[AliG]

Hi David, haven't tried that Shakti stone yet. The dealer who sold me the Alto Extremo Lyd II carries the Shakti and offers money-back guarantee. But I'm too lazy to arrange for a trial..

Let us know what you find out about this magic stone..

Barry, have you considered trying a few Shakti stones as well to see how they impact the sound? I have heard very positive things and I am probably going to demo a few in the next few weeks.

http://www.shakti-innovations.com/audiovideo.htm

[mca]

These look interesting also



The SKYLAN isolation platform is a resonance inhibitor that does the job admirably and is also inexpensive. The external panels take advantage of the strength, low cost and acoustical superiority of MDF. Sandwiched between these panels is a proprietary viscous material with excellent mechanical isolation properties. The platform rests on ceramic spheres.

[WGH]

Plenty of Desert Ironwood (Olneya tesota) around here. I could make a few calls and get all you would ever need.

Mesquite has a specific gravity of .8, it might make a good equipment table, especially with the dry slabs I have:





A 4" thick solid mesquite board doesn't vibrate very much.
And it looks a lot better than many alternatives too.

AliG - If you want to try out some mesquite pucks I'll send you some. PM me.

Wayne

[Big Red Machine]

You guys are great.  Good ideas flowing.  Gonna cost me some time and money for sure!

[rajacat]

Whoa.....is that Black Mesquite? Black Mesquite is the wood of choice for corking mallet handles because of its ability to absorb shock. Seems to me that it would be a perfect wood for a turntable base.

-Roy

[WGH]

Whoa.....is that Black Mesquite? Black Mesquite is the wood of choice for corking mallet handles because of its ability to absorb shock. Seems to me that it would be a perfect wood for a turntable base.

-Roy

Sorry, I don't know what Black Mesquite is so I don't think this is it.
What I have is native Arizona mesquite (Prosopis velutina).

It could make a good turntable base, I have never experimented with it.

Here are some photos I just found:
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/mesquite.htm

Wayne

[TerryO]

Ever compare against these at $25 for a set of four?

Just for future reference, you can get these at most any Heating and Cooling supply store for a buck a piece. I know, I bought 25 of them the last time I was in.

Someone is making a huge profit on these on A'gon and other places. Just thought I'd chime in. 

yup good value if you buy them from a heating and cooling supply store 

If you don't have a store near you, here's an outlet that specializes in vibration control. The product shown in the picture above looks to be "very" similar to the one shown on the website, scroll about a third of the way down the page:

http://www.soundproofing.org/infopages/vibrationpads.htm

Best Regards,
TerryO

[AliG]

Hi Wayne,
   Thanks for the generous offer! Send me some Mesquite pucks and I shall put them to test against the best of the best! 

I've pm you with my contact. To save time, I think it's sufficient to make a cuboid 2"x2"x1.5".

Rgds

Sorry, I don't know what Black Mesquite is so I don't think this is it.
What I have is native Arizona mesquite (Prosopis velutina).

It could make a good turntable base, I have never experimented with it.

Here are some photos I just found:
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/mesquite.htm

Wayne

[jbtrio]

I completely agree with AliG good isolation platforms,footers,pucks,etc. will extract the best performance from your equipment.

I have many different  products from SRA,Symposium,Finite Elemente,& Herbies.

For not to much money at the least, try Herbies iso-cups.You can get 3 for less them sixty bucks and I think there is a 30 day return policy.

I placed them on my Supratek Sauvignon. Improved bass detail and clarity in the midrange and treble while still maintaining a full balaned sound.

Joe

[AliG]

The ULTIMATE pucks face-off just got better and better! Thanks to Wayne (WGH) who was so kind to make me three sets of Desert Ironwood (Mesquite) pucks, see below:

From left to right:
The first from the left is the "Borneo Ironwood" pucks in cylinderical shape, next is a 2"x2" Mesquite, the one supporting the amplifier is a 3"x3" Mesquite, and further to the right the smallest rectangular puck is 2"x1.25" Mesquite

At the same time, I moved my CD player from the maple rack to the Borneo Ironwood rack. And the combination as pictured below yields the BEST sound I have ever heard on my system. I am still stunned by how good my system is sounding as I'm typing this 


Because the CD player is already sitting on the Borneo Ironwood rack, I find that using additional pucks underneath it is a little bit overkilled.

I experiement with all three different sizes of the mesquite pucks and found that SIZE DOES MATTER!  aa The larger the pucks, the better the bass control.

If I compare the 2"x2" mesquite against my Borneo Ironwood, I wouldn't be able to declare a winner, the 2"x2" mesquite sounded more like solid state with bass a little bit out of control and the Borneo Ironwood sounded more like tube with a little bit too much boominess.

The 3"x3" mesquite combined the best of both world - it makes my system sounded well-balanced from top to bottom

I promised Wayne that after I have tested his mesquite pucks and confirms their potential to be a 'giant killer', I will be willing to ship them around to different AC members. For those of you who've never believed in such tweak, now it's a good chance for you to be convinced! So, send me a pm if you're interested to participate in the very first Mesquite Pucks Tour! I will see if I can squeeze in a set of my Borneo Ironwood pucks so you guys can experience the difference. Each participant only have to pay shipping to the next person in line.

