Three Unusually Effective New Tweaks For Hi-Fi Systems
Over the last few months, I’ve come across a number of new devices for room treatment and vibration/resonance control that really work in the ways that I like such things to work—which is to say, all of them lower coloration, increase transparency to sources, and raise resolution without killing dynamics.
The first item—or items—is an unconventional room treatment from Synergistic Research, called the ART (Acoustic Room Treatment) system. I will be reviewing these temple-bell-like objects in The Absolute Sound in the near future, but for the time being know that all four parts of this system (the large Vibratron, which sits on a tall tongue-depressor-shaped stand, the smaller Bass Station, Gravatrons, and Magnetrons, which sit on wooden stands in front of your speakers or on little wedges of wood attached to your walls) work together to improve room acoustics by masking early-arrival reflections and comb-filtering, thereby clarifying and seemingly expanding the soundfield. In combination with Shakti Hallographs, which have much the same effects, they can do wonders for reducing brightness in an overly live-sounding room or for controlling midbass resonances in a smaller one. A starter set of ART products (including a Vibratron for the front wall, a Bass Station for the front wall, a Gravatron for the back wall, and two Magnetrons for the sidewalls) will set you back $2995. Granted this is a lot of money (especially if you combine the ART with Hallographs, as I do), but it is a WHOLE lot cheaper than custom-building a dedicated listening room and—from my experience of “scientifically designed” dedicated listening rooms—a whole lot better sounding.
The second item is the QPod from Magico. Originally designed for Magico’s own use in developing loudspeakers, these large, beautifully made, constrained-layer “feet” combine layers of hardened stainless-steel, oxygen-free copper, and aircraft-grade aluminum—all CNC-turned-and-milled—to “create a single traverse dissipating unit” that turns vibrational energy into heat. Magico, as usual, has done its homework on these items (you can find cumulative spectral decay plots on the Magico Web site, which clearly show the effects that the QPods have when a component—in this case a preamp—is seated atop them). I myself can attest to their effectiveness under components that handle low-level signals, such as phonostages or preamps. With Audio Research and Technical Brain electronics, the QPods lower image “smear” and improve focus, resolution, truth of timbre, transient response, and dynamic range and scale to a quite noticeable degree. Unfortunately, and once again, three of these hefty pods (upon whose flat tops a single component is seated) will put you out $1310 (a set of four, for larger items like amplifiers, is $1680). The veritable Porsche 911Turbo of vibration-reduction feet, the QPods are built like all Magico products without any prior constraints, cost like all Magico products a lot, and work like all Magico products exactly as advertised. A very worthy tweak, if you’ve got the do-re-mi. Once again, I will be reporting on the QPods in TAS.
The last item—and the most expensive by far—are the MAXXUM amp and turntable stands from Joe Lavrencik of Critical Mass Systems, which I will also review in TAS. Recently shown at CES in some of the highest of ultra-high-end rooms, these gorgeous objects—so beautifully machined and constructed that they match and, in some respects, eclipse Magico/Rockport build-quality—aren’t just eye candy (although they certainly are that, as well). CNC-machined (to tolerances in the thousandths of an inch) of three alloys of aerospace aluminum, titanium, tungsten, and proprietary materials, anodized in a two-stage process, hand-sanded, hand-polished, razor-trimmed, wet-painted in Aston-Martin automotive paint and then oven-baked, these stands have to be the current ne plus ultra in constrained-layer component-support systems. The products of decades of R&D, the MAXXUMs are the foremost examples of Lavrencik’s filtered direct-coupling techhnology, which he claims not only dissipates energy that is transmitted to and from the component in a vertical channel, but also from any horizontal or oblique angle. I’ve just started using the MAXXUMs under the new drop-dead-gorgeous Da Vinci AAS Gabriel II turntable and under the Technical Brain TBP-Zero EX amplifiers (review forthcoming in Issue 213). I cannot comment in detail about them yet (their constrained-layer damping takes a hundred or so hours to break in and I almost literally just got them), but my first impressions are VERY positive. For instance, the difference between the Benz LP S-MR cartridge, the (superior, IMO) Da Vinci Reference Grand Grandezza cartridge, and my reference Ortofon MC A90 were plainer to me with the Da Vinci 'table and the Technical Brain amps sitting on MAXXUMs that on the devices I’d previously used, bespeaking higher transparency to sources. Alas, you’re going to have to pay for this kind of engineering and this kind of build-quality. The amp stands are $5650 apiece; the turntable/equipment stand is $36,400. If you have this kind of mad money, you would do well to consider the Critical Mass Systems MAXXUM stands, as well as the ART System from Synergistic research and the QPods from Magico. If, like me, you don’t…well, it’s still fun to window-shop.
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Comments
How about some more photos of the interesting new goodies in your room JV please!
Pixs will be forthcoming. See above.
JV,
Did you ever try putting the Magico M5 on spiked feet of any kind? Just curious as I am going to try this once my spikes arrive. Mine are sitting on a rug (no choice) and I think penetrating through that rug may help.
Also I have only heard the ART system at CES in 2009 I believe and all three of us in the room at the time thought if anything the sound was a little worse when they were in place. It was only a few songs back and forth and show rooms are not the best so I may need to revisit them again.
Also looking forward to images showing how these items are all being used and located.
jfkbike
JeffK,
I heard the ART system sound "weird" (out of phasey) with the Vivid Giyas a few years ago (and I didn't think they added much to the sound of the new YG Acoustic speakers at this year's CES, but then that room was problematical for all sorts of reasons). However, on the vast majority of occasions--both here and throughout Europe--it has only improved the sound. It certainly does what I said it does in my digs (with Hallographs folded into the mix).
As for spikes for M5s...I asked Magico about this when I first got those speakers and Wolf said that spikes were a "no-no." The enclosure was designed to work optimally without any other support system. This doesn't mean you can't try spikes, BTW (so long as you don't destabilize the speakers and tip them over in the process). Just that Wolf advised (me) against it.
Jon
Jonathan
Always enjoyed your reviews and ear and am seriously envious of the equipment that you have on hand to audition but am compelled to write on the issue of the ART system. I am as nutty as any audiophile could be and freely admit to the sonic merits of a well engineered power cord, etc...but this product pushes the willingness to believe or participate a little too far. I believe you lose credibility in discussing it in any serious vain. It best be like your horoscope...you may well read it every day but would never discuss it with any conviction in a conversation. I note that Denney makes no mention of any technical training and, if so, this product then falls into the "hippy" range of items. More belief than substance. btw...what ever happened to those ebony wooden pucks that people were placing around their sound rooms so reverently and assuredly? More magic dust.
Regards, wdw
wdw,
First, thanks for the kind words.
I don't know how to answer your commonsensical objection to the ART system, save to say that you should hear it set up properly (as I have) before passing judgment. In my room, with my gear, ART demonstrably (via RTA) smooths out frequency response at the listening seat by (apparently) masking first reflections in the mids and treble and reducing comb-filtering in the bass, in much the same way that Shakti's Hallographs do. I'm fully aware that these sorts of tweaks look suspicious compared to the more rigorously science-based designs I've also reported on from Magico and Critical Mass Systems, but do try listening to them before dismissing them out of hand. You may be surprised by their effectiveness (and the consistency and repeatability of their effects)--and then again maybe not. Several of my listening panelists took your point of view, until I demonstrated that moving the centrally located Vibraton up and down by an inch made a substantial, identical, and repeatable difference in tonal balance that all could hear, blindfolded or sighted. (I should also add that I augment these devices with "officially sanctioned" acoustical products from RPG and AV Room Services.)
BTW, the pucks which you refer to (and which, it may come as no surprise to you to learn, I used quite successfully for years) were made by Shun Mook. Indeed, the Shun Mook pucks are the granddaddy of all wooden "masking" devices.
Jon
Dear Jon
You are a nut bar..delightfully so but decidedly nutty (keep on writing!)...I remember the pucks...a decidedly Eastern tweak as no one, as befitting their cultural norms, would be willing to raise their hand to say, impolitely, "this is a somewhat silly".
