Ideally, you want the system resonance to be around 3 Hz. Compressing the springs to 50% doesn't mean much. The springs could be compressed to 90% and the isolation affect will be the same as long as the total spring rate and mass make for a (ideal) 3 Hz system resonance. I am able to get down to 5 Hz on my components using the Nobsound springs and they are compressed to about a 0.200" gap. So I have no room to add mass (weight on top of my components) in order to get the resonance down to 3 Hz. Still, 5 Hz provides very effective isolation. The isolation added clarity and detail to the music. The added detail to the music was distracting at first but now I'm used to it and I could never go back.
Quiz about adding dense mass to a vibration isolation application!
There are two steps in this quiz:
1) Hypothetically, you have a DAC that is very solidly built on all sides and weighs 25 lbs.
This DAC currently has three Nobsound vibration isolation devices under it, the springs of which are about 50% compacted and are damped by foam ear plugs inserted inside of them. The vibration isolation effect with this setup is merely middling according to a cell phone seismograph app.
2) You add a 25 lb granite slab to the top of the DAC with a 1/8-inch rubber mat between it and the DAC, and then add the appropriate number of ear plug foam damped springs to each Nobsound device in order to get all Nobsound device springs back to about 50% compacted.
The question: What do you think is the sonic result of step 2?
- ...
- 31 posts total
Interesting stuff guys. @tonywinga : What method are you using to measure the resonance in Hz on your components? |
My experience is very different. Vibrations affect everything to some degree. I hear quite a difference isolating my front end components as well as my amplifiers with springs. Granted my DAC and preamps use vacuum tubes but my amps are solid state. I also have experimented with different materials for the boards that the components sit on as well as having them sit directly on the Nobsound feet. I have tried granite (terrible), wood, carbon fiber and HDPE (High Density Polyethylene). Woods work well but I found the HDPE boards seemed to have a slight edge over wood under my preamps. I have cable elevators too. Unfortunately, I could hear a difference with the cables lifted off of the floor. I made my own cable elevators on the cheap. I used electric fence ceramic isolators supported by rubber bands stretched between two dowels pressed into 4x4 wood boards. Seems to work. |
- 31 posts total