Addis Pads - probably the greatest hifi upgrade... in the world!

[windhoek]

I stumbled onto this incredible upgrade a couple of months ago when I began experimenting with interfaces that might reduce the amount of energy going into the floor from my Tannoy Legacy Eaton speakers. Among a few things I tried were pieces of Addis sink mat protection stuff (see pic below).

https://cdn.bmstores.co.uk/images/hpcProductImage/imgFull/332201-addis-cushioned-sink-protector-circle-grey.jpg

Not only did placing pieces of this stuff beneath my speakers reduce the amount of energy going into the floor, it also had a remarkable effect on the presentation itself: everything seemed to have much more clarity and focus, including the bass, which was now firmly planted within the soundstage. However, something wasn’t right. I couldn’t put my finger on it at the time but I now have an idea as to what it was: the Addis pads are fairly firm so I reckon there was microscopic ‘bounce’ going on.

So I went and took some sticky-on bumpers (you know, the sort you put inside kitchen cupboard doors to stop the doors from banging when they close too fast) and put them on the Addis stuff and tried that. Wow! With the speakers now sitting nice and flat, like they’re perfectly seated in a bespoke saddle, the Addis stuff instantly worked its magic. And it is magic! For the record, I’d already tried using those sticky-on bumpers by themselves and the results were okay, but nothing special.

So what does it sound like? All that focus and clarity was back but with a compelling presentation that simply sounds magical, almost as if fairies had sprinkled magic dust on it. I say magical because music now seems to be matierialisng from another dimension. I know, that sounds like crazy talk. But that’s how it sounds.

I now realise I was onto the right idea with talk of an interdimensional presentation, but I had it the wrong way around. It’s not that the Addis pads and sticky-on bumpers make music materialise from another dimension - it's that they take you to another dimension: they take you into the recording room when the music was recorded!

Like I say, I know this sounds like crazy talk, but there really is something magical going on with the Addis pad + sticky-on bumper combo.

I’ve put this combo under the speakers in my bedroom and I’m getting the same results. And I’ve also put this combo under my turntables as well. Basically, I’ve put it under everything with moving parts.

The Addis sink mat protection stuff is available at B&M for £2.50 - that’s right, two pounds fifty, and the bumpers are available from B&Q (link) for £1.53. ! Am I crazy? Or have I just discovered probably the greatest single upgrade ever... in the world???

Here's the 'User Manual':

- Affix 8 bumpers to 8 pads and then place the combos beneath the corners of your speakers (or 4 pads and bumpers beneath your turntable or CD player etc). You can even double up on pads and place an extra pad beneath the other so that you've got two pads per bumper (for really heavy speakers you probably should double up on pads). Allow at least an hour for adhesive setting time to ensure the pads don't slide should lateral force be applied when tilting speakers backwards and forwards during installation.

- In general, I prefer to affix pads to bumpers but sometimes you might need to affix bumpers to equipment and then line things up after that.

- The combo has to be the only damping interface between the supporting structure and the equipment/speakers. Otherwise, you'll get diluted results. In practice, this probably means removing the feet from your equipment.

- If your speakers are on carpets then you'd need to find a way of bypassing the carpet. You can't put the combo on top of a carpet and expect to get results. If you can't install a platform that takes the carpet out of the equation then forget it, it just won't work.

Information: the pads are made from PVC and the bumpers are made from EVA. Together, they produce a sprung damping effect. The trade off is that you lose a bit of the visceral experience. If putting the combo beneath your speakers means you lose too much then you can just put the combo beneath your equipment. That way, you get the benefits without changing how your speakers deliver music.

Here are some pics:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52774889545_e55e89c670_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52774471216_d942ac48c6_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52774471211_ee63263f73_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52795675981_976510a860_c.jpg

As you can see, I've even gone and removed the stock feet from my 1210GR and used M6 bolts (and nuts) and then put the combo beneath the bolts.

Oh, I'd previously tried using these Sound Damped Steel plates which use constrained layer damping (CLD) technology but there was no contest, the pads and bumpers combo was far superior.

If I had to quantify the improvement I'd say it doubled the quality of everything in my system: my speakers are now twice as good, my turntable is now twice as good. Everything that's electromechanical is now twice as good.

