Amp stands- Do they work?


I recently purchased a Pass Aleph 3 and loved it so much that I "had to buy" a pair of the Aleph 2 monoblocks. I have been A/B-ing them at my home for the last 3 weeks for most of my free time. The 2s have a lot more presence, but lack the for lack of better words "musical reality" the 3 has. Forgive me for the term, but if you've heard the 3, then you probably understand. Anyway, I have asked most of the guys at Pass Labs and they essentially tell me I am hearing things- that the 2s "have all the sonic characteristics of the 3, just more of it" I have eliminated all other variables except that the 3 is on the bottom of my rack (Salamander Archetype), and the 2's are on the carpet in front of my system. I am interested in anyone's input as to the impact a reasonable stand might have on the sonics of my amps. I currently am acting on this hypothesis and have put the 3 on the floor next to the 2's. If it is of any help the components are in order- my source is a Muse Model 5 transport, Illuminati D-60 digital, EAD 7000 MkIII D/A, Kimber KCAG, Muse Model 3 preamp, WBT 5151 -great cable!!!!!, Pass Amps, Nordost Red Dawn speaker cable, B&W 804s. Counterpoint PAC-5 conditioner, API Power Wedge 4A conditioner. Marigo RMX ref power cables. Amps are using stock power cables- Nelson Pass's recommendation. Thanks for listening and I look forward to any input.
tsquared
I am not going to respond to emotional insistence of being correct with folks who essentially say "I know its good when I hear it". What is being said here? I'm right, you're wrong" Quite a strong debate! Ah-ummm
Noel, can you hear the 15.6 kHz sweep of a CRT tv, or are you too emotional? I can hear mine from the other end of my house (It measured only 74 dB right against the back of the tv, with my spl meter...must be less than 15 dB when I'm hearing it around corners, and down hallways). I'm not concerned about what you think, because you're not an audiophile, but an agnostic who can't hear jack. IF THE GENTLEMEN ON HERE RELATE WHAT THEY HEAR WHEN COMPARING AMP STANDS, WHO ARE YOU TO TELL THEM THEY AREN'T HEARING IT? Some of us on here can hear very well, and I have no doubt that you have lost most of your sensitivity. It'd be like a legally blind person working at a movie theater, never being able to properly focus all of his movies, and cheating patrons out of the cost of admission...
Redkiwi, the dedicated transformer is a requirement for 220 three phase at 750 amps. The size of the wire in my drop is a requirement for the same reason. In my state, the power company is a public utility, and therefore must supply whatever service is required to support the needs of the specific customer. I simply had to prove my case to the management at the power company, that all of the equipment (audio and photo lighting) was sufficient to require what I requested. Second, your assessment about my reasoning is correct, I listen and apply what I learn. As you state, inductive reasoning would suggest that measurements prove that differences are only a placebo. That position can cause problems, as the reverse is often true. Many times in history, things that are real and true are not able to be proven by tests or measurements until much later. Many famous theories that seem ridiculous, and impossible to verify with that era's measurements, turn out the be proven only much later. It sometimes takes years for the measurement people to assign a "reason" that something "is." Until that time, specification nit pickers will unlikely come over to our side, until the numbers are there to comfort them.
To Sol332. I do not know of an internet address to provide info on star grounding. The way I got there, I hired an electrical contractor who does quite a bit of work for Texas Instruments, Raytheon, and Bell Helicopter, and the wiring I was asking for was not unusual for computer rooms or assembly areas of defense suppliers. The star grounding is not strictly legal in my city, as the code requires that all the circuits be tied together at the electrical, and all the grounds be tied together. What I have actually exceeds the code, but does not "fit" the rules, therefore it is not easy to get it done. The short answer is that each circuit for the audio system must be in PVC, (because metal housings automatically connect the grounds together at the mounting flange). Then a separate ground must be run from the Hubbell computer grade outlet ( I choose TNN type wire), and then a star grounding system is run between three ground plains outside of the house. This triple ground plain is tied to a ground bar under the house, and all the separate TNN wire runs from the dedicated circuits are tied that single bar. This does not connect to the panel ground, or to any of the appliances or TV or air conditioning in the house, so the noise floor drops enormously, just due to the isolation. If you want to go as farther, have a separate eight gauge copper run pulled from the drop, and run that to a 100 amp 220 three phase panel, and from there you can run Hubbell twist lock 220 outlets to use with high end amps that are capable of running in either 220 or 110. The Hubbell can also be split to two 110, or run as a 220. My Tube Research GT 400 amps I ran until about a year ago were wired for 220, and were run on a special 220 twist lock AC cable Purist Audio built for me. One last thing, the reason I worked so hard for the 750 amp drop is the configuration of the electrical meter. The regular meter for a home is actually part of the electrical circuit. If you pull the meter from the box, the power goes off! This means that all that tiny wire and circuitry in the conventional meter is always in front of everything in your system. With a commercial 750 amp drop, the meter uses unbroken eight gauge copper rods for the pass through of the electricity, and the meter "clips on" the bars and reads like an Amprobe. The meter box has to have a special padlock, accessible only by the power company, because otherwise the owner could pull the meter and stop the billing process, without losing power. So, they are reluctant to do this. Hope this helps. I am willing to speak to any of you in person if need.