Isolation for power line conditioner?


I have heard that many gain good results by providing isolation for their PLC units and was wondering what type of suggestions/experience folks out there may offer. I do currently have my line conditioner (Sound Application XE12-S) on a slab of MDF on aluminum cones. I put this together awhile back for the PLC I had at the time, and chose this route simply cuz I had the stuff lying around and it seemed to be better than nothing. That aside, considering this particular unit is, I believe, primarily a passive component, what solutions and ideas can you throw my way? Thanks in advance!
centurymantra

Showing 4 responses by flex

Jim Weil, the designer of Sound Application, has worked extensively over the years to try to limit the effects of mechanical resonances on his passive line conditioners and he is never fully satisfied with their immunity. This is a testimony to the fact that passive plc's sitting on the floor are subject to micro-shaking, resulting ultimately in some smearing of the audio signal. Whether isolation devices help more than they hurt is another question; I've never found external treatments to be overly helpful.
A related comment - I've often found the passive network boxes on networked cables to be quite vibration sensitive. Setting them directly on the shelf of a rack has resulted in very audible smearing, which is eliminated by hanging them or attaching them to the wall.
This is a subject I would really like to understand - and don't.

I continue to disagree with Stehno. Floorborne vibration is a far bigger problem, especially on raised hardwood floors, than airborne. The surface area of a network box for airborne interactions is small.
But also note that some of the best, clearest, most resolving, and least smearing power cords do not have mechanical resonance treatment. This subject is still controversial.
Warren's point about microphonics is certainly part of the theory and explanation, according to extensive discussion in the past at cable asylum and to a number of good cable designers. This view says that vibration influences cables only if there are strands or parts that can micro-move relative to each other, setting up microphonics in the process. It would be difficult to build any plc that has totally rigid parts. I can understand this explanation most easily in signal carrying components, Still thinking about it for a/c cords.