I've been doing quite a bit of playing with isolation and tuning of my source component. Let me state upfront, if you now have your transport just sitting on a shelf with its original feet, you're missing a huge opportunity to improve the sound of your system. I was amazed at the very real impact that isolation and tuning (using cones) have on sound.
Anyways, I started out very cheap and bought some of those mini freezer bags (about 2.5" square) from Canadian Tire and they produced only a very minor impact. So I kept reading online for other cheap ideas.
Next I tried 14" bycycle inner tube with an MDF board on top of it and a couple of sand bags on top of the MDF. Further, I put a 25 lb weight on top of the component. I couldn't believe how much this impacted the sound, but it wasn't all for the better. I found it too relaxed for my taste. The good news though is that the sound was much smoother, less digital. After reading some more, I decided buy some real products to help the cause. I picked up some Black Diamond Racing cones. BTW, they come in two versions: the 3b is a litter brighter than the 4b, which is slightly warmer. I purchased both types to test.
I first tried the 4b's in place of the sand and wow, dynamics are back and still very smooth. Next I tried the 3b, and found it to be better, although only marginally. I then varied the amount of air pressure in the inner tube and found that you want very little air in it, just so that it is floating, and will only rock a few times when you press on it. I also tried it with and without the weight and found the weight added to soundstage depth and clarity. The net result of all this, is a transport that is an order of magnitude better than what I had originally.... but the story doesn't end here......
I was speaking with Dan Wright (of Modwright) who I have a great deal oif respect for and who is modding an sacd player of mine, and asked him what is experience has been and said that he has tried countless numbers of cones, etc, and the best he's ever heard was the Promethean (
http://www.machinadynamica.com), by a wide margin! Depnding on shelves and cones you pick, it's a $300 - $600 purchase. I had to check it out, so I ordered one knowing that I could return it in 30 days if I wasn't satisfied.
To describe it, it is about 8" tall. It has super DH cones at the base, then a layer of wood, then 3 large springs, then another layer of wood, then 3 more super dh cones. So I ripped out my existing set up and put in the Promethean and WOW, no ab-ing required, this is much better! Dynamics were significantly improved as was the texture of the music. There was also a layer of grunge removed, giving me a clearer picture of what was happening on stage. Also found that layering front to back had improved. I found myself being pulled into the music in a much more, particularly with some of the more difficult passages to reproduce, such as Piano. I can't believe it's my same player. The improvement over what I had was remarkable but over what I started with (nothing), it's astounding.
Cheers,
Scott
