3 in 12 months time with less than 30% resale when v4 cones out..
It should not take that many times to get a product right.

Why does the global importer, our leader Steve not offer trade ins? The old products have no value? Prove me wrong please
 
  • Like
Reactions: peter pan
Frankly, I don't want be stuck with v3 in 12 months time with less than 30% resale when v4 cones out..
It should not take that many times to get a product right.

Why does the global importer, our leader Steve not offer trade ins? The old products have no value? Prove me wrong please

Which part of CS2 was 3 years ago, don't you get?
Why you talking about 12 month again?

Geez...I am out.
 
I would prefer a manufacturer to do their due diligence and go to the end of what is practical and sustainable for a given price. not 12 - 18 months later basically state I FUUUCKED up and I now have and even better product for an almost same price. That in commercial terms means the manufacturer has no idea of the market of his customers.

That to me is poorly thought out and short term profit focused. this type of behaviour pissed real customers off.
Center Stage2 was introduced 3 years ago.
 
Well good morning to all.

To me this thread is now filled with misinformation and it seems people are on the bandwagon chastising Joe about being innovative without reading his white paper

The original CS footer is 4 years old and CS2 was introduced 3 years ago.

As for resale value, those of you who are complaining about the paltry resale value again are misguided. These sell like hot cakes on the resale market and return at least 50% on initial investment which IMO is as good or better as most audio products such as cables or power cords etc, etc

Finally to say there is no upgrade path, let us not forget that there was indeed an upgrade path from the S1 to the CS2 and Joe did upgrades on several hundreds of sets as it was derived from the same technology. Now along comes the CS2M which is derived from different technology making an upgrade path impossible. That has been mentioned countless times. They look the same but they are completely different. These products were developed to be separate stand alone products but when they were sent out for beta testing there was 100% unanimity in the users that the newer lesser versions were found to perform better than their better older counterparts.IOW the new CS2M was favored more so than the CS2 1.0 etc.So after much beta testing the consensus by all was that it made no sense to have both products in production especially when they were priced virtually identical. Hence the 2M is now only available

And yes "best"is not something that lasts forever and a day. Best is a moving target that is dynamic, not static as you naysayers make out

Finally to reply to a few comments

I have to agree that the comments about CS footers creating an effect of sitting center stage has been a part of my reluctance to try them. Sitting center stage sounds to me a lot like the surround effects one hears on Roger Water “Amused to Death” album. If all my music sounded like that I’d be very unhappy. My experience of live music has never had me sitting on the stage. And when I’ve been front row or even front couple rows… its been too long and happened too infrequently for me to ascribe any preference. It might be that classical music is not my preferred genre; I certainly don’t have a history of attending the symphony on a regular basis from which to build a reference. I‘m a rock, blues, funk, some jazz kind a guy. Sure I like girl with guitar cuts too, and solo cello, etc. I just don’t think ”immersive” is a term, to my understanding, that I’m looking for from my system’s soundstage presentation.

Believable, realistic, dynamic, visceral, balanced — these are some of the attributes I expect from my system.
As for the CS2M if you want visceral, dynamic and balanced the CS2M has all of this and more

When I go to concerts , symphonies, operas etc my preference is to sit no further back than mid orchestra If you like to suit at the back then that's OK. I enjoy the performances better where I choose to sit. So don't get hung up on the name as you also seem to be with Immersive effect. You seem to compare Roger Waters and out of phase recorded music with Immersive Effect. Joe has spent almost 20 years of research trying to break down that invisible plane between the front of the speakers and behind which the soundstage resides. IOW an attempt to bring the sound stage forward of that invisible plane. By doing such (and he has succeeded) there is the sense that one is closer to the musical event. This is a given so if you prefer sitting in the cheap seats at the rear vs upfront and be a part of the event, then clearly Center Stage isn't for you but to claim visceral, dynamic and balanced, I would say this is how all beta users have described this product

Finally the notion that these are worthless when new models emerge to me is nothing more that utter nonsense. They sell quickly and always return at least 50% of initial investment. They are far from worthless. I have said repeatedly that the CS2 is a remarkable product and is merely being archived and listening to those selling them to move to the 2M they are all selling. So if you all are going to be critical ,state the facts truthfully rather than making them up as several have done here.

And as to this being a niche product, countless professional and published reviews will conclude otherwise. In fact one reviewer made the case that these footers should be essential for every system. Those are pretty bold words from a reviewer that in my mind contradicts everything said here.

IMO this is a hobby and one men's passion can be another man's poison. Much of the poison I have read here is coming from members who have never heard these in their systems and to me that is misguided and wrong. I don't here any issues when cable manufacturers come out with a new replacement several time a year and all is good in the universe.

So again unless you've heard these footers, IMO making incorrect and misguided comments serves no purpose.

