LS50 and Big Fat Dots


I have a pair of LS50s placed at the ends of a credenza and don't have room to place them on stands.

I have been using those time rubber feet that came with the speakers bur was wondering if using something like Herbies Big Fat Dots would make any perceptible improvement in the sound.

Actually they are sound pretty good powered by a NAD D7050. The credenza is very sturdy made of real wood, but when I put my hand on it I still sense some vibrations. Perhaps this vibration may be muddied the sound in some way. I'm frankly not sure because I'm not sure what would be the best performance of the speakers and amplification. What kind of improvement should I expect it it does work?

On a final note, I thought about the big fat dots because they seem to be very non-descript and will not affect the decor of the living room.

Does anyone has any experience with this product and can give some information?
tvfreak
Nonoise, the Ingress Audio Rollerblocks come in sets of three, each having a top and bottom cup. The provided 3/8" ball bearing is placed in the bottom cup, the top cup is placed on the ball, and the component on top of that, just as Symposium Acoustics RollerBlock Jr's. Using both cups makes for a slightly higher resonant frequency and more damping that using just the bottom cup (as with the Symposium original model). Barry recommends using only the bottom cup, with a hard smooth surfaced object (a stainless steel disc, for instance) on the bottom of the component, for the ball bearing to roll against. You are free to try them both ways, of course.

Ingress also offers a newer model Rollerblock, made from harder 7075 aluminum, and with a larger, shallower bowl, the bowl being machined as part of a 2" diameter sphere. The less steep walls of the bowl provides a lower resonant frequency and less damping (the ball rolls for a longer period of time) than the original model, and this model is sold in sets of three, intended to be used on the bottom only. The ball bearings are the same 3/8" diameter, and the set of three is $90 plus shipping. The aluminum of the bowl of the 7075 model is also more highly polished than that of 6061 aluminum original model, for less friction. The 7075 model provides more isolation than either of Symposium's models (as well as the Ingress 6061), a result of the bowl's dimensions.

Isolation in the vertical plane, if desired, needs to be dealt with separately. The cheap DIY method is an under-inflated inner tube on a piece of plywood, which works as well as any commercial product, including Townshend's original Seismic Sink, which was not cheap (and is no longer available new). You can even put a piece of ply across the front of the platform, to hide the inner tube, paint the whole thing black, and have the best isolation known to man, for only a few bucks.
Bdp24, Thanks for in depth info. The stainless steel sheets should arrive this weekend and I'll try that for starters. It's nice to know you can get them on the cheap on ebay. If the improvement is enough to get my aural juices flowing, I'll look into the Ingress Rollerblocks and most likely the highly polished 7075 aluminum ones (in for a penny, in for a pound).

It's just that there's only so far I'm willing to go with cabling and I feel there is more to accomplish with situating the speakers as I've had more than enough experience with my Tonian Labs TL-D1s: they were so sensitive to footers and bases, let alone cabling, that I came away knowing that until you properly situate the speakers, you'll never realize their potential and that you don't have to spend a small fortune on cabling.

All the best,
Nonoise
Probably the most important consideration in locating the speakers is to have them right at the front edge of your credenza, so that you don't get a reflection off it's top surface. The isolation devices will help the speakers "disappear", the speaker enclosures being less of a sound source.
Well, the dots arrived and in my view they really make a difference. I'm not good with the audiophile jargon, but the sound seems to be much cleaner and detailed, while the bass lost it boominess without losing impact. I don't know if they work as well in all situations but in my setup (with the speakers on a credenza-like piece) they are a real improvement.