StillPoints Ultra's and other clean ups as presented at RMAF

[Olskool]

Hi guys, this is my first opportunity to communicate since attending RMAF 2012. It was a memorable occasion as much for getting to meet some of the AA Members and hanging around with them. I can understand why the forum has earned such acclaim; really nice folks that you like being around who know their Hobby well and don't mind sharing knowledge or just being friendly.

One of the most impacting sessions I attended was hosted by Rick Gregory and involved System Set Up. The method followed was the progressive improvement of Hi End Audio output from bad to radical improvement. This was accomplished with alignment, platforms, Isolation, and room treatments.

Here are highlights from the session if I can be allowed to share them. (They proved to valuable tid-bits to me).
1) Ask two questions: How much does it sound like people playing instruments? How close do they sound? (I took this to mean how close to me do they sound - in the room or distant)
2) If the right source material is chosen anything sounds good.
3) Speaker setup is critical down to the quarter centimeter. The demonstrations bore that out solidly.
4) Metal shelving racks proved limiting to the sound quality produced from the system. A significant difference was noted going from typical metal racks to wooden.
5) The overall system infrastructure will provide a confused (less clean and inconsistent quality) with mixing different cable brands, interconnects, isolation, metal racks, etc. Try for a consistent grouping if using Nordost cables try to go all the way with Nordost products or who ever your favorite providers may be.
6) As we have all generally come to understand isolation from vibration is essential. He made the point that we have gotten the idea of isolation wrong for quite some time now.
-The issue is not how to isolate vibrations up from the surface but more importantly to allow internal vibrations to clear out of our systems downward. Isolation feet should be aligned so to allow the vibrations to exit down to the floor or stands; reverse your feet if able.
-The demonstrations showed that a good choice to allow this was wooden blocks either made or purchased. Cardas blocks were demonstrated and made a clearly audible difference in tonality. The demonstrations settled in on what produced some of the most startling and revealing improvements to my ears; He introduced the Still Points Ultra SS feet in place of the Cardas blocks; An astounding difference!
-A strong point was made to use the same supports throughout the system - Essential!
-When using isolation follow the power. This I thought very interesting indeed; if you have to focus your efforts start at isolating power, i.e. conditioners, power amps, etc. then on to other source players.
7) Finally the demonstration was topped off with room conditioning treatments. Kaiser Acoustic Panels were used and made a great impact.


I must say there were times they would run a demo on a track and I could not understand what fault he found in the playback re-production. They would then re-play the same piece after completing the addition of some tweak or treatment and the difference was night and day difference. Ultimately you know there is a sale of some system underneath all the magic. It must have worked because I stepped up and purchased a set of Still Point SS's for my system. I can tell you that with only three placed under my VS-115 amp the difference was immediate and clearly noticed. I will complete the purchase to isolate the remainder of my system using the StillPoint technology(when I can save enough money after purchasing the StillPoints for $750 for a set of 3 (ouch) and plenty of good music). I will give a review of what changes occurred when I ran them into my system. What a great time I had at RMAF!

Olskool

[Wasatch]

Thanks for the great info. I've looked into the Stillpoints, and they do make sense, just waiting for the right time to buy. I do like the Cardas blocks.

[Jerome W]

Olskool,

Very interesting write up ! Thanks a lot.
What made you choose the Stillpoints over wood blocks ? They are surely very expensive especially if you consider them for a whole system and not just one component.
I also wonder if wood blocks make a difference with a wood platform.
I used ebony wood blocks straight underneath my lp12 plinth instead of the Trampolin Linn base and they were awesome. I should probably investigate them under my other components. A set of 4 is about 150 dollars or so but could be even cheaper if made by my carpenter. Ebony is said to be the most dense wood but I do not know if it would be the best one to clear vibes from the component through it....

[MyPal]

Olskool...Thank you. I have basically the same questions as Jerome.

How would these be setup & how would they work on wooden shelves (Quadraspire Sunoko)? It was suggested to me that ebony or myrtle wood blocks would be a better outcome on these racks. I also came across this review by Roy Gregory! I'm guessing that using Stillpoints with bases are going to be more sympathetic to a wooden shelf or plinth too...

"...Just to underline that fact, I decided to take things to the next level by substituting Stillpoints Ultra SS's for the myrtle blocks. Bang! Suddenly the performance just came alive with color, impact, poise, energy and intent. But let’s not forget that as impressive as the Ultra SS's are (and you’ll be hearing a lot more about them) it’s the rack that’s acting as the foundation for that performance, providing exactly the firm footing they need to do their thing. After all, the two sets of Stillpoints come close in price to the complete four-shelf rack they’re sitting on..."

