3 are better than 4 in some situations
I have been very pleased with 4 Ultra SS footers under an 80lb power conditioner and my Theta pre-pro.
I also placed 4 mini's under an Aurender N100h. Then I changed to 4 Ultra SS footers and listened. I was not pleased with what I heard; vocals got thin and sharp, bass was over-emphasized. Turning up the volume I noted the sound was "congested" and "forced". When I remove the footers from under the Aurender the sound was fuller, more natural and notably more "relaxed".
I spoke with Bruce at Stillpoints who told me that he also has an Aurender and found that 3 footers worked better than 4 footers. I tried 3 of the Ultra SS's and still was hearing the same negative effects. I switched to 3 of the Mini's under the Aurender and the negative effects were lessened but ultimately still there. I ended up placing 3 Ultra SS's under the Berkeley USB/SPDIF converter. That worked well too. Perhaps some digital pieces are better served with 3 than 4?
I am in the process of making significant changes in my system and now have Ayre MX-R Twenty mono blocks on the floor mounted on pieces of lumber yard cut maple supported by 3 Audiopoint footers. I am not sure if this temporary amp set-up could have some impact on what I am hearing. I am waiting to receive my ordered SRA Ohio Class XL platforms. I can't wait to try them out to see if they make an impact.
Tim at SRA suggested removing all my Stillpoints and rely on just the SRA platforms. Could there be any conflict using Stillpoints with the SRA platforms? I love what the Stillpoints do, to a point, but will start with just the SRA platforms then add the Stillpoint back into the system. I need to understand how isolating the power conditioner, for example, could be a bad idea...regardless of what is under my amps. Could there be a conflict in the technologies of the 2 approaches?
Thanks,
popspin
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