Granite slabs cheap...

[The Vinyl Adventure]

... Homesence near me had them today, £6!

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/hamish_gill/15eaf924.jpg

Can't say it makes a vast difference to the sound ... If any difference at all ... Looks neater though :)

obviously they always have different stuff so it might not be the same everywhere ... made my day out shopping for useless tat with the missis slightly less boring though

[Tim]

Have a go at decoupling them Hamish with some Sorbothane feet?

[The Vinyl Adventure]

I think Neil reviewed some feet not long ago ... They looked quite good... Might give them a bash ...

[zanash]

hi mate ..been there with the granite thing ...

its the mass you need ...try blue tacking the unit to the alab ...this nearly makes the unit at one wiuth the slab and so adds it mass [sort of]

have you finished with my mains cable and what were your conclusions ?

[The Vinyl Adventure]

i unplugged it from the majik with intentions of trying it with the pre at some point but havent got round to it yet... been busy with my forum when i have had free time ...
I said id forget about it didnt i ;)
you want me to send it back to you?

Im still left intrigued by the frequency thingy you know!...

[Rare Bird]

Heres a proper piece of granite with precision edging ;)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/LIVING-SIN/Granite.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/LIVING-SIN/Granite-1.jpg

[DSJR]

Our local Morrisons do some simple ones for chopping purposes and they're cheap too.

I agree about coupling the unit to the block with blu/blac-tac. worked a treat with an old Arcam Delta CD transport, which was a bit rattly and flimsy otherwise. Seemed to improve the sound too - belonged to Jazzbones some decades ago now.

[Mark Grant]

Hope you carried it home from the shopping trip Hamish :)

Blu tak should be good but might leave a mark on the wood after a while.

Maybe try some cork under it.
Or cork>blu tak>granite.

-

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Hehe, nah, strapped them to Hannahs bump! ;)

You have a lack stand don't you? Have you found any particular methods of isolation work best?
Cork looks a nice cheap option ... I could even varnish it black or something to make it look more in keeping with the rest of the gear :)

[worthingpagan]

maybe i'm missing something but I thought the granite plinths were to put under floorstanders?

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Just a bit of mass to dampen bad vibes man! ;)

[Thing Fish]

... Homesence near me had them today, £6!

I've never heard of homesence...?

[MCRU]

I think the cork black jack things would work well under it man?

[Mark Grant]

I've never heard of homesence...?

I guess it's this
http://www.homesense.com/
-

[JazzBones]

Our local Morrisons do some simple ones for chopping purposes and they're cheap too.

I agree about coupling the unit to the block with blu/blac-tac. worked a treat with an old Arcam Delta CD transport, which was a bit rattly and flimsy otherwise. Seemed to improve the sound too - belonged to Jazzbones some decades ago now.

Yo Dave, Indeed I did and would probably have made a full bonding of the Slate slab I used to my Arcam 170.2 (modded) transport ( the underneath) but then I thought about the problem with ventilation so went no further. Today I use RA Torlyte, oak coned feet, under my Naim CD/XPS2 player and the rest of my Naim amps six shelves in all with the Jumbo feet (bloody expensive way mate :() but its giving me a nice sound together with the Avondale Audiophile mods to the control amp. Look me up when you next venture into my area :).

Today the 170.2 is not working and is boxed in the loft for a future resarrection job.

Cheers mate
Ron :)

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Homesence is tkmax for your house

[Mark Grant]

You have a lack stand don't you? Have you found any particular methods of isolation work best?


At the moment I use squash balls cut in half under my Humax HDR freesat and Topfield PVR to reduce the slight resonating from the hard drives.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(sport)#Playing_equipment

http://squashclub.org/main/e-lessons/lessons/beginner_lessons/lesson1.shtml


Never tried anything under amplifiers or sonos zoneplayer etc. always swapping stuff around anyway.

[Rare Bird]

maybe i'm missing something but I thought the granite plinths were to put under floorstanders?

I have em under my speaker stands, CDP, DAC & power amp..

[worthingpagan]

I have em under my speaker stands, CDP, DAC & power amp..


and what improvements do you have Andre? What kind of thickness are the slabs mate?

[Jonboy]

I use a Asda Granite chopping board stuck with bluetac to our very heavy dresser come Hifi rack under my Transport with Nordost Pulsar points as isolation between the granite and transport, it lifts the top end a tad with quite a noticable difference, my Micromega transport is heavy to start with so doesn't really need any extra mass loading but this combo seems to work well

[Rare Bird]

and what improvements do you have Andre? What kind of thickness are the slabs mate?

Thats one of them pictured above i use for the DAC, 3/4'' under the gear around 1.5'' under the speaker stands.they are under the speakers for one reason the downstairs neighbour & of course they look loverly under the equipment no other reason.I am extremely fussy about prescision cutting & edging of granite, i went through half a dozen suppliers before i was happy..

[AmpCity]

Ahh, the Asda Granite chopping board. I use them with my speakers, subwoofer and bits of equipment - not that I noticed a particular improvement to the SQ but works well and looks pretty good too. I had them cut to the dimensions of each unit to keep them out of sight.


I use a Asda Granite chopping board stuck with bluetac to our very heavy dresser come Hifi rack under my Transport with Nordost Pulsar points as isolation between the granite and transport, it lifts the top end a tad with quite a noticable difference, my Micromega transport is heavy to start with so doesn't really need any extra mass loading but this combo seems to work well

[SquireC]

I have my valve amp on a granite slab. Slab is on an equipment rack with brass cones between the rack and the granite.