[windhoek]

One thing I forgot to say is that the combo also produces a somewhat warm and somewhat softer presentation. That's not to say music becomes soft and glowy, but things like sibilance and shrill female vocal moments are brought nicely under control.

[Jimbo]

Leftfield acoustic isolation. Like it.

[hifinutt]

very nice ... think i will stick with my nice isopucks under the eaton legacy ... been there for some years now and sound is superb . especially with new pre i got a few months ago

[Barry]

Good thread Derek - thanks for posting your findings. I expect others might also benefit from this.

One thing you say is that you now feel you have been transported to the recording venue. This is the correct goal to achieve: you are there, not they are in your listening room.

As the late Peter Walker of Quad said: somewhere near the plane of your speakers, the walls of your listening room should appear to vanish and be replaced by the acoustic of the recording venue.

[windhoek]

very nice ... think i will stick with my nice isopucks under the eaton legacy ... been there for some years now and sound is superb . especially with new pre i got a few months ago


I used to have Gaia 2s beneath the Atacama stand my Eatons used to be on and I never got to hear music anything like it is now. I sold my Gaias when I changed stands (I'm now using mana acoustics) so I can't say I've experienced a like-for-like comparison between the two. But the fact remains, there's no comparison to how my speakers deliver music now with the pad and bumper combo in place with the Mana versus how it used to sound when I had the Gaias and Atacama stands.

Which Isopucks are you using, Indigo?

[windhoek]

Good thread Derek - thanks for posting your findings. I expect others might also benefit from this.

One thing you say is that you now feel you have been transported to the recording venue. This is the correct goal to achieve: you are there, not they are in your listening room.

As the late Peter Walker of Quad said: somewhere near the plane of your speakers, the walls of your listening room should appear to vanish and be replaced by the acoustic of the recording venue.

Yeah, the change has been that transformative. Watching films is now an incredible experience as well because like music, the speakers now take you on set. Just crazy!

[Sherwood]

Windhoek?

[windhoek]

Windhoek?

Windhoek: the capital city of Namibia, the country formerly known as South West Africa. I use windhoek because I spent three months in Namibia in '97 and it was the best three month period of my life, and also because when I first chose it as a forum moniker, I accidentally typed it as windhoek... and I've been windhoek on forums ever since. But my name is Derek and I'm from Glasgow :)

[Sherwood]

Windhoek: the capital city of Namibia, the country formerly known as South West Africa. I use windhoek because I spent three months in Namibia in '97 and it was the best three month period of my life, and also because when I first chose it as a forum moniker, I accidentally typed it as windhoek... and I've been windhoek on forums ever since. But my name is Derek and I'm from Glasgow :)

I worked in Ovamboland in 1990, and spent time in Windhoek just after Independence. I lived in Windhoek (Ludwigsdorf) for 3.5 years between 1998 and 2001. I also lived in neighbouring Botswana at various times in the 80s and 90s. Both amazing countries

[Barry]

Both amazing countries

Agreed! I spent a month in each country, purely as a tourist, and had a wonderful time. :)

[sailor]

I also wondered about your choice of Windhoek surmising that you had once holidayed there. Great beer Windhoek Lager and strictly brewed according to the German standard. Lovely stuff and very glad to see how well it's doing in SA giving SABreweries a run the dirty dogs.

Not been to Windhoek but have sailed into Walvis Bay and Luderitz a few times to obtain fuel and victuals. Not far from Luderitz harbour is a 'sunken city', actually a small village now almost completely covered in sand. Spooky.

On one such stop in Luderitz, while waiting for a starter motor to be sent up from Cape Town, we befriended a crew working not far off shore vacuuming up the ocean bottom and filtering it for diamonds. At one point in time diamonds could be found on the beach. True story. Big parties sponsored most nights by our friends :cool:

[Sherwood]

I also wondered about your choice of Windhoek surmising that you had once holidayed there. Great beer Windhoek Lager and strictly brewed according to the German standard. Lovely stuff and very glad to see how well it's doing in SA giving SABreweries a run the dirty dogs.