I will ask Wayne to make me a set of 3"x3" - I hope he's not going to charge me $1000 for it.

Back to my music!

[John Casler]

These look interesting also



The SKYLAN isolation platform is a resonance inhibitor that does the job admirably and is also inexpensive. The external panels take advantage of the strength, low cost and acoustical superiority of MDF. Sandwiched between these panels is a proprietary viscous material with excellent mechanical isolation properties. The platform rests on ceramic spheres.

I used to be a SKYLAN dealer until Noel went Direct Only.  I have a pair of these platforms and like them very much.

All SKYLAN products seem to give exceptional value, performance, and quality.

[rydenfan]

I had the chance to see an ISIS rack today. It is truly stunning in person. IMO the nicest rack I have ever seen. Pictures do not do it any sort of justice. And the technology behind them is pretty interesting.

http://www.symposiumusa.com/mysrack.html
http://www.symposiumusa.com/ultra.html

[fsimms]

I tried out the Billian Ironwood pucks that Barry sent me.   I put them under my Minimax Phonostage.  They cleaned up the low level detail.   I kept them there and just listened to record after record for a few days.   They made my Minimax sound more like a Dodd battery phono preamp.   I can hear more detail in Linda Ronstadt’s voice and the background orchestra is clearer on her “Sentimental Reasons” LP.   It made about 15% of the difference a Gingko Cloud isolation platform made for my Aries 3 turntable.

Bob

[Bob in St. Louis]

You fellas mind if I ask a silly question?

It would seem to me that since the rack/table/platform your equipment is sitting on is presumably made of a fairly hard material, and your amp/CDP/TT is assumed to also be a fairly hard material, wouldn't another hard material in between help to transmit vibration?
I would think the best thing to separate the rack and the gear would be something very soft like the rubber and cork, or at the most, balsa wood or a very dense foam block. Some form of dissimilar material to absorb and stop vibrations from passing through it.
Also, if a VERY hard wood seems to be advantageous, then what about a chuck of stainless steel. And how about a block of lead. I'm sure a few of you have children. If so, then you most likely have some toddler building blocks scattered around the house. I assume that would be yellow pine. I'd be interested in hearing impressions of all of these materials.

Bob - Curious

[AliG]

Bob, that is not a silly question at all. I have to keep re-iterating one very important point:
- We're all in constant search for that elusive system synergy, the journey requires delicate balancing act. There's no absolute right way of doing things, and there's no 'sure' way of getting it right without first experimenting with it.

Hence my take is this, I cannot tell you what works or what doesn't. My experience is only valid as far as my system is concerned, and I found that steel/heavy metal (like Cerabase) will give you a different sound than wood. Generally the harder and denser the material is, the 'harder' (leaner, 'brighter', more brittle) the sound will become. If you have a system made up with a lot of tube components, and you have issues with 'loose' bass, then using a hard material like granite will do more to tame your bass than a wood like maple. I had tried using soft materials, I added another layer of plastic/rubber between my rack and the pucks, and when I do that I lost some refinement in the bass region.

Hence you ask me why I don't use steel, well, because I don't want my system to sound any brighter/leaner; and why don't I use rubber, because I don't want my bass to loose its tightness/punchiness. Apart from the different density/hardness, each type of wood has different internal struture that makes them sound different. And I find that no single type of wood is best for all components, I'm using Mesquite on my amp, Lyd II on my preamp, Borneo Ironwood on my Phono, and Mesquite or Borneo Ironwood on my CDP depending on which rack it is sitting on.

The reason why I made a big deal out of this tweak is because it is 'cheap' and it can be as good or better than a lot of the mega-expensive racks/platforms out there. So for all ya 'value-shopper' out there, you don't have to be despair for being unable to afford a $5000 rack. 

If you don't believe me, send me a pm of your address and I will get you some pucks to play with.

 

Also, if a VERY hard wood seems to be advantageous, then what about a chuck of stainless steel. And how about a block of lead. I'm sure a few of you have children. If so, then you most likely have some toddler building blocks scattered around the house. I assume that would be yellow pine. I'd be interested in hearing impressions of all of these materials.

Bob - Curious

[Bob in St. Louis]

Oh OK. I understand now.
So it's exactly like tube rolling..... It's what sounds best for you, on your system, in your room, etc....
Whew, Sure am glad to hear it wasn't a silly question after all. 

Thanks for the explanation. 

Bob

[WGH]

An AC member tried out the blocks I made for AliG, liked what they did and ordered a set of 3", 2", and 1.25" mesquite blocks. The chunk of mesquite I picked out was slightly over 4" thick so in the holiday spirit I included a set of 4" blocks. I took some photos along the way:







The blocks are finished with a coat of Waterlox Original Sealer & Finish which brings out the grain and color of the mesquite.

Wayne