View Full Version : A really cheap little tweak I found at Lidl
I was in Lidls yesterday and was mooching around the monthly clobber they usually put out on display. "Training Sandals" I ask you :rolleyes: I digress.
In amongst the goodies was a packet of four rubber puck thingies for quietening down noisy washing machines, tumble dryers, that sort of thing. My laundry machines are out in the conservatory so they can be as noisy as they like, but I have a small problem with bare metal coned feet under my CD player being sat on a glass rack - not good, because you can almost steer it around the rack with a little finger with not much resistance. So, for the princely sum of £1.99 I bought a pack for this purpose and stop the CD player performing dancing on ice routines every time I change the CD.
Not only has it stopped that nasty trait, it has also improved the sound of my CD player :eek: Gulp. This afternoon I put the same set under my amp and that sounded sweeter too, so back to Lidl tomorrow morning to splurge another £1.99 (I don't care how much I spend do I?) for a set to go under the amp as well.
They are designed to hold up a heavy appliance so they don't distort like Sorbothane pucks do, yet they do yield nicely with 12kg on them
Oh yes, and those of blessed/cursed with speakers damaging or interacting with your nice polished wood flooring, these would be great isolators too :)
There is a Lidl just down the block from me but I have never had cause to go there . I may go in tomorrow and see if I can check this out for myself I just found two fiddy down the back of the settee so this tweak will be virtually free :)
Ali Tait
11-04-2014, 22:33
My 300b monoblocks are sat on the remnants of pads I nicked from work - meant for a 90 ton transformer to sit on. I cut some wee squares off to try. Work a treat.
rubber duck
11-04-2014, 22:48
There is a Lidl just down the block from me but I have never had cause to go there .
I on the other hand do not need an excuse to go to Lidl, so this is more reason than I need to drop by. Martin, you should also check out Lidl's range of food and beer. You may be pleasantly surprised!
Ali Tait
11-04-2014, 22:51
Indeed. And their meat, fruit & veg. They win awards for a reason.
walpurgis
11-04-2014, 22:53
I shall be popping into LIDL tomorrow to get dog food, so I may invest in some of the rubber 'thingies' if they have any.
I on the other hand do not need an excuse to go to Lidl, so this is more reason than I need to drop by. Martin, you should also check out Lidl's range of food and beer. You may be pleasantly surprised!
+1... Most of the stuff they sell is far better quality than that found in the other supermarkets, apart from perhaps Waitrose. All of the genuine German produce in Lidl (and Aldi) is superb! They also have a few very good quality wines at bargain prices.
Frank, I'm not surprised that the rubber puck thingies work well in your system, as metal cones on glass is usually a recipe for a somewhat 'etched', bright sound, so the 'Lidl specials' are most likely ameliorating that effect. Enjoy! :cool:
Marco.
I shall be popping into LIDL tomorrow to get dog food, so I may invest in some of the rubber 'thingies' if they have any.
Word has it that they also make good butt plugs! ;)
Marco.
walpurgis
11-04-2014, 23:26
Word has it that they also make good butt plugs! ;)
Marco.
Wot's one a dem den? :eyebrows:
montesquieu
12-04-2014, 01:05
Big fan of Lidl, I shop at Waitrose and local farmers' markets for interesting stuff, and Lidl for the basics. Avoid Tesco and the like (=evil empire and all that) Lidl and Aldi quality is right up there IMO, you just need to experiment a little with the brands. It was a done deal for me when I found the same pistachos at literally half the price (the lager is top notch as well being German etc). Those saying 'I have a Lidl nearby but never been' have got the place all wrong.
Don't suppose you spotted any 300B valves in Lidl, going cheap?
Support our local all-night Turkish grocer, who fills the wife's boot with fruit and veg for £20 to satisfy her blending addiction.
Might go Lidl if I knew where it is and what it looks like. Leave things like that to others.
Lidl has replaced 90% of my weekly Waitrose shopping and saved me about £100 month. Thats errr £1200 a year. Can certainly do more with that with my HiFi than buy rubber feet, although Frank I will definitely be getting some to try. The Sorbathane Vibropods are not cheap so Lidl once again might have come up with a bargain.
