Following on from my comment about the validity of spending a lot of money on clock cables and that i felt that the money would be better spent on isolation.
I’m interested in what others are using to isolate their dcs equipment. I have a trio of hrs nimbus that i use; but in order to fully isolate the bartok / clock and innuos statement i would need to make a fairly substantial investment in more nimbuses. So just seeking out other options.
If you want really effective vibration isolation here is your answer:
I doubt that you will really want to go there but I wanted to show what proper vibration isolation takes. I am sceptical about many of the products sold to audiophiles as the change in sound may not be from a reduction in vibration but simply due to shifting it to another frequency or by being effective only across a narrow band of frequencies. I am speaking generally and have no particular brief against HRS Nimbus products. However I would be more inclined to start the process by looking at complete equipment support racks ( including HRS if you can afford them) rather than just at add on footers. Get the rack right first. Unfortunately that is harder to do in practice than it should be and is not something that I have solved to my own satisfaction so far.
Some people might find this useful, or not, but one of the things I’ve been exploring lately in terms of whether or not I need to enhance the isolation of any of my components is to properly quantify the vibration each component is experiencing (especially important if one’s thinking of spending relatively big $$ on this 
).
Surprisingly, I found the accelerometer built-into the iPhones are super sensitive, and when coupled with the right App, does an amazing job in measuring actual vibration through the components.
I haven’t come to any conclusions yet, but for others that are interested, this (paid) App seems pretty good;
Here’s a measurement snap-shot with my iPhone sitting on-top of my Vivaldi Transport - the two spikes below 10Hz is caused by me taking an iPhone screenshot 
.
With something like this and home-trials of isolation devices, it’ll be somewhat easier to qualify the efficacy of what you’re about to buy. 
7 Likes
Superb info Anup. Pete, interesting link. I did not know those folks. I am a confirmed believer in Mapleshade racks and Sfillpoints feet. Now, with Anup’s input, I plan to do some testing. My Mapleshade rack is all for my headphones, and so I will be surprised if I find a “whole lotta shaking’ going on.” But it will be interesting to see what my Vivaldi, Merrill, SRS, and Legacy components might be picking up in the speaker system.
Interesting to note that one of the Minus -K isolation products comes supplied with the current contender for the “best turntable in the world” , the SAT XD-1 ( fully loaded €238,000 to you, Sir) and is also built into the less costly £50K Dohmann Helix 2 'table ( to be fair when combined with arm and the forthcoming vacuum hold down it is going to be more expensive).
Another isolation system that actually works is Vibraplane :
https://www.kineticsystems.com/the-ksi-solution/
Again I am trying to indicate the level of engineering required to actually isolate equipment.
1 Like
Why you need a rack?
https://bassocontinuo.biz/why-you-need-a-rack/
Ultra Feet - Enhanced Isolation system
The first fully tested isolation system (?)
https://bassocontinuo.biz/ultra-feet/
1 Like
Thanks Anup. Very interesting recommendation which I downloaded. Are you using any of the paid for options? I ask as I note that the graph that you show as a screenshot is working to 4 decimal places. Mine seems to be fixed at 5 decimal places which results in so much measured seismic activity that it is difficult to make much sense of it. Any advice would be gratefully received.
Best Wishes
Pete
Pete; just the App without any additional in-App purchase( as yet).
What you see in my screen shot is the defaults; 1024 FFT window size, rolling 10sec data collection at 100Hz, and response in Hz across a linear scale to 50Hz.
Make sure you’ve selected the Fixed scale instead of floating [via the graph button just above the trash-can icon], that might by why you’re seeing additional decimal places.
Thanks Anup, yes I think it was auto ranging. I sort of repeated your screenshot test by placing my i-pad on top of my Rossini Transport. I didn’t get the same display as you - no colour etc. but that may be due to different versions of the app. My display looked superficially a fair bit noisier than your result but the vertical scaling was not the same ( most of these setting adjustments are not available from the free version). However a big surprise was no visible change from a “silent” room to when music was being played, (network , not using the transport). Hmm 
.
https://bassocontinuo.biz/ultra-feet/
These look interesting, I also downloaded that app but don’t really know what i’m doing. Will have to investigate both further.
That’s OK. Nor do they.
Do read the technical report which really concludes with nothing of any significance:
" VicoterResults demonstrate that, when loaded in their respective design ranges, each damperoffers the best performances respect to the other ones."
.
2 Likes
Isn’t that good!? 
It would suggest that your system might be well isolated! To verify that the App is functioning as it should, just lightly tap with your finger anywhere on the chassis of whatever you’re measuring, it should show up on the graph!
The App was apparently original[ly] designed to measure motor/fan speeds.
An interesting off-shoot from this is that, it looks like my Vivaldi Transport spins SACD discs at about 2100 RPM (@ track 1, and gradually down-speeds slightly), and about 1800 RPM for Redbook discs. While my Melco N1A chassis (with upgraded 7200RPM SSHD Drives) purrs gently at 36Hz (likely an effect of the rubber grommet decoupling of the drives from the chassis).
I should state that none of this appears to have any measurable effect on sonics though 
2 Likes
I suspect that appropriate quantities of Pinot Noir or single malt or similar will have far greater effect. 
3 Likes
Without a doubt! And it happens weekly!! 
2 Likes
Take a look at Black Ravioli. I’m using it on all my kit with excellent results.
Hi Spursfan, thanks for the suggestion. Which ones do you use?
Leo, I’m using three things.
I have lots of the Big Pads, which I place under all my kit. These are very good.
I also have some “mats”, which I notice are no longer available on their website. I know they had some production issues - they are only a small business - so this is perhaps the reason for it. It could be worth giving them a call to find out if they have any left in stock.
And, finally, I have a bespoke piece of kit which goes under my LP12. The improvement in sound this gave me was sensational. It’s probably been the single most cost-effective upgrade I’ve ever made to the LP12.
All in all, what Black Ravioli makes really does improve the sound. If you try a few Big Pads, I feel sure you will end up buying more.
Happy to exchange more info with you if you wish.
Good luck
Simon
Hello everyone. Does anybody have experience with these dampers on their dCS devices? Thanks. Franco
htthttps://artesaniaaudio.com/producto/accesories/
Franco I think that @kaitainen uses them, Here is a link to his last post about them. Maybe you could PM him?
1 Like
Thanks a lot Peter!