Not been to Windhoek but have sailed into Walvis Bay and Luderitz a few times to obtain fuel and victuals. Not far from Luderitz harbour is a 'sunken city', actually a small village now almost completely covered in sand. Spooky.

On one such stop in Luderitz, while waiting for a starter motor to be sent up from Cape Town, we befriended a crew working not far off shore vacuuming up the ocean bottom and filtering it for diamonds. At one point in time diamonds could be found on the beach. True story. Big parties sponsored most nights by our friends :cool:

I'm not really a fan of lager but I agree that Windhoek Export Is a very good beer, especially for the extremely hot and dry climate of Namibia. As you say, brewed according to the German Purity Laws (don't go there).

My local bistro in Ludwigsdorf, which coincidentally, was run by two British expats, had a distinctive way of serving their draft beers. They had the hose from the keg wrapped around a huge block of ice that was placed in a glass fronted chiller cabinet. To add to the Chill Factor all the beer glasses were stored in a trough of ice cubes. I had my 40th birthday party there and I'm sure that my invited guests and I must have got through a whole barrel.

[windhoek]

I worked in Ovamboland in 1990, and spent time in Windhoek just after Independence. I lived in Windhoek (Ludwigsdorf) for 3.5 years between 1998 and 2001. I also lived in neighbouring Botswana at various times in the 80s and 90s. Both amazing countries

Yeah, such an incredible part of the world. The raw landscape is incredible pretty much everywhere. I was there with Raleigh International and we trekked around up north, built schools and we spent a few weeks on Waterberg Plateau. Like I say, the best three months of my life ever! I used to know the national anthem by heart now I can only remember the first couple of lines. Still, an amazing country... although I don't think I could cope with the heat nowadays. Anything higher than 20 degrees Celsius and I just melt like a snowman lol

[Sherwood]

Yeah, such an incredible part of the world. The raw landscape is incredible pretty much everywhere. I was there with Raleigh International and we trekked around up north, built schools and we spent a few weeks on Waterberg Plateau. Like I say, the best three months of my life ever! I used to know the national anthem by heart now I can only remember the first couple of lines. Still, an amazing country... although I don't think I could cope with the heat nowadays. Anything higher than 20 degrees Celsius and I just melt like a snowman lol

Namibia can get very hot with recorded temperatures in excess of 45 degrees centigrade. Fortunately, Windhoek is typically cooler. However, what makes this heat less oppressive is the low humidity levels. There are some parts of Namibia that do not see any rain in decades. Windhoek typically averages 300 sunny days a year where skies are generally completely cloudless. This means that no matter how much you exert yourself you seldom get sweaty because any perspiration evaporates immediately. One unexpected consequence is that immediately after sunset, the lack of cloud cover results in an immediate and rapid drop in temperature. Air conditioning is not that common in Namibia though I did have one in the main bedroom. Temperatures would drop well below freezing, and it was not uncommon for 12 inch icicles to form overnight on the condenser unit.

Contrast this with Dhaka in Bangladesh where I worked from 2001 to 2005. in the morning one would have a shower and put on fresh cotton clothing. As soon as one opened the front door to the air conditioned apartment, it was like being doused with a bucket of warm water. I know which of the two climates I preferred.

By the way, the lack of cloud cover made the night skies incredibly clear. The Milky Way was clearly visible as a light blue-white band stretching across the horizon. The number of stars visible is indescribable and multiple meteors could be seen shooting across the sky several times in a night.

[hifinutt]

I used to have Gaia 2s beneath the Atacama stand my Eatons used to be on and I never got to hear music anything like it is now. I sold my Gaias when I changed stands (I'm now using mana acoustics) so I can't say I've experienced a like-for-like comparison between the two. But the fact remains, there's no comparison to how my speakers deliver music now with the pad and bumper combo in place with the Mana versus how it used to sound when I had the Gaias and Atacama stands.