Full review here on rack shootout using Stillpoints Ultra SS. www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/atacama_quadraspire_racks_print.htm

So, perhaps wood on wood is better. eg Cardas Golden Cuboids... Hmmm....Tasmanian Fiddleback Blackwood....Pass me the handsaw please Jerome.

[Olskool]

MyPal, Jerome and Wasatch,

Thanks for the response and interest in my report. Good thoughts and questions all. As far as the performance of Wood Blocks on wooden stands I have not a clue. Heck I have never even heard the name of some of the woods you guys rattled off! ;-) It does remind me there is always another angle to consider in our hobby with room left to consider subjective opinions about personal hearing impressions.

The question was asked why I chose the much more expensive StillPoints over wood sets? Great question; Several responses:
1) I'm a bit impressionable and geeky. Things engineered with mystery technology catch my attention, these just really work!
2) My system already had several sets of Cardas wood blocks, although I had a mix of wood, ceramic and hardened rubber isolators mixed in too. The sound was okay and I have been tweaking to find the optimum setups for improved performance continually. When I heard how the complete set of wood Cardas blocks, which sounded very good, were completely rendered to just being okay comparatively by the StillPoints, the choice was easy.
3) I am impatient and probably miss a lot of good tweaks because of it, so I dispensed with all the rubber isolation and repositioned the Cardas blocks to my QB4 Power Conditioner, LS27 and NAD M5 CD/SACD. The Still points were placed under the VS-115...FREAKING MAGIC!!!! The performance change was immediate and profound. The soundstage opened up nice and wide, transparency like I've not heard in my music previously, great clarity, headroom bloom and detail! I am probably too impatient to go back with everything as it was and make one change at a time on my way to the current setup, listening and noting the difference as I go. What this question now makes me want to do is to remove the StillPoints (temporarily) and get another set of wood blocks to place under the VS and do some A-B listening work there to confirm the difference is as astounding as I believe it is.
4) The salesman I purchased the StillPoint Ultra SS from adeptly maneuvered me to the larger units over the mini units saying the performance results were better. A set of 3 minis cost about $225 each versus $775 for the the one Ultra SS set, hmmm??? With this in mind the point to different sizes has to do with component weight. Four sets of 3 will take care of the rest of my components and QB 4 (all less than 20 lbs) for just a bit more than the cost of the Ultra SS. Rather than buying an entire three set of 3 I might buy one set of three to insure the difference is near the same. My goal will be to eventually have each piece including speakers on StillPoints in keeping with the suggestion of consistency of tweak components.

My final thought is these tweaks can exact more impactive change than I could afford to pay for a full component suite of reference grade system items (amps, pre's, etc.), something I'm not ready to spend for just yet. Hope this helps.

Olskool

[DonBattles]

Not looking to hijack your thread but since StillPoints is the subject matter this might interest those that are vinyl hounds as well

The Audio Beat - Weighty Matters: Stillpoints Ultra LP Isolato

[Olskool]

Hello DonBattles, thanks for this. There was one being offered at a slight discount (not sure the original price but this one was offered at $550) at RMAF and I had no clue what it was. I'm intrigued that an item could affect the results off the turntable so. Thanks

Olskool

[chessman]

Olskool, I am a big believer in the benefits of isolation, so here is a BIG attaboy to you!

[jazzhead]

Hi Olskool , here's a follow up to the Seminar in question : The Audio Beat's System Setup and Optimization Seminar: What We Did, What It Did, and Why It Worked - The Audio Beat - www.TheAudioBeat.com

Must have been very insightful to observe and perceive the stated changes. Step 9 is stated to be the big one changing racks to the Stillpoints ESS , did you feel it be of a magnitude, as mentioned.
Step 16 however is my favourite. Talk about the kinks in our hobby ....

[Whart]

I did an extensive comparison of various footers for the tube power supply of my phono stage that is posted on another site. It included, starting from cheapest: Herbie's Footers (too soft sounding); Vibrapod plus cone (actually very good, particularly given how cheap they are); aurios (wonderful in clarity, bass tightening, but a harshness that could not be tolerated); HRS Couplers (did no harm, possible improvement but nowhere near as pronounced as what the aurios did right); custom rollerblocks (kind of 1/2 as good as the aurios, without the downside harshness, and different types of 'balls' change the sound); Stillpoints Ultra SS- what I am currently using- gives the clarity, not quite as pronounced as the aurios, but no trace of harshness. I gather they actually work most impressively under speakers; I have Grand Prix Apex footers with nitride balls under the horns right now, and am too lazy to change them out, given that I'll be breaking down the entire system soon. Once I relocate, I'll experiment with different footers under the speakers as well.