Black Diamond Racing

I'm glad you don't think I'm completely nuts Bob. Bob if your interested I'll loan you a set of Orchard Bay titanium cones to try. They cost so much it would be better to simply try and see how titanium works with your set-up. Let me know at my email address and we could talk about other possibilities.

I agree that the #3 BDR cones tend to darken and slow, but on some solid state equipment it has helped. Also under my Dunlavy IVa speakers with bases removed the #3 cones and pucks had no effect on the speed or tempo, I think it was off set by removing the bid MDF bases that I assume are way slow.

Jade the sandwich is a valid approach; I'm not laughing at all. What you are doing is much the same as my approach. Basically I isolate my rack from below using pods & then couple the component to a Black Diamond shelf, using cones. I'm glad that you explained the specifics of your Neuance shelf application; I've been thinging of trying one & now I'm even more curious.

First come the Vibrapods for isolation, they sit on the rack itself. The Black Diamond shelf sits on the pods. CD player sits on the BD shelf but not directly, I have three downturned BD #4 cones between the player & the BD shelf. I like the #4 BD cones as opposed to the #3's which sounded slower & too damped on my player. I want to experiment with ceramic & brass etc, cones too. Polycrystal & DH Labs are next up to try out.

Eh: a nice approach is to keep a variety of coupling & isolation products on hand so you can experiment with different components to determine the optimum for each one. Not all compponents will optimize with the exact same setup. The thicker Source, as I understand it, is intended for turntables. I only have a Shelf under mine, coupled with downturned brass cones. An Arcici Airhead is in place under the BD shelf; this isolates from the rack & provides a leveling mechanism simultaneously.

I've had a great deal of experience with the BDR shelf, pucks, those things and cones. I have found in the right application they improve the sound and smooth the high frequency. They can also muddy the sound and make it less involving. The shelf tends to bring out a components features. If the component has weaknesses it will show them off. If the component is strong enough to hold up to the scrutiny it will shine. I used the shelf and various cones including BDR for my pre-amp at one time and for my Hydra power conditioner at another. I've also used it on the amp and cd players but was less pleased with the results.
I use the pucks with cones under my speakers now and find they have opened the air on the sound stage along with tightening the focus.
BDR are good products in the right application, but you must test them out. I found the Nueance shelf to be better suited to my needs, but the shelf still is in use. Right now it's the first layer of my cd players platform. It sits on the racks upturned spikes and I have titanium upturned cones sitting on it. I have the Nueance shelf resting on the cones and my cd played on the Nueance. You may laugh but it works great.