Stillpoints Ultra Mini's now support the McIntosh MC75 amps
 

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Two sets of four Stillpoints Ultra Mini's arrived this morning and now reside under my McIntosh MC75 mono tube amplifiers. Once again I am thoroughly impressed with sonic improvements that are quite remarkable. The living room sound system already has Stillpoints Ultra Mini's under the McIntosh C2300 preamplifier, the Aurender N100H music server, the Schiit Audio Yggdrasil Analog 2 DAC, and the Simaudio Moon 260D transport. It seemed like a natural progression to add the Ultra Mini's under my newest McIntosh MC75's. What amazes me is how an already premium sounding system that one assumes is already at a performance level that is extremely high can be further enhanced by continuing to place additional Stillpoints under more components. The Ultra Mini's supporting the pair of MC75's have elevated performance to a fresh height. Immediately noticeable is a more refined sense of space between all instruments and voices. Soundstage focus has grown even more accurate, sustained notes seem to linger forever, dynamic clarity and initial attacks have become more detailed and immediate, and the timbre of instrumental sounds are now fuller and more holistic than before. The living room sound system has never sounded better than it does right now. Color me one happy camper.


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Dan....congratulations. It's really amazing what these tweaks can do. I look forward to hearing this system in its "reborn" state. I have no doubt it sounds fabulous.

Pete.......Thank you. The living room sound system has been elevated to an amazing performance level with the recent upgrades. You will be floored.

Nice write up, color me interested. This forum is bad on my bank account!

Dan... very glad to know you are enjoying your new Stillpoints Ultra Mini’s. :ok:

Ivan.......Thank you. I was surprised they arrived a day early. Nice surprise.

It is amazing that such small devices can produce such profound audible improvements in a sound system. Over and over I have discovered the Stillpoints Ultra Mini's advantages are cumulative. Certain aspects of a system's sound simply gets better and better as additional isolation footers are added to audio components.

I expected I might have to really pay close attention to hear any differences the Ultra Mini's delivered when placed under the MC75's, especially since I already had four other sets of Ultra Mini's installed in the system. Not so, not in the least. The focus, stability, and accuracy of instruments and voices spread across the soundstage immediately became clearer. Dynamic attacks such as drum strikes and piano hammers hitting the strings grew more intense without gaining any glare. Deep bass feels more intense, thicker. There is no imagination required to realize what has developed in a system's sound when Stillpoints are added. I am glad I made the decision to add the Ultra Mini's under the MC75's. Worth every penny, nickle, dime, and quarter.

I'll likely be banned . . . but . . .

Only in audio can such claims be made with no other basis than glowing conjecture. I'm three decades in the hobby, spent two in the industry, and of that two I spent nearly a decade training audio professionals. In that time, I met many folks worlds smarter, wiser, and more objective than I. Designers, engineers, great thinkers - all of whom had their feet firmly planted in science. Scientific method. Repeat ability. Objectivity. All in an effort to separate fact from fiction. I have personally set up demonstrations to prove that science in fact dictates the outcome. Such demonstrations are not well received or embraced when the results contradict the position held on a given topic so they're not often done - which is a real shame.

Guys, at what point do we take a step back and ask ourselves do we embrace the laws of physics or don't we? An example . . . I was researching a new drug for my girlfriend's daughter over lunch today for an illness that she has. The drug company clearly spells out that some in the trial get the actual drug while others get a placebo. There is a reason for this - our psyche is a very powerful thing. This is science.

I can wax my hot rod and it sure seems to me that it runs smoother, has better throttle response, etc. - it doesn't.

Ivan - if you toss me out on my head, I'll hold no grudge.

Hopefully Ivan won’t throw you out! :D: I don’t think there should be a problem with a topic like this on AA, I would just do it separately under a new thread since this is Dan’s thread reporting his experience with the Stillpoints and his McIntosh amplifiers.

- Buck

Scientifically speaking, I agree with Buck. :thumbsup:

damacman.......Science is a wonderful thing and on countless occasions has brought forth a plethora of remarkably astonishing discoveries that have both helped and hindered mankind. Not for a minute does that comment mean science is not also about failure after failure, theory after theory never proving the original hypothesis. Science is not a panacea for truth under all circumstances. Is it a necessary and respected discipline? Of course. Like you, I have met many designers, engineers, and great thinkers in my seven plus decades on Earth. Not one, including myself, has ever claimed to be the bearer of infinite wisdom. The general consensus usually ends by acknowledging that the more one knows about a particular discipline the more one comes to understand how little is really known.

I am not offended by your comments. Thoughts such as those you mentioned are the genesis of contradictions helping support endless discussions in the audio community. You are certainly entitled to support whichever philosophical opinions that provide you with the greatest sense of comfort. Either way, my experiences are mine, as are the words I use to convey my conclusions to those who read them. If for no other purpose, my opinions can be viewed as entertainment, a moment in time that allows one to be temporarily disconnected from the chores of life. I am not disturb in any negative manner by the thoughts of others with respect to my elucidations.


Now, back to my thread. My 50+ years of owning and playing with high-end audio, sharing space and time with sophisticated audiophiles, ingenious inventors, successful business owners, and a multitude of educated friends around the world who share my interests in audio has been extremely rewarding. As the years have past I have been able to develop a keen sense of hearing, a sharpened awareness for sonic anomalies, and an inherent ability to identify what sonic performances please me and those that do not capture my soul. I have learned how to listen. Can I measure these various traits I have nurtured all these years? No, but I can make an effort to share my experiences with others as I hear them and see fit to express my thoughts. How my personal experiences are interpreted by readers is beyond the scope of my control. I have no agenda to sell anything, only to share my experiences in hope that they provide some measure of assistance to others. I believe I have been successful in that endeavor. For me it is a hobby, a past time, something I do for fun to keep myself occupied and happy. That is the grand sum total of what I have to give. To you, my words are only worth what you think they are worth. And so it is with everything else we are exposed to in life.