Which Isopucks are you using, Indigo?

i use standard iso pucks used in pro audio . i also use iso pucks 76 under my verity audio which are heavier

sorry for blurred pic

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48613455341_e28ef199ea_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2h4NEB8)P1060716 (https://flic.kr/p/2h4NEB8) by , on Flickr

[windhoek]

i use standard iso pucks used in pro audio . i also use iso pucks 76 under my verity audio which are heavier

sorry for blurred pic

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48613455341_e28ef199ea_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2h4NEB8)P1060716 (https://flic.kr/p/2h4NEB8) by , on Flickr


Thanks, that's great :)

[Gazjam]

Use iso pucks under my PS Audio gear and Meridian power amp.
sound no different from the ‘shinier’ Isoacoustics Orea range.
(had this confirmed during a late night Webchat session with an Isoacoustics engineer :eyebrows:)

For me though,
will probably get Orea pucks to replace them at some point though to match the shiny Orea ones I have my Oppo player sitting on.
Purely for visual matching.

(yes I’m Sad)

[windhoek]

Use iso pucks under my PS Audio gear and Meridian power amp.
sound no different from the ‘shinier’ Isoacoustics Orea range.
(had this confirmed during a late night Webchat session with an Isoacoustics engineer :eyebrows:)

For me though,
will probably get Orea pucks to replace them at some point though to match the shiny Orea ones I have my Oppo player sitting on.
Purely for visual matching.

(yes I’m Sad)

How about giving the Addis pads and bumper combo a go? It costs peanuts and probably sounds better.

[Lawrence001]

No not another Addis Pad thread [emoji24]

https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/addis-pads-probably-the-greatest-single-upgrade-ever%E2%80%A6in-the-world.278599/

[Barry]

LOL - it goes on for 34 pages!

[windhoek]

No not another Addis Pad thread [emoji24]

https://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/threads/addis-pads-probably-the-greatest-single-upgrade-ever%E2%80%A6in-the-world.278599/


Why not?

[Macca]

why not indeed.

[Lawrence001]

I guess not.

It's actually got me thinking. Rather like random cellular mutation leading to creatures crawling out of the primordial soup and eventually turning into the universally supreme beings we find ourselves fortunate to be, hifi isolation, and indeed the wider gamut of upgrade paths, follow a similar process through random experimentation.

No idea where that just came from.

[struth]

I guess not.

It's actually got me thinking. Rather like random cellular mutation leading to creatures crawling out of the primordial soup and eventually turning into the universally supreme beings we find ourselves fortunate to be, hifi isolation, and indeed the wider gamut of upgrade paths, follow a similar process through random experimentation.

No idea where that just came from.

dont get no creatures crawling out of my soup..:nono:

well bar the odd chicken or two :eek:

[Stranraer]

Can't believe I'm admitting this, but......... the plan to spend the day in t' pub watching cricket went South once the rain started so I zipped over to B&M at 3pm and bought one of these Addis mats. I've got a load of the bumpers from a kitchen refit. I'll let you know my findings.

[Lawrence001]

Might be cheap but not sure it can beat the free isolation feet in my system at the moment for VFM:

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?76358-The-death-of-spikes!&p=1345589#post1345589

[windhoek]

Can't believe I'm admitting this, but......... the plan to spend the day in t' pub watching cricket went South once the rain started so I zipped over to B&M at 3pm and bought one of these Addis mats. I've got a load of the bumpers from a kitchen refit. I'll let you know my findings.


Brilliant! As long as you use the right sort of bumpers you should be all set. I can't remember if I said it already but soft and squishy silicone bumpers are no good as they're, er, too soft and squishy, which makes everything sound soft and squishy as well. The 8mm Diall hemispherical bumpers have just the right level of compressibility to engage the spring effect.

Here's a reminder of the 'User Manual' for installation:

- Affix 8 bumpers to 8 pads and then place the combos beneath the corners of your speakers (or 4 pads and bumpers beneath your turntable or CD player etc). You can even double up on pads and place an extra pad beneath the other so that you've got two pads per bumper (for really heavy speakers you probably should double up on pads). Allow at least an hour for adhesive setting time to ensure the pads don't slide should lateral force be applied when tilting speakers backwards and forwards during installation.

- In general, I prefer to affix pads to bumpers but sometimes you might need to affix bumpers to equipment and then line things up after that. It can be tricky this way so where possible, affix bumpers to pads.

- The combo has to be the only damping interface between the supporting structure and the equipment/speakers. Otherwise, you'll get diluted results. In practice, this probably means removing the feet from your equipment.

