Stillpoints Ultra 6 v's Critical Mass Systems Centre Stage 2

joelavrencikCMS

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Jul 30, 2021
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Can you tell me why anyone would buy anything that is designed to resonate under a component? Isn’t this in obvious opposition of the goal?
 

PhP

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I don’t know (yet) about the center stage footers... just bear in mind these tweaks all seem to have their day in the sun, being favored for a time by many audiophiles, until something new comes along. It doesn’t make the prior favorite suck, though the change in rhetoric can be rather astonishing.

That said, in every system there is probably a better match and of course you’ll only know if you can audition them. And while every change requires some settling time, the CS footers seem to be on the long side of that process.
Hi Bob

I agree to your comment. I can add that for me the best feet improves the sound of gears because 95% of the feet of electronic gears are poorly designed even if the manufacturers say they put a lot of effort on the subject. I am engineer and specialized in mechanical vibrations and most feet upgrade are better than stock models but not very performing.
I tried a lot of feet, cones, cup those last 30 years and only some are really crazy effective. That said, feet that perform under a digital transport could be deceptive under a DAC, same for preamplifier, amplifiers and speakers, and it's not only a matter of weight but a matter of the gears rigidity, the components inside, and also of the support on which they stand (impedance, material, decoupling, grounding...). For that reason it's good for audiophile to be helped by their dealer which has more experience. Some of my customers buy expensive feet that have HIFI sound, awesome at the beginning and after some months they feel their system is agressive or shiny or ... . Changing their feet for better ones, gives the system a much better real music sensation.
Philippe
 
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Cellcbern

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The Dalby Audio Lignum Vitae feet are similar in design to the ASI, but the Dalby are significantly better in every parameter. I have the Dalby under my sacd player and the ASI under its separate power supply.
Note that Dalby offers a double version of the Lignum Vitae footer as well as carbon fiber and combination carbon fiber and Lignum Vitae versions. To my ears they are in a class by themselves (see photos):
 

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Cellcbern

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For my part, in studying the design of the Dolby footers I feel that given the minimalist contact area of the metal spike and ceramic hemispheres that they gravitate more in the direction of resonance control through de coupling that the Mook design methodology in that the latter enhances harmonic resonance and thereby bring a somewhat fuller , more texturally dense, liquid projection of the recording than cleaning those harmonics up, tone controls if you will, tho highly organic and satisfying.ones.
I don't think it is that straightforward. What I hear is that both the Dalby and ASI Top Line feet produce increased clarity like Stillpoints without the slight hardness and subtle metallic signature of steel footers. The Dalby and ASI, despite the three small points of contact, also make a component's sonic signature a little more organic and natural sounding which suggests that some amount of sympathetic tone wood resonance is being imparted to the component. Dalby says that the big ebony or Lignum Vitae discs on their feet serve as "resonance sinks", absorbing and dissipating resonance within the pore structure of the wood. If that is true then the Shun Mook ebony feet have to be doing some of the same, even though their greater surface contact with a component's chassis creates more of a tone wood tuning effect.
 

PhP

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All metal ball bearing system resonates and add a shiny (slight glassy forward sound) if they are not a bit dampened or use different metals to have and "self" damping effect. Too much damper slow the grounding effect, so vibration become aperiodic and stay in the system then coloring the next signal. Wood feet cannot really improve sound they modify to a more pleasant organic presentation that could add medium presence. Polymer is not efficient too, they are more or less dampers. Sometimes they balanced sound on metallic resonant drive transport and the customer is pleased, but this is not improvement.
A lot of designers of accessories have no real skills in real vibration engineering and say theories that do not exist. Also I must say that 1 or 2 manufacturers do exceptional vibration systems on their turntable or (and) digital transport that have physic laws foundation and awesome sonic results. To be honest, I do not sale their products so my purpose is only on mechanical vibrations.
 
