I have been rebuilding my mono amps for some time now finally have them completed. I have mechanically direct coupled all the components. These include the transformer all filter caps including the mains and the new Clarity Cap TC's that supply the main board.
The main board itself is attached to a Sound Works platform and then fastened thru the bottom chassis plate. Both amps are coupled to their own Sistrum Sp101's so they can connect independently but directly to ground. The idea here was to focus resonant energy to Mother Earth kinda like a mass migration process all in a neat and orderly straight line straight down and out. I had all the parts cryo'd except for the Mundorf electrolytic filter caps as these can be damaged when such a process is used. I am convinced that cryo treatment or treatments relieve material stress and molecular disorder and further enhance direction when the correct geometry is applied. Tom ..Star Sound Technologies |
Easy to A/B platforms ...suggested many times over many years to many reviewers. Tom |
Wonder how the tone of a string instrument would be affected if a small section of sorbothane was placed on the soundboard and the strings were plucked? Tom |
The questions should be. How many mechanical improvements can be made to a 65 year old Scully lathe? Tom |
Norm,
I use 2 Back Stage Platforms in my personal system and do so successfully with 4 Audio Points and discs on each, under my main source and my preamp. Both these platforms are direct coupled to the floor that's underneath the berber carpet and wool pad.
The Rhythm Platforms were designed with even more slots to allow multiple placement and locations of Audio Points. This approach was devised so as to work with and around power amps that had many fasteners on the bottom plate as well as various heat sink locations whether those be on the back or the sides. Some customers use 5 Audio Points and coupling discs. You are welcome to contact me to discuss. Tom |
Norm
I am describing how I use 4 shelf points under my transport and 4 shelf points under my preamp all having the tip facing up at the bottom of the chassis. A user could place many more under a component if there was a benefit heard or the space required. The Back Stage and Rhythm both contact the floor with 3 larger coupling points all facing down, dedicated to their particular platform namesake. Tom |
No sense for mechanical grounding of hard materials or impedance matching of materials? No progression in 65 years? Just a closed book? Tom |
Bdp24,
I agree 100% that the Sorbothane is non linear. Wouldn't it be great if you could dial in the Q of all these materials and shapes. Bearings have good vertical coupling when loaded but have less lateral rigidity than a threaded secured cone at its shoulder. Lateral rigidity is important to the time and phase aspect of any component, if it is moving away from itself then it cannot be in time with the music. You can sonically see and hear this happen when one shape concept is compared to another.
There are sound propagation charts for materials which prove useful as a guide but variations in the same material group of less than .02 % can be heard depending on the additive. In listening tests these minor amounts are akin to dot crawl as was once the case in video...you can literally hear the instruments up near the wall and ceiling junction. That's not right. If the material is extremely hard and so is the speed the musical image can travel not only on the wall in front of you but also bend onto the ceiling above you. Like a visual concoction of Dali the artist not the speaker. Some of these materials and shapes have been exciting at first but over a short period of time prove troubling for mind and body. Always into trying new things. I almost grew up in the 60's. Tom, Star Sound Technologies. |
Geoff,
I see your concept as reasonable except upon landing at which time it will yaw and recoil,and have different settling times. Of course you could damp the one material that is faster then again that makes for additional timing errors. The ideal device is one that accepts energy and passes that energy to ground. That device needs to be near a form of stasis for it not to generate other motion artifacts and timing errors. So called isolation devices generate their own additional timing errors in trying to correct for the ones they are seeking to cure. Tom |
Geoff,
Your ideas and insightful experiences always make me stop and think not just about the content of your post but the how and why.Trying to figure out some of that leads me to some other interesting things. Thanks for doing that.Tom |
Bdp24
The concepts you mentioned are easy if there is an understanding that isolation is not achievable unto itself. If it were, then electron motion would cease and that means there would be no physical matter present.
Even in a stasis mode there is electron motion. If you put any two materials together, including the same absorption composites they will generate friction which is only damped but never isolated. More friction means greater resistance and merely compounds the problems of energy transfer in a directed movement away from the audio component. So with the use of damping materials there is no real exit strategy only one of containment and a guaranteed build up of greater amplitudes of Coulomb friction.
Your question about component chassis motion: The circuit board is moving with the chassis and we agree however the electrons located on every internal part, including transistors and resistors which are induced by alternating current, forms resonance that is totally independent of the chassis movement. Every part located inside the chassis generates additional forms of friction caused from vibration and will continue to propagate on all surfaces. Applying damping techniques adds to this ongoing noise issue due to resistance caused from the added materials unless a physical exit or mechanical ground pathway is provided for this energy to exit. Tom |
You can make an active stand out of passive materials. Tom |
Topten
Maybe you were referring to these 99 balloons.
Nena - 99 Luftballons - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CnDvtwYn6I
But you still have the issue of self generated noise that would need to be directed to ground and then there is always the fear of lightning. Tom |
The source of all vibration started with the Big Bang and are still in motion. Lets hope they don't stop moving for awhile.Tom |
and with that thought..
Pot this, a palm tree in a brass container mechanically grounded to the floor with Audio Points or a small Sistrum Platform.
Why not make your organic acoustic comb filter more reactive and beneficial especially if grounded by having it residing in a container made of the metal of music?
I have my deep cycle marine battery on a Sistrum Platform and that improved the sonics of my hybrid Altmann DAC. Previous I had the same platform on carpet and then on audio points. Improved grounding can improve a chemical process that can be heard. A 60 lb. battery pushing a 1 lb. dac. Better listening with the ways and means of better chemistry. Tom |
correction I had the same battery on carpet then on points then on a platform. Better each and every time. |
Back in the day the chemistry of choice made the vibrations more active and apparent. Active Engagement was the descriptive term. Coupled resulted in a better body rush than isolation. Same is true in this day and age all in the context of audio reproduction. Tom |
Spike your chair and shake your booty and your toes tap along.
Live music sounds better when you wear leather sole shoes. |
With the Case closed as you indicated the vibration is trapped. Coming in from all directions. And the beat goes on in a fashion. Damping slows the release and decay of energy, there is no fast pass thru only more buildup of noise and friction. Another mouse trap built upon dissimilar materials and shapes. Only one transfers and directs energy the other impedes and restricts the exit point. Tom |
Geoff,
In what way does your proposal for a sharp pogo stick provide a path for resonant friction to leave the audio component? Tom |
Geoff,
Every product you have mentioned at length is a transducer..a converter of one energy form to another energy form. All transducers have loses and yes that's (what you want) and (how you think).
The Star Sound products are not based on that same old tune. Our products are not energy converters but energy directors.
Materials matter. The impedance of the material matters. The velocity of sound thru the material matters. We carefully choose our materials for their sonic influences and character. We determined that the speed of our chosen materials when direct coupled to most hardwoods or concrete that all of these materials have much the same velocity. On the other hand if you take a steel or brass rod and attach it to a pile of rubber the difference in the sound velocity thru those same materials will have a differential of over 50 times. If those same hard materials terminate into Sorbothane the ratio would be even greater and worse for sound. And then you have these same materials at rest re terminated to a wood or concrete floor. It's rush hour stop and no go! Not much moves but it does backup because the rate of conversion at one end is much slower than what the pipe end is being feed from the other end.
We terminate our designs Directly into the much greater mass of the floor surface on which they rest. As I said the floor surface material velocity and that of the steel and brass we use are very similar and will provide energy thru put unreachable by any model you have ever mentioned or described. Tom. Star Sound Technologies |