Granite is pretty 'dead' and doesn't transmit vibrations. :eyebrows:

[Cliff]

Don't you find the granite makes the amp/system SOUND a bit dead?and coldish and bright, tipped up? Maybe hifi impressive but not necessarily more musical?
I did.
Especially if you are using brass footers to couple/decouple( whatever) and especially with a valve amp, try replacing the granite with a slab of nice wood.
Give it a chance.
It might help your amp make the musical magic valves are prized for.;)

[worthingpagan]

also, you must have pure solid plaster (not strands or plasterboard) on the walls with purple matt emulsion finish :drinking:

[Cliff]

No, but if one wants their stereo system to sound more like music and less like modern audio, one must have the experience and wisdom to know what works well and what doesn't.
Glass, concrete--even with a rug/carpet band-aid--and very hard substances like granite are not inherently conducive to musicality, nor is typical drywall as employed in the US, at least.
Granite used as platforms for higher resolution audio components, while often initially impressive in a hifi manner, especially to the inexperienced, tends to dry up the sound and "suck out" color and life, unless implemented with extreme care.
Many if not most woods used in the same manner will not exhibit this "drying" or decolorizing nature.
And if you think drywall and even most other modern domestic interior wall finishes are not amusical, try placing a couple of birch plywood boards against/over the walls at the rearward or sidewall first reflection points of your speakers.Might be pleasantly surprised.
It is a cheap experiment that costs a lot less than a lot of the other junk you guys blow your money on, though maybe not as much fun as logging in just to make smart ass- comments on subjects of which you are woefully ignorant.;)

[sburrell]

Ok, I have a question: I have laminate flooring in my main room, which I have to separate from my speaker stand spikes by using some spare laminate and some felt pads. But it doesn't feel very hifi - or very stable.

So, what would people suggest as a cheap way of isolating my spiked stands from my laminate flooring, whilst perhaps improving the output of my BR2 speakers?

I like the idea of buying some squash balls, cutting them in half and chucking them at passers-by from my window placing them underneath granite slabs (or perhaps a nice piece of solid wood?). Can anyone suggest something better? I should say that I have to avoid anything tacky (that is, having sticky properties, not coming from Poundstretchers) so as not to mark the flooring.

Cheers :)

EDIT: if it can be bought in B&Q that'd be champion, as I have one nearby :)

[MCRU]

Ok, I have a question: I have laminate flooring in my main room, which I have to separate from my speaker stand spikes by using some spare laminate and some felt pads. But it doesn't feel very hifi - or very stable.

So, what would people suggest as a cheap way of isolating my spiked stands from my laminate flooring, whilst perhaps improving the output of my BR2 speakers?

I like the idea of buying some squash balls, cutting them in half and chucking them at passers-by from my window placing them underneath granite slabs (or perhaps a nice piece of solid wood?). Can anyone suggest something better? I should say that I have to avoid anything tacky (that is, having sticky properties, not coming from Poundstretchers) so as not to mark the flooring.

Cheers :)

EDIT: if it can be bought in B&Q that'd be champion, as I have one nearby :)

Spiked Shoes (http://www.mains-cables-r-us.co.uk/hi-fi-equipment-supports/154-blue-horizon-spikefeet.html)will solve it I reckon.

[Alex_UK]

Ok, I have a question: I have laminate flooring in my main room, which I have to separate from my speaker stand spikes by using some spare laminate and some felt pads. But it doesn't feel very hifi - or very stable.

So, what would people suggest as a cheap way of isolating my spiked stands from my laminate flooring, whilst perhaps improving the output of my BR2 speakers?

I like the idea of buying some squash balls, cutting them in half and chucking them at passers-by from my window placing them underneath granite slabs (or perhaps a nice piece of solid wood?). Can anyone suggest something better? I should say that I have to avoid anything tacky (that is, having sticky properties, not coming from Poundstretchers) so as not to mark the flooring.

Cheers :)

EDIT: if it can be bought in B&Q that'd be champion, as I have one nearby :)

Chris (The Grand Wazoo) uses these I believe - Soundcare SuperSpikes - not exactly cheap, (will cost £70 for a pair of speakers) but is what I will be getting once I've finalised my stands.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-Set-M8-SoundCare-Speaker-Loudspeaker-Spikes-NEW-/320717989152?pt=UK_AudioVideoElectronics_HomeAudio HiFi_HiFiSpeakers&hash=item4aac482520#ht_1248wt_905

Also available in 6mm from same seller - you;ll need to go direct for other sizes I think: https://secureweb.activeisp.com/w00000483/shop/soundcare_eng/kategorier.asp?kat=29

[sburrell]

Aargh, unfortunately £50 is too rich for me at the moment - anything for around a tenth of the price? :eyebrows:

[The Grand Wazoo]

Chris (The Grand Wazoo) uses these I believe - Soundcare SuperSpikes - not exactly cheap, (will cost £70 for a pair of speakers) but is what I will be getting once I've finalised my stands.

Also available in 6mm from same seller - you;ll need to go direct for other sizes I think: https://secureweb.activeisp.com/w00000483/shop/soundcare_eng/kategorier.asp?kat=29

I had to get 1/4" ones for my Mirage speakers - I actually got them from a dealer (can't for the life of me remember who it was though). There is also a non threaded version.