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Cellcbern

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All metal ball bearing system resonates and add a shiny (slight glassy forward sound) if they are not a bit dampened or use different metals to have and "self" damping effect. Too much damper slow the grounding effect, so vibration become aperiodic and stay in the system then coloring the next signal. Wood feet cannot really improve sound they modify to a more pleasant organic presentation that could add medium presence. Polymer is not efficient too, they are more or less dampers. Sometimes they balanced sound on metallic resonant drive transport and the customer is pleased, but this is not improvement.
A lot of designers of accessories have no real skills in real vibration engineering and say theories that do not exist. Also I must say that 1 or 2 manufacturers do exceptional vibration systems on their turntable or (and) digital transport that have physic laws foundation and awesome sonic results. To be honest, I do not sale their products so my purpose is only on mechanical vibrations.
FYI:

 
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LL21

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Note that Dalby offers a double version of the Lignum Vitae footer as well as carbon fiber and combination carbon fiber and Lignum Vitae versions. To my ears they are in a class by themselves (see photos):
Great stuff! Thanks for taking all the photos.

Which ones are under your Robert Koda K10? On our side, we currently have the RK K15EX on top of HRS Nimbus on top of an HRS M3X shelf. Works well. The same quiet we are accustomed to with the CJ GAT 2 Pre which used to sit on it.
 

PhP

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I know JMF 3.7. This is however a good player and it exactly the case of demonstration. An all metallic chassis if you put undampened steel or metallic feet, the player become a bit forward hifi sound. With wood feet you damp and isolate, the sound becomes a bit dull. This is not the way to get the best of a player which has a quite rigid chassis / enclosure. This link expose tastes not results, i'm afraid. One of my customer has this player and was using German metallic feet under it. Sound was not exceptional (in regard to the price of the transport). With better interface the player is now much more natural, have a more balanced frequency response and in the end more "real".
 

Cellcbern

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Great stuff! Thanks for taking all the photos.

Which ones are under your Robert Koda K10? On our side, we currently have the RK K15EX on top of HRS Nimbus on top of an HRS M3X shelf. Works well. The same quiet we are accustomed to with the CJ GAT 2 Pre which used to sit on it.
These are photos from the Audio Exotics forum. I should be so lucky as to have all of the equipment in the photos. I have the (single) Dalby Lignum Vitae feet under my Modwright modified Marantz sacd player - where they will stay!
 

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Cellcbern

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I know JMF 3.7. This is however a good player and it exactly the case of demonstration. An all metallic chassis if you put undampened steel or metallic feet, the player become a bit forward hifi sound. With wood feet you damp and isolate, the sound becomes a bit dull. This is not the way to get the best of a player which has a quite rigid chassis / enclosure. This link expose tastes not results, i'm afraid. One of my customer has this player and was using German metallic feet under it. Sound was not exceptional (in regard to the price of the transport). With better interface the player is now much more natural, have a more balanced frequency response and in the end more "real".
You've lost me. All "results" in audio reflect tastes - this is as true for your customers as for the posters at Audio Exotics, which is arguably the world's premier high end audio dealer. I know what different types of footers sound like (many of which are wood and metal like the Dalby, and the Harmonix tuning feet you sell) from more than 40 years as a serious audiophile. There is no "dulling" with the Dalby Lignum Vitae feet - either reflected in the comments of the Audio Exotics posters or in my experience, since I live with them.
 

Cellcbern

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These are photos from the Audio Exotics forum. I should be so lucky as to have all of the equipment in the photos. I have the (single) Dalby Lignum Vitae feet under my Modwright modified Marantz sacd player - where they will stay!
Note that I have also found the Marigo Mystery Feet, which have been continually improved over more than a decade, and received glowing reviews in the audio press, to work extremely well. My Pathos TT has four integral weight bearing spiked pillars that require a footer that accepts spike points. There is no other option - the flat chassis underside is not weight bearing and the amp weighs close to 90 lbs. Marigo custom drilled a set of Mystery Feet for me and they have performed beyond my expectations:
 

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