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Thread: The unbelievable happened today.....

  1. #1
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

    Default The unbelievable happened today.....

    A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum....



    If a UFO had landed today, in front of my car and a little green man had got out and said “ Hello”I could probably deal with that, with not to much trouble. However something happened today that frankly beggars belief, it stretches me to breaking point and beyond. “What is it I hear you “cry well it was a small piece of card with holes in it and some material forming a ring on the back., its called a Ringcap.



    I shall set the scene. A friend invited me over to hear his system today, he had been over to hear my system late last year and I was supposed to hear his a few weeks ago, but the snow prevented that.Now I know his system and room well as he had been a customer of mine for many years. His current set up is a Clearaudio Master reference with AMG upgrade a Graham Phantom arm, Transfiguration cart, Hovland Sapphire power amplifier, Hovland Pre and Sonus Faber speakers. Now I had heard this set up last year when I was still working in the audio trade and well to be honest I didn't think it was as good as previous set ups. The shop I worked for did not do Sonus Faber and so having not supplied them I didn't really know what to expect then. The sound today was much better, than it had been last time I had visited his home.



    After a chat my friend and I listened to some vinyl (all we can do, as he does not own or want to own a CDP). I played some of my own records namely Dead Can Dance-Into the Labyrinth and Thomas Dolby Aliens ate my Buick. We played about with some stuff and I had noticed a new material on the platter. My friend is a perpetual tweaker so I wasn't to surprised to see something like this. He with a big smile on his face when he said " I want you to tell me what you think of this "...he held a bit of circular card in his hand. Having just listened to the track The Carnival is Over off the Dead Can Dance album I was familiar with the sound. He placed the card disc on the label of the album and my mouth hit the floor...this was a blind man on galloping horse moment. The sound stage had widened, gained depth and height. The sound was more open and focused, bass was slightly deeper and tighter and I could hear more detail. This was not subtle. What just happened and how? “Its the clamp” We played the track again with and without and the Thomas Dolby album was played next. The sound benefited to about the same degree as well. The result was always the same. My friend showed me the platter mat and explained that really we should not have just dropped the 'Clamp' ( its called a Ringcap ) as he called it, but that we should place it and align it with some holes on the top of the mat. So we did that carefully using the label of the album as a guide and we slipped this flimsy light weight card disc onto the label side of the record (there is a hole in the card disc). My mouth hit the floor for the second time...it sounded better again. “ But this isn't possible” I said. How can a bit if card do this ?( I still don't know or understand this). I examined it and the mat below and I was told it was from the Ringmat support system company.










    Now I have heard of and know a bit about this company and the whole cork mat and supporting vinyl on rings thing but to be honest never having heard it, I was well not that interested. I thought this was for Turntables with rubber mats and TT's with an impedance bonding material were better left as they were designed to be used. Isolation of a record was not high on my priorities, as I did not even acknowledge it as being an issue. The Ringmat system being used by my friend is a four piece item, consisting of a Ringmat, LP Statmat, Ringmat Spacers and the Ringcap. Now without trying this at home (something I can do in a few weeks as an opportunity will arise), I can't really say much more about the Hows, Wheres and Whys of this, but I do want to explore this more as....well the effect of this product is frankly incredible and unbelievable at the same time. The question is, will it work in my setup as well as it did in this system ? Frankly I don't know, but it will be fun to find out.



    I have truly been challenged today , by frankly what should not have had any effect on the sound...a bit of card placed on the label of a record. Then for the sound to be better when holes are aligned with holes below....heck I thought I had stepped into the Twilight Zone. I set the scene Rod Serling steps out from behind a bush, the creepy music is playing in the back ground ...”Picture this..a man on a journey. He came to visit a friend and encounters a phenomena he can't understand. Hes taken a turn down a road and the sign post says WELCOME TO THE TWILIGHT ZONE.”

    I will post a full review in about four weeks or so....if I can find the road back....HELP



    Regards D S D L---Neil




    Edit No part of this review can be reproduced without written permission...content is copyrighted to ...NK
    Last edited by Spectral Morn; 13-12-2009 at 22:10. Reason: Spelling/tweaking
    Regards Neil

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Interesting, Neil. I've never rated Ringmat products much myself, having tried the Statmat and Ringmat and not liked the effect they gave, but I guess that as with anything else in hi-fi results with accessories like this vary from system to system

    First-class write-up though (as usual). However, in essence, it's a review of Ringmat products so I may move it into Strokes of Genius if that's ok with you?

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

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  3. #3
    Join Date: Feb 2008

    Location: Boddam Aberdeenshire

    Posts: 272

    Default

    Don't know about the ringcap, but the ringmat is reckoned to be very turntable dependent. I used one on my Garrard 401 and I thought it was rubbish. If I remember rightly they were reckoned to give better results with suspended chassis, so perhaps that explains the poor results Marco and myself got.
    Last edited by Prince of Darkness; 02-03-2009 at 19:54. Reason: spelling
    "Always carry a large flagon of whisky, in case of snake bite and, furthermore, always carry a small snake."


    Kevin

  4. #4
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

    Default Mystery its a Mystery

    Quote Originally Posted by Prince of Darkness View Post
    Don't know about the ringcap, but the ringmat is reckoned to be very turntable dependent. I used one on my Garrard 401 and I thought it was rubbish. If I remember rightly they were reckoned to give better results with suspended chassis, so perhaps that explains the poor results Marco and myself got.

    Hi Kevin

    In this case the Clearaudio Master Reference has no suspension. I really don't know what happened or why...I am honestly reporting what I heard and the effect was not subtle. In order to try and understand it better and get a handle on it my friend will be lending me the Ringmat items to try in my own set up. The sound was improved by lining the holes on the Ringcap with the Ringmat below...again I don't know why this should have an effect . Logically it should not but it did. I truly wish none of this had happened it would and is to easy to dismiss it as foo, but I heard what I heard and having an open mind means I will have to try it for myself. I will be honest with what happens, even if I get a load of flack for my trouble/time.


    Regards D S D L-----Neil
    Last edited by Spectral Morn; 02-03-2009 at 22:28.
    Regards Neil

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