glad you liked it, that was my post for “Lovely Recordings”. It’s gratifying to see that folks are finding stuff via it, I’ll post some more suggestions
Les Davis 3D-2 CLD discs
When it comes to isolation products it can get heated and expensive. I'd like to add something to the fray that's relatively inexpensive and thoroughly effective but it's too soon for me to say whether it's the right thing. It's because the effects are immediate and apparent but one must be patient and tune this product to their liking.
Les Davis Audio (from down under) has come up with a 50 mm wide, 1 mm thick CLD (constrained layer damping) product that you place under the footers of your gear. It can also be placed between monitor speakers and their stands. It's recommended that you try two discs under each foot and that sometimes only two treated feet are needed instead of all four.
The outer layers are aluminum and the inner layer is some kind of proprietary viscoelasitc material. Les got the idea from aircraft applications. I found that two discs have too much an effect for my tastes and I'm trying just one for awhile to see how it sounds over the long run. Anything I've tried in the past hasn't bettered the standard feet of the Marantz Reference gear I have (Ken Ishiwata knows his stuff).
The effect is like going from a very large room (before application) to a smaller room with just one disc to smaller room with two. The thing is it seems that you don't lose any detail or info. As the soundstage lessens, a kind of overcast develops. It's more of a hue than a tone thing, a kind of enriching. The lessening of the soundstage seems to be only front to back, leaving the width alone. Vocalist that stand before me at the edge of my ottoman retreat some, closer to the plane of the speakers. That's the best analogy I can think of for now. If you're dealing with microphonic problems (tubes, light weight gear, etc.) I can see where they can be of great benefit.
They sell for $100 AU (about $76-$88 US) and there's two dealers stateside that sell them for $125. I got mine for $99 plus shipping from amazon. They come 16 discs to a pack and it seems to be money well spent.
Next up I've got to see (hear) how they work under my monitors.
All the best,Nonoise
Les Davis Audio (from down under) has come up with a 50 mm wide, 1 mm thick CLD (constrained layer damping) product that you place under the footers of your gear. It can also be placed between monitor speakers and their stands. It's recommended that you try two discs under each foot and that sometimes only two treated feet are needed instead of all four.
The outer layers are aluminum and the inner layer is some kind of proprietary viscoelasitc material. Les got the idea from aircraft applications. I found that two discs have too much an effect for my tastes and I'm trying just one for awhile to see how it sounds over the long run. Anything I've tried in the past hasn't bettered the standard feet of the Marantz Reference gear I have (Ken Ishiwata knows his stuff).
The effect is like going from a very large room (before application) to a smaller room with just one disc to smaller room with two. The thing is it seems that you don't lose any detail or info. As the soundstage lessens, a kind of overcast develops. It's more of a hue than a tone thing, a kind of enriching. The lessening of the soundstage seems to be only front to back, leaving the width alone. Vocalist that stand before me at the edge of my ottoman retreat some, closer to the plane of the speakers. That's the best analogy I can think of for now. If you're dealing with microphonic problems (tubes, light weight gear, etc.) I can see where they can be of great benefit.
They sell for $100 AU (about $76-$88 US) and there's two dealers stateside that sell them for $125. I got mine for $99 plus shipping from amazon. They come 16 discs to a pack and it seems to be money well spent.
Next up I've got to see (hear) how they work under my monitors.
All the best,Nonoise
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@folkfreak Thanks for the confirmation on what I've been hearing with these discs. I do agree that they can be too much of a good thing as I've found that just a single disc seems to work best for me and my tastes. The only way to find out is to experiment. Speaking of which, I just ordered another box set of 16 as I want to go back and try the two disc method just on my SACD player and will need some more for my OPPO unit. I just tried the remaining six I have under my monitors (three for each side) and can't wait to see what four or even eight will do since these are heavy monitors for their size. I ended up listening to the entire Arrival soundtrack, among other CDs and the subterranean bass was amazingly taut and textured. No bloat or room anomalies that I've been used to beforehand. I have to admit I'm also trying out some new fuses but I'll post my findings later this week. The clarity of the fuses make hearing any differences seem like child's play. And as for the link, that's where I got The Elizabethan Sessions from. Michael Lavorgna's site has become a go to source for new music for me. 👍 All the best, Nonoise |
I have a few dozen of the Les Davis discs -- they are especially useful in those places where any other footer cannot be readily fitted. For example under my TT power supply which I usually need to have on edge so not stable for any other footer. Do be aware however that in many instances they will blur or soften the sound relative to other footers (my normal go to footers are Marigo RHZ or F8 Mystery feet -- at 10 to 20 times the cost of the Davis discs). Anyway for the cost they are well worth including in your arsenal @nonoise "The Elizabethan Session" is one of my reference CDs and will admirably demonstrate any steps you take to remove sources of noise in your system. Please be aware that while this was also issued on LP the LP is not something I can recommend -- in cramming all the music of 2 sides of an LP they unfortunately had to use some pretty aggressive compression. However in the same mod Kate Rusby's latest ("Paper Boat") which is also on LP is a definite improvement on the nice two pieces of Vinyl that she has used -- whichever way you listen do pick up a copy of this. You can find some more related suggestions in a similar style here |
@lalitk I trust you'll find them of benefit. The solidity of images is unbelievable. You don't notice it until you hear it. Once factored in, that stability unleashes all manner of accuracy allowing for that sensation of artists playing in your room. I just listened to The Elizabethan Session and my eyes almost watered. If you or anyone has any lineage to England, you owe yourself to listen to this. All the best, Nonoise |
@nonoise, Thanks for sharing. Looks quite promising from what I read so far on viscoelastic material used in these discs. Your observation is spot on with the use of these discs in your setup. One of the study shows this material helps in dissipation of mechanical energy and acoustic waves experience attenuation. I just ordered a set to try underneath my CD player and Streamer (with an internal SSD). It will interesting to find out how they stack against HRS Nimbus couplers and Finite Elemente Slimline Cerabase 😉 |