By the way lidl quite often has furniture in which is very good quality, I would say as good as Ikea. The reason I mention is they have some 3 tier units in a couple of times a year which are perfect for LP storage much like the expediat stuff in Ikea and it is usually about £20-30.:eyebrows:
jandl100
12-04-2014, 06:31
Another :thumbsup: for Aldi and Lidl for groceries.
Lidl's instore bakeries are also excellent. Mmmm -- just try the dark rye bread loaves. :drool:
Ta for the tip, Frank - I shall investigate some pucks, although I am not usually a fan of squishy hifi support devices, these though seem to be more solid than microdynamics-removing sorbothane so worth a try. Will you refund my £1.99 if I don't like them? :eyebrows:
Lidl's "Mad Middle Aisle" is one of the great delights of my weekend. Try picking up a compressor and spraygun in Tesco's! You never know what's going to be in there next.
Ta for the tip, Frank - I shall investigate some pucks, although I am not usually a fan of squishy hifi support devices, these though seem to be more solid than microdynamics-removing sorbothane so worth a try. Will you refund my £1.99 if I don't like them? :eyebrows:
These are not squishy at all Jerry - especially with a heavy washing machine sat on them, but they do yield nicely with 10kg+ on them.
I have heard - and this is only hearsay of course - that if they don't improve the sound of your hi-fi components, they make very good suppositories, so on that basis I see no need at all for a refund :eyebrows:
I on the other hand do not need an excuse to go to Lidl, so this is more reason than I need to drop by. Martin, you should also check out Lidl's range of food and beer. You may be pleasantly surprised!
I'm not a supermarket snob but the thing is the Lidl by me used to be a Kwik Save and before my area 'gentrified' it was the only game in town. And it was the worst supermarket in the world. Dirty, rotten fruit and veg, only ever one till open with a massive queue whilst the managers stood around chatting; quite often they would not even have any of the basic stuff in there like bread or even biscuits (Mr Kipling covers his eyes at this point) as they had sold out and not re-stocked. Then they opened a Sainsbury next door and I have been going there ever since. I will definitely check it out now it sounds really interesting from what everyone has said.
I can just see the utter puzzlement now up at Lidl's head office when their stock control computer goes into overdrive because there is a huge run on this item that they only expected to sell a mere tiny handful of in any given week :rofl:
Grab 'em now before they put the price up or latch onto what they are being used for :lol:
Will you refund my £1.99 if I don't like them? :eyebrows:
Could always sell them second-hand on AoS (£1.89 plus P&P) :-)
Lidl's instore bakeries are also excellent. Mmmm -- just try the dark rye bread loaves. :drool:
I agree, Lidl is good. However, for in-store bakery my local Morrisons rules: their Wheat Spelt & Rye, Polish Bloomer, Granary, Tiger, Honey & Sunflower and Cheese Swirl breads are simply fab!
Just back from Lidl. What an interesting place that is...like moving abroad and going to the supermarket for the first time. Don't think I recognised any of the brands they have except Mcvities. A lot cleaner than the old Kwick Save that used to be there but there was still only one checkout open and a long queue so good to see some things haven't changed...
I did manage to score 2 sets of the vibration pads, a 6 way mains block and a roll of 3M magnetic tape all for less than a tenner though, so a reasonably successful mission. :)
Cool. Did you buy any food or drink - you know the important stuff? :eyebrows:
Marco.
Bought some grapes and some Ritter chocolate. Does that count as food? Didn't get any booze too much temptation to crack on into it straight away and it is a bit early yet...
Result.
Retail enlightenment AND an audiophile purchase in one go :eyebrows:
Result.
Retail enlightenment AND an audiophile purchase in one go :eyebrows:
I will wait for a very hot day and go back in so I can pretend I am on holiday in a foreign country :)
Actually one other thing that I noticed was that at 45 I was the youngest customer in there by a good twenty years so I can see why you like the place, Frank. Comforting to be with your own age group ;)
I will wait for a very hot day and go back in so I can pretend I am on holiday in a foreign country :)
Actually one other thing that I noticed was that at 45 I was the youngest customer in there by a good twenty years so I can see why you like the place, Frank. Comforting to be with your own age group ;)
Now, now, be careful Martin, you will (hopefully) be my age too one day :ner:
I only went it there to buy my favourite brand of gherkins and came out with a jar of said gherkins and a set of rubber pucks. Perverse :eek:
seoirse2002
12-04-2014, 14:19
:eyebrows:
I was in Lidls yesterday and was mooching around the monthly clobber they usually put out on display. "Training Sandals" I ask you :rolleyes: I digress.