- If your speakers are on carpets then you'd need to find a way of bypassing the carpet. You can't put the combo on top of a carpet and expect to get results. If you can't install a platform that takes the carpet out of the equation then forget it, it just won't work.

Good luck!

[windhoek]

Might be cheap but not sure it can beat the free isolation feet in my system at the moment for VFM:

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?76358-The-death-of-spikes!&p=1345589#post1345589

The VFM of something you found is always going to be higher than anything you buy. But does it result in things sounding better than something you can buy, even something as cheap as pads and bumpers? That's the question. If it works for you that's all that matters.

[windhoek]

I went all-in over the last few days and installed the pad+bumper combo under everything in my bedroom system; everything except the 6-gang mains extension. I doubled up on pads so that there are two pads per bumper and although it was quite a faff at times, I managed to set it up so that the bumpers are affixed to the pads in all cases, with the pads on the rack and the bumpers in contact with the equipment. Fwiw, I haven't gone that far in my main system as I've still to put the combo beneath my amp and phono stage.

Setting up the speakers (a pair of Kralk Audio BC-30s) required an extra level of attention and, dare I say, some innovation, as they're mounted onto a plasterboard wall with a pair of Sound Organisation brackets that come with spikes. I'd previously put a pair of granite trivets between speakers and spikes and then put the combo between trivets and speakers, but I was keen to find a way to take the trivets out of the equation as I wasn't convinced it was the right or optimal solution.

One of the brackets isn't completely level on top so placing the combo on top of the frames was out of the question. So I ordered a packet of M4 cap head bolts on the premise that if I lined them up correctly, then I should be able to install the combo upside down with the domes being ever so slightly sunk into the heads of the bolts, where an Allen key would otherwise go, and then that should add the requisite level of stability to prevent the combo and therefore, the speakers from moving or slipping off the brackets altogether once everything is in place. It works: the dome heads are indeed ever so slightly sunk into the heads and the speakers are now both level and stable. Result!

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/P~4AAOSwvCpdjy40/s-l500.jpg

So how does it all sound? The right adjective seems to vary from one song to another but in general, clarity, detail, soundstage, separation, depth, and cohesion have been greatly enhanced, while bass is more defined, and there's a hint of organic warmth too - remarkably, that goes for both analogue and digital playback. Moreover, when I was playing Off Beat by Claire Martin, a live album recorded at Ronnie's, I could almost smell the alcohol! Suffice to say, the system now sounds like a high quality music system. Indeed, I'd say it sounds like a music-first system rather than a hifi system in the traditional sense, and one that belies the true cost - my £400 speakers no longer sound like £400 speakers!

And for the first time ever, the new speaker set up doesn't seem to be exciting the plasterboard. It must to some degree I suppose as I can still feel some minor vibrations travelling through the floor but you can't hear it.

Fwiw, my bedroom system is as follows:

Analogue
⁃ Linn LP12 (pre-Cirkus bearing; Stack Audio Tenor subchassis and top plate; Rega RB300 tonearm, rewired by Johnnie at Audio Origami, tungsten counterweight; Rega Exact cart; 2 x Linn felt mats; Norton Airpower power supply, DIY)

Digital
⁃ Bluesound Node (N130)
⁃ Sony UHP-H1 BDP

DAC
⁃ Cambridge Audio DacMagic Plus

Amplification
⁃ Rega IO (on-board phono stage in use)

Speakers
⁃ Kralk Audio BC-30 FL

Other
⁃ Mana Acoustics 4-tier rack (see notes)
⁃ Sound Organisation speaker brackets

Notes
⁃ The Mana Acoustics 4-tier rack mentioned above is a replica manufactured by Willy at Berryhill Blacksmiths, Riggend, with the glass having been manufactured by Hurry Bros in the east end of Glasgow. The rack sits on a mana sound stage.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52985270734_8aaef29713_c.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52985499305_56dd39bda8_c.jpg

[windhoek]

Here's a short video I made about the Addis pad combo; where hopefully, all the relevant information, including the 'user manual' comes together.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QtM4xsq0Fk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.avforums.c om%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo