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Ceramic insulator cone under phono stage shocker!

I have used small ceramic insulator cones underneath my phono stage for quite some time.
Previous phono was a Gold note ph10 and it did not make ANY audible difference I could detect which way up the cones were so I had left them cone upwards.

When I changed my phono to a Manley Chinook I just left the cones same way.
This afternoon I decided to flip them over so cone down just to see.

I honestly could not and cannot believe the difference!
I may have lost a smidge of low bass but everywhere else is improved in spades.
Much more detail, resolution, air, imaging, dynamics.
Just completely shocking how much better a small change has made.

But I am perplexed why such a huge change on the Chinook where I noted nothing on the ph10?

Any theories here?
128x128uberwaltz
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz OP
13,381 posts
 
Elizabeth
My rack is home made using 2 inch Butcher Blocks at 24x18 for each shelf.
The 4 legs are stainless all thread with stainless nuts/washers at top/ bottom of each block.
So infinitely adjustable for depth and level precisely.
So all mods to my equipment work on top of butcher blocks.
Likewise the effect cannot be separated except at speakers.
Everything sits on a tiled solid concrete floor which I think helps any boom,or resonance issues to start with.
My TT sits in a 40lb slab of solid birch and curly maple. Would love to make one from Cocobolo but holy moly the cost!

Looked at Gaboon Ebony and Katalox blanks too but also spendy.
boxer12
8,656 posts
 
Cool stuff Elizabeth / Thanks 
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,483 posts
 
Everything  matters in this hobby.  Sure ceramic footers are fine, but brass works better in MY system.  ...what ever sounds best to you is the proper answer.
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geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
As fate would have it brass is on the softer end 3-4 of the Mohs Hardness Scale 0-10 and for that reason I’m out. Best results in terms of naturalness, openness and dynamics will almost always be obtained with very hard materials like diamond, tungsten, heat tempered steel and NASA grade ceramics (DH Cones), next hardest material to diamond. Even the Small size DH Cones which are actually quite cost effective, clobber most other cones. I used to buy them by sheet! I don’t do this for my health, you know. Of course, there will be an exception or two that proves the rule. Hey, that rhymes! 🤗

Everything is relative. A. Einstein 😛
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