In amongst the goodies was a packet of four rubber puck thingies for quietening down noisy washing machines, tumble dryers, that sort of thing. My laundry machines are out in the conservatory so they can be as noisy as they like, but I have a small problem with bare metal coned feet under my CD player being sat on a glass rack - not good, because you can almost steer it around the rack with a little finger with not much resistance. So, for the princely sum of £1.99 I bought a pack for this purpose and stop the CD player performing dancing on ice routines every time I change the CD.
Not only has it stopped that nasty trait, it has also improved the sound of my CD player :eek: Gulp. This afternoon I put the same set under my amp and that sounded sweeter too, so back to Lidl tomorrow morning to splurge another £1.99 (I don't care how much I spend do I?) for a set to go under the amp as well.
They are designed to hold up a heavy appliance so they don't distort like Sorbothane pucks do, yet they do yield nicely with 12kg on them
Just what I was looking for....Went to my Local Lidl.....they don't have them!!:eyebrows:
:eyebrows:
Just what I was looking for....Went to my Local Lidl.....they don't have them!!:eyebrows:
Ask the manager if he can get some in or at least tell you which stores do have them.
Ask customer services at Lidl HQ to help you out.
Ask another AoS member to get you some.
I bought two sets and some lovely chocolate!
walpurgis
12-04-2014, 14:50
Well they didn't have any in my local branch. Got the dog food though!
I now have them in action under the power amp and the sub. If they are making any differencr it is not much but I have concrete floor anyway so little vibration issues to cure. Migh try them under the speakers later since they just sit on thef floor.
My Lidl had quite a few sets so there can't be many audiophiles around my way. I suppose I could go back and buy the remaining stock and post them out. Probably get some funny looks though.
:offtopic:
just picked up a stand to service my bike from LIDL... very well built and a fraction of the price a pro stand would be... ok, maybe I could put some speakers on it...
ps. LIDL's and ALDI's are also quite new here in Switzerland. They compete with the local Migros and Coop's and tend to be quite depressing places... I only go there to get booze, turkish garlic yoghurt and occasional bike / tool related stuff... German quality control and very low prices for some stuff.
prestonchipfryer
12-04-2014, 15:48
Picked up three sets of anti-vibration feet and some nice tins of fruity sweets and some yogurt things. Nowt wrong with Lidl or Aldi. Both can and do undercut the big name supermarkets, especially the ELH besterds.
Interesting..
How about the idea of placing them between stand and heavy shelf, like a marble shelf? Washing machines normally have a 30kg lump of concrete in them so should take a fair bit of weight and more of them spread out will vary things. I'd have thought such a scheme would help isolate from low frequency vibrations.
Which reminds me, I bought some earth quake protection pads when in Japan a few years ago - stop items on hard surfaces from vibrating off their stands/units etc with small tremors. Kind of like a gel substance and cost less than a pound or so. Forgot I had them.
walpurgis
13-04-2014, 08:40
Anyone got a photo of these rubber feet thingies? I haven't seen them.
Anyone got a photo of these rubber feet thingies? I haven't seen them.
http://i1300.photobucket.com/albums/ag89/Jrb1961/imagejpg1_zps823bebae.jpg (http://s1300.photobucket.com/user/Jrb1961/media/imagejpg1_zps823bebae.jpg.html)
seoirse2002
13-04-2014, 08:55
:)
Ask the manager if he can get some in or at least tell you which stores do have them.
Ask customer services at Lidl HQ to help you out.
Ask another AoS member to get you some.
Anyone willing to get me some? pretty please?:)
:)
Anyone willing to get me some? pretty please?:)
Sorry George,
Only just read this. The Cricklewood branch (opposite the Bus Garage) on the A5(?) still has some left. I only bought 10 packs:)! If I'm going past I'll get you some but I'm not expecting to head that way for a few days.
And, before Marco asks, I did a full food shop there, too. Very reasonable.
It is the first time I ever been. It's like being in a foreign country, not that that is a bad thing but I swear I was the only Western European in the place and the only one not wearing a shell suit. However, that might reflect Cricklewood's composition more than Lidl's clientele nationally.