wdw
wdw,
Well, sometimes I feel like a nut bar and sometimes I don't. If using Helmholtz-like resonators to improve acoustics makes me such, then I'm in a long line of nut-bar company. Resonating devices like ART (or Shakti Hallographs or Shun Mook pucks) aren't new. In fact, they are the eldest of all "acoustical treatments." The ancient Greeks and Romans used bronze vases of varying sizes arrayed on the stages of their theaters and public fora to make the voices of actors and public speakers and the sounds of instruments clearer (presumably because the vases' resonances reinforced fundamentals and, consequently, masked reflections and harmonics that reduced intelligibility). Variants on these same devices were used in medieval churches, particularly in choir lofts, for the same reasons. Indeed, until fairly recently, what have come to be known as "Helmholtz resonators" were the standard "acoustical treatment" world-wide. I believe that Ted Denny of Synergistic first got the idea for his ART system when he visited a Buddhist temple, and noted that the prayer bowls inside made a decided and euphonious difference in the acoustic. All of this may not be science--and, I'll grant, may appear to be "somewhat silly" (especially to someone who hasn't tried it)--but the ART system is the latest iteration of an old old old idea. As for me, I've always been a results-oriented kind of listener. If something works to my ear and my mind, even if science says it's silly, then I'm OK with it. If that makes me a nut bar, then so be it.
Jon
I am silenced...happy listening. WDW
Ted Denney went to a buddhist temple and saw profit hihi. Nice... Just kidding ;-)
It would be far cheaper to call Rives for a L1 assessment to determine if you even need Helmholtz resonators.
They aren't essential for all rooms. In fact, could be detrimental. At 3k, those are some really expensive ones in general.
It would also be nice if Ten Denney released measurements for rooms with and without the ART system. I believe that has been hashed out ad nauseum in another forum. But then again, he won't provide measurements for any of his products---even his cables (unlike Kimber, Cardas, etc).
Does Magico recommend the use of Pods on their speakers?
Keith,
The QPods are for components only--NOT speakers. The speakers have constrained layer damping built into the enclosures.
Jon
Ok, this is where you guys lose me.
I can buy the plugs, wires, etc., but the days of putting little dots on the walls, clocks in the room and little bowls and balls are over for me.
This is just the nonsense that made me get the out of the audiophile world and sell my Wilson X1s and Levinson gear (which by the way, no matter how many dots I put on the wall could not make these overrated speakers sound any better).
Actually, there is good reason to believe the qpods to be effective. Vibration in low-level circuitry can, indeed, muddy the signal (especially with tubes). However, I see no reason to suppose that one would need to pay Magico's prices to effect this result. A trio of Sorbothane "pucks" should do as well, I should think.
Priaptor,
Well, we don't want to lose you. So come back.
This is a blog about tweaks. All three of them work--consistently, repeatably, and positively.And none of them is "nonsense." However, If the very thought of the ART system upsets you (as it has--to my surprise, I admit--a lot of folks), then ignore it. ART does work, just as I said it does. So do Shakti Hallographas, just as I said they do. But no one has to buy these things to get a great stereo system--they're tweaks!
Jon
Jon,
In fairness, I was just bringing some levity to the forum. But in reality I remember many years ago all the amazing tales of the famous "dots", etc. that, after the fad, go flushed down the toilet. Tweaks can be fun, but they can also be frustrating.
Again, I think it is great if they work and if people want to buy them, all the power to them. I am a Libertarian sought of a guy and if you want to drink, eat and smoke great, just don't have it effect me in the process. From my perspective, having gone the tweaking route all too often in the past, I just found myself, tweaking more than listening, now I find myself listening more than tweaking, which is nice.
For the doubters in the crowd, I heard the ART system at Music Lover's in Berkeley in Dec. 2008 and attest to the fact that it does indeed work. In fact, the sales person left in the room to take down and put up the bowls and compare to my hearts content. With the ART system in place the soundstage was deep, wide and centered; without it the soundstage collapsed and the image shifted right. i wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't heard it myself.
As for effective tweaks, one of the most effective I've ever discovered is to put your components on light, stiff board (e.g. 20mm plywood) on top of a bicycle inner tube inflated just enough to hold the component off the valve stem. This results in a marked opening up of the sound, smoother, sweeter highs, and a more full sound with improved spaciousness and air. An inexpensive but very effective tweak. Doubt it will ever get a mention in a publication because it only costs a few dollars to do. No need for $1300 "footers".
Maybe so---but 2 GIK panels at side/first reflection points will do the same thing for under a hundred bucks. If the image is shifted right to begin with, sounds like speakers aren't set up correctly either.
Personally, I'd put far more credence in acoustical or mechanical resonators than in power cords. But both are grossly overpriced.
I'd far sooner spend my money on Tube Traps and quadratic residue diffusors.
"Personally, I'd put far more credence in acoustical or mechanical resonators than in power cords."
