[adamaley]

Hi there guys,

I am jumping head first into tweaking my setup. I have the full complement of Red Wine in my musical chain. After reading somewhere about how glass shelving on racks was detrimental, I put some leftover maple blocks underneath them (from a home construction project). The change was drastic. Smoother more prominent high, rendering the soundscape more detailed and punchy. It brought out the higher frequencies in a wonderful way.

I'm here to solicit impressions on various tweaks concerning resonance/vibration control. I'm looking at the Herbie's tenderfeet right now. What do you guys use, and on which component, and to what effect?

Thanks

[alamakazam]

there is a slight problem for RWA product... some corners are heavier than the others

so footers doesnt work well, it will be rocking

[adamaley]

Alamakazam,

I noticed that as well when I put the wooden blocks under mine. I ended up with two blocks in opposing corners of each component, which seemed stable enough to me. How did you overcome this instability, and with what product/item, Alamakazam? Thanks.

[David C.]

I've had good results with Audio Points (http://www.starsoundtechnologies.com/audiopoints.html). I use three per unit in a triangular formation, sitting on brass coupling disks. I have them under my amp, dac and speakers.

[adamaley]

Thanks David C. I will look into that company. Will both your amp and DAC be Red Wine products? If so what sort of benefits did you obtain? I have had a drop in bass performance that I haven't been able too recover, no matter the combination of wooden blocks I use, hence my quest for a third party solution. I want to be able to keep the benefits without any tradeoffs.

[texendo]

Adamaley,

I use Vibrapods with Vibracones on my Isabella and 70.2s because I get phatter bass.  If wood blocks are sucking out the bass, get rid of them.  The Vibra products are cheap and very effective.  You'll still get the cleaner highs and more resolved soundstage too, and instead of losing bass, your response will be improved.  I've been through the rounds on cones and points and blocks and pods and have spent more than I'm proud of.  Cheers.

Jason

[Profbratsch]

Have you considered the platforms from Mapleshade or Timber Nation?  I use the Ultra Bedrock 2 stands from Mapleshade and they made an enormous difference on my LSA 1 Statement monitors.

[adamaley]

I have done extensive reading on these options. I ordered Herbies tederfeet this morning (with 5% coupon code: Audiocircle). Within ten minutes of my order, it was shipped out (great service). I will order either of Vibrapods/Vibracones and Audiopoints to compare to the tenderfeet. The victor shall stay.

[adamaley]

Profbratsch, thanks for  the suggestion. At this point I am looking to incorporate whatever solution I come up with into my current rack. Therefore, I am aiming for it to be as minimalist as possible. Texendo and David C, thanks also. I will order Vibrapods, or they seem to be more readily available on Audiogon. The audiopoints are a little more pricey, however their speaker spikes will be my next purchase to use on my Adagios. I've never really been happy with the stock spikes. Ill report back as soon as everything settles in.

Thanks again,

E

[Profbratsch]

adamaley,

You're quite welcome.  Actually, I had not heard about the Tenderfeet until your post (I was only aware of the Tube Dampers).  There were a higher than average set of positive testimonials on their web site, don't you think?

I might contact them and am a bit curious if they can be used in conjunction with maple platforms.  I want to extract the last vestiges of vibration from my source, which is a Windows-based CPU.

Looking forward to your comparison between the two isolation devices...enjoy!

[adamaley]

Well it's been a couple of days of experimentation withe the Herbie's audio tenderfeet, and I must declare they have rendered my system as musical and close to "perfection" as it's ever been.

Now, I started down this path by both intent and chance. Vibration and isolation were always down on my list of system to-dos. I have a pretty standard Sanus system hi-fi stand and I was never under the impression it was the end all and be all in that department, what with 10,000 dollar racks out there (See system pic in gallery). After a little construction project at home and had a couple of 5 x 1/2 inch wooden square blocks left over. I had taken the plunge on room treatments and that was a revelation against all expectation, so I felt why not try these under my components. I did so and the change to the sound was drastic.