Peter
seoirse2002
14-04-2014, 11:30
Sorry George,
Only just read this. The Cricklewood branch (opposite the Bus Garage) on the A5(?) still has some left. I only bought 10 packs:)! If I'm going past I'll get you some but I'm not expecting to head that way for a few days.
And, before Marco asks, I did a full food shop there, too. Very reasonable.
It is the first time I ever been. It's like being in a foreign country, not that that is a bad thing but I swear I was the only Western European in the place and the only one not wearing a shell suit. However, that might reflect Cricklewood's composition more than Lidl's clientele nationally.
Peter
Much appreciated Keith..
G
seoirse2002
14-04-2014, 12:49
Got them... Got them... Got them...:lol::lol:
Also came away with £30 worth of other stuff including a nice bottle of St.Emilion Grand Cru for only a tenner!!
Well worth a look:cool:
Yes, I also visited the Cricklewood branch once, just amazed to see random pairs of boots next to the brussel sprouts. Delightful !
Bagged a few packs of four from my local. Are people using them as directed on the back cover, with the vibration damper over the equipment feet?
Bagged a few packs of four from my local. Are people using them as directed on the back cover, with the vibration damper over the equipment feet?
I didn't look at the instructions :lolsign:
I bought mine to deal with the bare metal conical feet under my CD player to stop it sliding around on my glass rack. My amp has small feet so it is sat on on the isolators with the feet in the "well" and not touching the outer edges. There is a gap of 3-4mm between the bottom of the chassis on the amp and the top edge of the isolator. I will nip into Lidls again this afternoon and pick up 2 more sets and see what they do underneath my speakers - assuming they still have some left of course.
Frazeur1
15-04-2014, 10:05
Hmmm, maybe you guys should buy them all up and repackage them, make wild claims and sell them for about 20X said purchase price. Nice little side business. :eyebrows:
Yes, I also visited the Cricklewood branch once, just amazed to see random pairs of boots next to the brussel sprouts. Delightful !
The branch I went in had a variety of canned fish on display all around the store including in amongst the wines and spirits. There were three seperate biscuit sections, one in each isle. Totally bizarrre but perhaps it is a deliberate tactic that increases sales - of course if that is true then Lidl are right and all the other supermarkets are wrong.
Hmmm, maybe you guys should buy them all up and repackage them, make wild claims and sell them for about 20X said purchase price. Nice little side business. :eyebrows:
That's what the cable manufacturers do, isn't it?
Hi Fi must be the only business where it is immoral to make a profit.
Or is it just that most of the people who are into hi-fi believe that making a proft from anything is immoral?
Rhetorical question just ignore me :)
Indeed, the number of people who still think that the sum of the cost of the components should be the exact price the item is sold at still amazes me.
Rather like the term 'rip-off' being so over-used. There is really no such thing except in very rare occasions.
Indeed, the number of people who still think that the sum of the cost of the components should be the exact price the item is sold at still amazes me.
Rather like the term 'rip-off' being so over-used. There is really no such thing except in very rare occasions.
At the risk of being more pofaced than this thread warrants, I think Joe's point was as much an ironic one about the over-inflated claims and our gullibility in falling for them.
In any case, he still has a point on profit: Lidl is no charity but seems to have no problems sourcing these beauties and selling them at £1.99 for four...
P
Audio Al
15-04-2014, 16:54
I visited my local shop , none in stock :(
Just popped into Lidl for usual weekly forage and they still have a pile of the vibration feet so bagged a pack. Don't think there are too many audiophiles round here looking for a cheap tweak:lol:
Has anyone noticed any benefits using them other than under the washing machine:)
Seemed to tighten up the sound from my sub a bit.
Just popped into Lidl for usual weekly forage and they still have a pile of the vibration feet so bagged a pack. Don't think there are too many audiophiles round here looking for a cheap tweak:lol:
Has anyone noticed any benefits using them other than under the washing machine:)
Got a huge improvement in bass and focus under my amp and the Original 2008f CD player. Got another two sets to try under the speakers and stands which is in the "pending" file waiting to be done when I can be arsed :lol:
rubber duck
19-04-2014, 20:49
Seemed to tighten up the sound from my sub a bit.
+1. Also reduces bass vibrations from the sub through the floor which is a plus for other equipment.
But under my SL1200 it didn't sound quite right. Haven't quite put my finger on it but I think it has affected that deck's timing so that music sounds strangely uninvolving despite nothing being obviously wrong.
+1. Also reduces bass vibrations from the sub through the floor which is a plus for other equipment.
But under my SL1200 it didn't sound quite right. Haven't quite put my finger on it but I think it has affected that deck's timing so that music sounds strangely uninvolving despite nothing being obviously wrong.
I have found that components which already have rubbery or springy feet fitted then the pucks have virtually no effect at all.
Have put the last two sets under my speaker stands and although the low end bass has been tightened up, not quite so sure about the sound of the upper bass and mids is to my liking now :scratch: I don't have spikes on my speaker stands but I do have large squares of 18mm ply between stands and carpet to create a larger footprint, so I might experiment by taking the ply out and see what effect that has.
Dunluce978
23-04-2014, 10:20
Lidl is a great store for sure but don't be fooled by thinking that everything is as it seems, at least in the food isles. Take for example their "German" packaged fresh garlic which is actually grown in China! It pays to examine the package and see the origin of the food.
As for their hardware, I agree their stuff is great and many products have a no quibble guarantee that far exceeds the 1 yr joke warranty we suffer in UK. That is one irritating anomally that out nation must put up with. Buy electrical appliances in Netherlands, Germany, Belgium etc. and you automatically get two years warranty. Buy the exact same model in UK and you are lumbered with one year only :(
icehockeyboy
23-04-2014, 11:39
They had loads of them left last week, so I dropped by yesterday to buy them all up, rip the packaging off and re sell them to gullible people as a Hifi improvement device at a vastly inflated price by calling them something else. :eyebrows:
Buggers had sold out!
Got three sets today;)...used two sets on the speaker stands one set for the cd player:eyebrows:
jon
icehockeyboy
28-04-2014, 11:18
Got three sets today;)...used two sets on the speaker stands one set for the cd player:eyebrows:
jon
Effem said they adversely affected certain frequencies in his speakers........
Remember to buy 3 packs or any other total number of pucks with a common denominator of 3 - maximise their use by only needing 3 on each component.
Indeed, the number of people who still think that the sum of the cost of the components should be the exact price the item is sold at still amazes me.
It's more about the materials or items being used in other walks of life for 20 times cheaper and still turning a profit that the original manufacturer is building a business upon perfectly well. Package the exact same thing for audiophiles and suddenly there's a need to make 20x the profit out of it? It's an attitude which looks down upon audiophiles and is deliberate cynical exploitation of ignorance (audiophiles only have themselves to blame for ignorance of course).
Small private sellers do exploit the audiophile market in this way - a small ebay example: tiny bubble levels you can place on tonearms to set azimuth. About 10p each Chinese wholesale, sold on for profit as replacement camera tripod etc bubble levels = £1 (nice profit!). Sold to Audiophiles for turntables: £7 ! (7 times the profit for the same thing? why?).
Kind of like there is no true competition, no-one wants to upset the gravy (apple sauce?) cart - the prices remain high because no-one wants to decrease the potential profiteering opportunities, human beings tend towards unspoken cartels if everyone's interests are the same. Then someone like Beresford comes along and Stockholm syndrome kicks in - audiophiles still enjoy paying high prices, rather than re-assessing the value/prices of the kit they were buying.
And there, m'lud, I rest the case against free market fundamentalism! Human nature is to rig markets to their mutual benefit for as long as possible..
Effem said they adversely affected certain frequencies in his speakers........
Got them on test:eyebrows:
jon
Have put the last two sets under my speaker stands and although the low end bass has been tightened up, not quite so sure about the sound of the upper bass and mids is to my liking now :scratch: I don't have spikes on my speaker stands but I do have large squares of 18mm ply between stands and carpet to create a larger footprint, so I might experiment by taking the ply out and see what effect that has.
All change again, as I have replaced the carpet in my listening room. The new carpet is much thicker than the old one and a thick foam underlay beneath that too now, so my speakers swayed about in the breeze. Took the ply out and fitted spikes under the stands so the speakers are rock steady now.
I was in Lidl in Cricklewood yesterday and they still had some of these rubber things in stock...
P
My current speaker stands cost £6 new. Black metal IKEA stools. Look good and the correct hight for a 1x2 BBC box.
The proper ones arrive tomorrow.
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