You said a mouthful brother! Power cords do NOTHING, but tube traps can help tame an unruly listening room (if correctly applied, of course) and they do so because there is some REAL SCIENCE behind acoustical treatment and vibration control. You are correct that most of this stuff is wildly overpriced. OTOH, you can make your own tube traps and other acoustical absorbent devices. Tube traps can be made with chicken wire, some home center fiberglass insulation, and a few yards of loose-weave cloth. Absorbent wall panels can be made with a simple wooden frame of 2 X 2s, the same fiberglass insulation, some more tasteful cloth and a staple gun. It need not cost an arm and a leg. Sorbothane pucks can be had in packages of 16 for under 20 bucks. and in sheets for less than $25. Spend your money there. This stuff will give you real improvement to your stereo system.
These would seem to be the order of the day. Nordost has out Sort Kones, which, like the Magico Qpods, can be placed underneath a component, but as with any vibration control device, it makes a significant difference where they land under the components. One can worship at the altar of perfection with these devices for hours, days and even weeks. I found that, getting the best balance between the bass frequencies and the upper midrange/lower highs was usually the best place. However, I also found myself cross-eyed and sweaty after 100 deep-knee bends to move the Sort Kones 1/64" left or right or diagonally, or forward, then back.
Same thing with Tube Traps. Put then on the wall without moving them 1" here and there and you'll only hear part of what they do.
I'd like a tweak I could slam-dunk on top of, or just lift up the amp and spin a few discs underneath, and no matter where they stopped sliding, they sounded exquisite. I came to the conclusion that, if one replaced the plate used on the bottom of certain components, (i.e., the flimsy, stainless steel bottom plate on the Antique Sound Lab Hurricanes for something less resoanant, it should also have less vibration. I just haven't bothered to figure out what metal that could be. And the Khartago's exoskeleton is quite, quite ring-y.
But, to Mr. Graves statement about power cords, while they shouldn't work, they do. And in any well set-up, halfway revealing system, you'll hear the differences they make. I use the Shunyata, as I know you are aware from your comments on the Shunyata CX thread, and their results are audible. But I'll tell you: I had resisted pushing my speakers 80" (1/3 of the way from the back wall: the room is 20' long) into the room. Not because of any space constraints: it is strictly and ONLY my audio room. No one even enters without my permission. I just hadn't found the 1/3 of the way into the room to have results....until last night. I moved the little Sound Dynamics RTS-3s 1/3 from back wall, 1/3 from side walls. Gotta say, I was surprised at how superior the music presentation -- and the music itself - revealed itself. Wasn't that way before. But thennnnnnn, I had had my First Sound preamp upgrades to good resisters (and not in series configuration), and MAN, was the grain lower and the noise floor lower when it returned. And suddenly I heard the different effects of the power cords when I swapped them from amp to preamp to Quantum line conditioner. What was odd was that I had a harder time hearing it with the Khartago than with the Hurricanes, but that's due, I think, to certain spatial abilities the Hurricanes have that the Khartago does not and a certain delicacy to the sound that is not a hallmark of the Khartago (in my system only!)
System setup just has to be great -- and components compatible with each other -- or whatever the component, it will either sound minimally good or you'll hear nothing. I feel for those who can't move everything where they want to.
All of these tweeks work, fortunately. The only thing keeping them from universal acclaim is their stratospheric pricing. Oy!
And Puma, I found the same thing! I had to remember not the inflate the inner tube the whole way, but it makes a pretty significant difference, doesn't it? Andit's a cheap fix, as long as you have a bubble level on top of your component (esPECIALLY a CD player!!!) to make sure it's lying flat.
Yeah, I go the Edith Lumley route ALL the time. She was a visionary, and one of the things you realized when reading her was to try the cheap fixes for yourself. I mean, how hard is it to keep speaker cable off the floor??? Put in on the edges of books or tennis balls cut in half. BUT TRY IT. It's a simple scientific principle: air helps float items and cut the vibrations. Hence the Seismic Sinks and Vibraplanes. The inner tube experiement though, is just SO MUCH FUN to carry out. The kind of thing where you laugh as you try it: my mind took me to that contraption in the 50s called "Mouse Trap." I always feel a little like Rube Goldberg when I assemble something like this, Of course, nothing hits anything, causing a chain reaction. It's just the little boy in me giggling at doing such silly things, when I could be spending $1650 and getting something "prestigious" with great "social cachet" at audio meetings. (smile)