Isolation of my chair, am I crazy???


Many of you know I am a tweaker, and often over the top. Well, I discovered something last night that was worthy of sharing, and I hope others might try this to help verify my sanity. Actually there are two issues at hand, first is isolation of the listening chair from the floor, and the second is brass weights on the shoulders.

Let me back up. I received a variety of Mapleshade brass footer and weight products for Christmas. I asked for them in that they were one of a small list of products I have not tried. As I was listening, I began touching furniture with and with out the weights to see vibration differences. I noticed my chair and therefore my shoulders were vibrating. I tried placing the 2 ½ pound weights on each shoulder. The sound clarified subtly…

OK, I looked a bit goofy sitting with weights on my shoulders, and yes my wife and son got a good chuckle, but…

Then I decided the chair was a far bigger issue than my shoulders, so I took four Aurios 1.2 isolation bearings and put them under the Lazy Boy. There was a marked improvement in clarity. I then tried with and without a number of times, the results were quite quantifiable. I discovered there was a small smear in the higher frequencies that was not previously perceptible.

A couple examples, the violin on Greencards “Weather and Water” and Natalie Merchant “The House Carpenter’s Daughter” (Both assume folk/ rock) had far greater definition. The separation of strings and thus notes was much better. It was much easier to feel the emotion of the interment and sense the resonance of the violins body. Vocals were clearer in the same fashion as the violin. The most profound sonic change was on Natalie’s fourth track. Near the end there are four or five tones that sound like a deep/rich church bell. Here the clarity and naturalness was far more significant. Before the tone was simply part of the presentation. With the chair on Aurios the tone was isolated, rich and dimensional. The rest is subtle stuff, but in one word I would say “natural” was the effect.

I’m writing this in hope of other people might experiment and share what they find. I assume this is more for those who have already addressed the major issues in isolation and have a very high degree of resolution, but it would be interesting to see what people find.

jd
128x128jadem6
Marco my friend, you are one sick dude! Let me know where they hospitalized you, I'll be sure they send me there too, we tweaker must remain supportive of each other, and you clearly need my support.
Thanks Jadem! With regular use of The Perch™ my sphincter has been giving out and I may indeed need some extra support. Glad to know you'll be there for me! I knew you were a stand-up kind of guy! I'll get in touch when the dark area on the broom stick gets within 6" of the base.

Marco
Jd , this is my favorite thread on this site for some time now as it offers a fresh perspective on acoustical control issues as well as invites the occasional chuckle. I was waiting for john " puremusic " to chime in before I did as you and he are two of the most dedicated and intelligent listening fanatics I know. I am going to give this a try myself . Thanks for something new to grill my brain on. Geoff Kait is another posessed demon of audio and is so very into discovering the unearthed areas of acoustics. Many scoff at his "little clock " for instance . I have 2 and can say that without question , it has a dramatic effect on my perception of the music coming from my stereo. After you have settled into your final system , this is the area thats the most fun.
Jedem6,
I just had totally different meaning seing you as a potential client of Mapleshade or similar tweakers...
JD, For your next vibration control project consider what my lady-friend said when she saw a lot of Aurios PRO and Symposium ball bearing devices under my equipment. She suggested that I put my entire house on ball bearings in order to reduce the effect of seismic vibrations. That would be the true test of your dedication. And speaking of dedication, Brainwater is Mr. Dedication himself and fanatical to the Nth degree. John