It could have been my rack's use of tempered glass was not conducive to start with. The changes were an increase in internal instrument detail (micro-dynamics?) clarity, resolution (deeper sound cues etc.) and a more detailed sound. Conversely, I lost a lot of bass, body and punch. The use of these wooden, maple blocks under each additional component cause an incremental shift in the sound of my system. Initially I was taken in by the novelty of the sound, also, I had always felt I needed more detail and definition from my system. However, I wasn't enjoying things as much as i used to, so I knew something was wrong.

I had read about Herbie's tenderfeet. They were cheap, worth a shot and shipped expeditiously with the audiocircle coupon as an added bonus. Now their performance helped me rescind my decision to get the Vibrapods, since as of yesterday everything had clicked into place, after much trial and error. My layoff due to patellar tendon knee surgery allowed me to listen to one of the following iterations per day, all day long (in order of preference):

1. Herbies tenderfeet under component feet, then on rack
2. Herbies tenderfeet under component chassis, then on rack
3. Herbies tenderfeet under component feet, placed on maple blocks, then on rack
4. Herbies tenderfeet under component chassis, placed on maple blocks, then on rack
5. Maple block under component feet, placed on tenderfeet, then on rack
6. Maple block under component chassis, placed on tenderfeet, then on rack

All I can say is the tenderfeet coupled to the bottom of the Red Wine Audio component feet always resulted in the best sound. The maple blocks were always deleterious. I also preferred 4 feet per component to 3. They always took away from the gestalt of the music. Keep in mind these are not your audiophile grade maple blocks; just leftovers from Home depot (check out my system picture in gallery). They opened my eyes to the changes that could be reaped from further testing. One can go crazy with so much testing; doubt creeps in, second-guessing comes visiting, and so losing sight of your original aim could happen (assuming you knew what it was to begin with). It is with this in mind and my contentment with the sound that I reneged on trying any other product.

I am wholly satisfied with the sound I have now. I have maintained the weight and body and pace of the music (Red Wine Audio sound). I have managed to counter the negative effect of my current rack by adding more see-throughness, definition, and detail. Thus bringing the full message of the music to me. Hope this encourages others to try out different methods on their own and discover the blessings it may bring.

E

Disclaimer: I have no connection to Herbie's Audio Lab or Home Depot. Also, I have no beef with Sanus systems. The rack matches my basement decor to the "t".

[alamakazam]

TAOC footers are no go for me

now left feet less

for non-rubber isolators, there is tendency the machine will shift when one press the on/off switch, which is a problem

[Profbratsch]

Hope this encourages others to try out different methods on their own and discover the blessings it may bring.

adamaley,

You can count me as one.  After reading your posts I decided last Friday to order enough to cover the four components I own.  I went one step further and am having Vinnie install Tube Dampers on the 70.2s and Isabella (they might not fit on the latter but I thought I would give it a shot) before he sends the modded gear back to me.

Glad you are enjoying your system and hope your rehab gets you up and running (a little bit of pun intended) soon!

[adamaley]

alamakazam,

I can see how it could be a problem having footers, especially with Red Wine's unique power switches. I wished I got my best sound with the footers underneath the chassis of the components, but alas, it was not to be. A little care is required when turning on and off now. Profbratsch, great to hear it. Let us know your impressions. Thanks for the well wishes. One benefit is having a lot of free time --- I've turned into a tweakazoid --- looking at speaker spikes next and then looking to upgrade my digital cable from Stereovox HDXV 2 to ???

[Eadron]

adamaley (and others), I was having pretty much the same difficulties with RWA sitting on a top of Timbernation Maple bases, Isoblocks under bases. The sound was a bit thin and weak, especially the bass, tried everything and then, alas, I read about your experiences with Herbie's Tenderfeet. I decided to the take the plunge and ordered 16 pcs of them.

Wow! They are very good under RWA components, bringing life, dynamics and and strong bass to the table, all of them without obvious flaws, everything sounds much more natural now. I too feel that overall response has improved as well.

Nice tweak, very nice!

jouni

[adamaley]

Glad they worked out for you Eadron. Great results for the price.