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Tough Nut Cones Isolation for loudspeakers, brilliant solution over spikes

I wanted to share with everyone an experience I had with trying to decide how to decouple my Arendal 1723 THX Monitors and their stands from the floor. 

Most of us know now that the days of thinking metal spikes were the best idea are over. It generates immense pounds per square inch of pressure into one point and all that energy is then transferred to the floor.... the last thing we want to do with speakers. Many mid-fi to high-end loudspeakers now ship with isolation footers/feet instead of spikes.
I happened across a FANTASTIC video from Jay's Iyagi:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32DrKCqLWkk&t=788s 
Immediately upon watching that video, based on measurements from Jay, I contacted Derrick at Tough Nut Cones in Canada. So for $170 per stand/speaker I bought the Medium Cones. Derrick and his wife were amazing to talk to and deal with. 
So I now have them installed.... the sound is truly brilliant. And the cones are just "pointy" enough that they work on both solid floors and carpeted floors (as I have) and they look really wicked under the stands.

audiotruth
kennyc
2,973 posts
 

@neptune123 - I just caught Jay’s Iyagi video with measurements comparing various brands and models.

What’s your opinion of the Tough Nut Cone vs Tough Nut Cylinder?

neptune123's avatar
neptune123
27 posts
 

The cylinders SQ is similar to the tough nut spikes and they offer the needed stability. Derrick at tough nuts is great to work with. I highly recommend.

fastricky
139 posts
 

Very happy with my cones, I was running Herbie's discs beforehand and they are at least as good. 

toronto416
320 posts
 

This is a very intriguing solution - thank you for sharing!

I wonder how the cones vs cylinder options worked out for neptune123?

https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/2871694

toronto416
320 posts
 

Thanks to Jay's Iyagi's video as well as this thread I ordered a set of Tough Nut cones for my TAD CE1tx speakers.  The cones recommended by Derrick (owner of Tough Nuts) for my speakers are not on their website - he described them as a hybrid between the cones and cylinders and that they are especially well suited for speakers.  The invoice say 'TN Isolation Cones Medium Short Stainless Steel Barrel Black thumb nuts Metric M8'.  They fit the base of the TADCE1tx perfectly.

In assessing new equipment I listen to a few recordings including 'Oscar Peterson Plays Porgy & Bess' recorded in 1959.  A magnificent piano trio of three master musicians playing intimately and cohesively.

After installing the Tough Nut cones Ray Brown's bass sounded tighter and more defined, Oscar Peterson's piano had more midrange clarity and less smearing between notes, and Ed Thigpen's cymbals sparkled just a little more clearly.  The soundstage had grown a little more, but the most noticeable improvement was greater overall clarity - as if a veil had been lifted between me and the musicians.  The overall effect is more subtle than dramatic - a noticeable incremental improvement in an already incredible system. 

The Tough Nut cones made a great speaker sound even better - highly recommended!

And the icing on the cake is that Tough Nut is based in my home city of Toronto - and Derrick is a pleasure to deal with and very helpful.  And Jay's Iyagi is also Toronto based (not to be confused with the Florida based Jay).

 

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