The issue of stock footers has been discussed by time but I would disagree with his premiss that stock footers have no sonic signature. They all do as Joe has done the research It was his goal to remove "stock footers" from the equation and produce a product that allows the listener to truly hear his system products as the manufacturer designed them. To me that is a good thing and the 3 iterations of the product over 4 years IMO is well within the industry standard

As to the old model still being shown for sale on pirtchperfectsound.com I have been discussing changes to reflect the new product. This doesn't happen overnight but will in the next few days. I did have an individual place an order yesterday. I phoned him and advised him that the CS2 is no longer in production for all of the reasons listed above. I told him he had 3 options
1. He could get TWO demo sets of CS2 for the price of one new set
2. I could refund his money
3. He could purchase the new CS 2M

He did the latter and purchased the 2M. BTW he is a new user who bought his first set a few months ago and loves the product. His comment was that these footers sell quickly in the used market. So it seems that not everyone is crying foul

So unless you all can post factual information that is absent of expletives, I am going to ask that this thread get back on track
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bobofei86
I have one last bit of information to share with the readers here

Greg Weaver announced his selection of the "Critical Mass Systems CenterStage2 footers to be the audio analyst’s choice as the most significant Accessory of the Past Decade"

 
As for the CS2M if you want visceral, dynamic and balanced the CS2M has all of this and more

When I go to concerts , symphonies, operas etc my preference is to sit no further back than mid orchestra If you like to suit at the back then that's OK. I enjoy the performances better where I choose to sit. So don't get hung up on the name as you also seem to be with Immersive effect. You seem to compare Roger Waters and out of phase recorded music with Immersive Effect. Joe has spent almost 20 years of research trying to break down that invisible plane between the front of the speakers and behind which the soundstage resides. IOW an attempt to bring the sound stage forward of that invisible plane. By doing such (and he has succeeded) there is the sense that one is closer to the musical event. This is a given so if you prefer sitting in the cheap seats at the rear vs upfront and be a part of the event, then clearly Center Stage isn't for you but to claim visceral, dynamic and balanced, I would say this is how all beta users have described this product
Steve, as I said and another before me, we were seeking clarification of your term “immersive effect”, and I was stating that IF immersive effect was like “amused to death” I’m not interested. You also use the term “mid-orchestra” and forgive my naiveté for being an uncultured rube, but to me mid-hall is very different from mid-orchestra. I guess I don't look at the seating chart naming convention often enough.

Immersive, the way I understood your usage, placed the listener right in the center of the orchestra, not even at the conductor’s position. I made no comments about sitting in back (the cheap seats) as preference, only that I didn’t have much experience in the front rows, classical concert or Rock’n’Roll. Attending the symphony as rarely as I do, I sure won’t go if I can‘t get seats somewhere near center hall (left-right) and still in the first single letters of the alphabet (back-front). I probably have more experience hearing classical music live when attending the ballet, and again too close, for me, I loose sight of the entire stage so prefer to be back a couple dozen rows.

But thats not the point—which was that you used a term (natural!) that has not been something I have commonly heard in describing attributes of a component/tweak and unfamiliar vocabulary is always potential for mis-understanding.

As to visceral, dynamic, etc… simply adjectives I use to describe attributes I expect from my sound system. In no way a knock or implication CS does not improve on those areas. By all accounts they do.
 
Interesting how the best can get better, over and over a few times withina short period of tine.

Please explain.
The original CS technology was developed 4 years ago. It was a trickle-down from the development of the OLYMPUS rack system. The 2M is not an improvement to the CS2. The 2M is a different technology derived from loudspeaker feet I developed. It is a trickle-down from the LS series.

It took about 7 years to develop the OLYMPUS rack system. From there it took over a year to develop a workable trickle-down technology that could be used to create CS from scratch. CS2 took another year and because it was based on the same technology we could offer an upgrade path. The 2M came 3 years after we introduced CS2 and has nothing to do with CS2. The feet look similar, but they are not identically derived. The M is derived from a completely different technology.

I think this is the third time I have answered this question, but this answer has a bit more detail.
 
Steve, as I said and another before me, we were seeking clarification of your term “immersive effect”, and I was stating that IF immersive effect was like “amused to death” I’m not interested. You also use the term “mid-orchestra” and forgive my naiveté for being an uncultured rube, but to me mid-hall is very different from mid-orchestra. I guess I don't look at the seating chart naming convention often enough.

Immersive, the way I understood your usage, placed the listener right in the center of the orchestra, not even at the conductor’s position. I made no comments about sitting in back (the cheap seats) as preference, only that I didn’t have much experience in the front rows, classical concert or Rock’n’Roll. Attending the symphony as rarely as I do, I sure won’t go if I can‘t get seats somewhere near center hall (left-right) and still in the first single letters of the alphabet (back-front). I probably have more experience hearing classical music live when attending the ballet, and again too close, for me, I loose sight of the entire stage so prefer to be back a couple dozen rows.

But thats not the point—which was that you used a term (natural!) that has not been something I have commonly heard in describing attributes of a component/tweak and unfamiliar vocabulary is always potential for mis-understanding.

As to visceral, dynamic, etc… simply adjectives I use to describe attributes I expect from my sound system. In no way a knock or implication CS does not improve on those areas. By all accounts they do.
The immersive effect simply knocks down the 4th wall by lowering the noise floor. What you hear is whatever is on the recording.
 
The immersive effect simply knocks down the 4th wall by lowering the noise floor. What you hear is whatever is on the recording.
What are the first three walls?
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu