Magnetic isolation
Mapman, at last we agree on something, albeit something I already mentioned on this thread what, a week ago? But thanks for the heads up, anyway. :-) Geoffkait:"I think you’d agree that more powerful magnetic fields than necessary are probably not a good idea in the vicinity of things like CD lasers, low output cartridges, tonearm wire, etc. speaking for myself I abhor magnetic fields in general and for that reason, with respect to the whole mag lev thing, I’m out." |
One thing I thought of that I saw pointed out on other forums is that magnetic fields and phono carts and associated low level phono lines do not mesh well together. Just something to be aware of. My guess would be tht there is not close enough proximity between cart and magnetic feet to cause a problem. I'd keep my phono wire connection clear of the feet though if it were me, especially if using a low output MC cart.. |
It’s not that a wider gap translates to a weaker magnetic field. For a given load a wider gap actually translates to a stronger magnetic field. So if your gap is say 1 mm now, more powerful magnets would produce a 2 mm gap or whatever for the same load. As long as there’s a gap there is levitation. It’s the levitation that’s the issue not the flux density of the mag field per se. Hel-looo! interesting article on mag lev for audiophile applications, see link below: http://www.gcaudio.com/products/reviews/infomagix.html |
Geoff, my statements don´t conflict (maybe a little typo though ?). Try this: A heavy deck needs strong magnets but not TOO strong. Then gap between deck and feet becomes too long resulting weaker magnetic field and thus more unstable balance. The essence is dense magnetic field between deck and feet, as dense as possible in fact. 2 mm gap gives denser magnetic field. The more dense magnetic field results to stronger magnetic force and thus better stability. The magnetic push needs to be just enough. That´s the trick :) |
harold-not-the-barrel 297 posts 06-29-2016 12:06pm "I´m talking only about heavy turntables. ( I have never liked CD´s dull and edgy sound so I have no idea whether maglev feet would be benefit for digital too). There is a clear sonic benefit between say 10 mm and 2 mm separate. The narrower the gap between magnets the better sonics, IME." Your last statement directly conflicts with your earlier statement that more powerful magnets improve sound quality. Am I missing something? It sounds like you are now agreeing with me, that the opposing magnets need to be just powerful enough to produce a gap, but not more powerful for a given load. geoff kait machina dynamica isolation vibration and resonance control |
I´m talking only about heavy turntables. ( I have never liked CD´s dull and edgy sound so I have no idea whether maglev feet would be benefit for digital too). There is a clear sonic benefit between say 10 mm and 2 mm separate. The narrower the gap between magnets the better sonics, IME. Anyone tried maglev feet with speakers ? |
Nobody hates beating a dead horse more than I do but it's not really a sound quality issue. It's simply whether or not the opposing magents are powerful enough to separate from each other under the specified load. There is no sonic benefit to making the separate more than say 1/3". i think you'd agree that more powerful magnetic fields than necessary are probably not a good idea in the vicinity of things like CD lasers, low output cartridges, tonearm wire, etc. speaking for myself I abhor magnetic fields in general and for that reason, with respect to the whole mag lev thing, I'm out. |
Sure, magnet´s strength should match to component´s mass. The heavier component, the stronger magnet is beneficial for better sound quality. But springs are not like magnets actually. All springs have mechanical contact whereas magnets don´t. That´s why magnetic isolation is better than mechanical. Furthermore, in practice all opposing magnets are unstable (horizontally), even very thin/small ones. Just try to move close two "weak" little opposing magnets together, they become slippery like ice. As for springy turntables like ORACLE. I always liked soft suspension with my DELPHI mk II over stiff suspension mk IV. Actually with stiffer springs with the same arm and cart mk IV sounded awful, in my system decades ago. I sold my mk IV and said goodbye to stiff spring TTs. In sonics springs act/work differently than magnets, IME. |
harold-not-the-barrel 295 posts 06-29-2016 5:30am Exactly, Geoff. Furthermore, the stronger (dense) the magnetic field (push) between deck and environment, the better sound quality. In other words, the stronger the magnetic spring, the better isolation and thus sound quality, Stronger magnetic push gives better mechanical stability, IME. Most likely the magnets' strength should be matched to the mass of the component, like springs. Ergo, stronger stiffer springs do not equate with better isolation. Not by a long shot. The strength I.e., stiffness of the spring is selected based on load. Not to mention that very strong magnets are actually less stable than weaker ones as they will have a greater tendency to slide uncontrollably in the horizontal direction which is their wont. |
tbg 5,221 posts 06-28-2016 9:18pm I had these long ago from SONY. Remember that like pole isolation acts just like a spring. I like neither. Virtually all advanced isolation devices employ springs in one form or another, including LIGO, the project that detected gravity waves from a black hole last year. Trust me if there was something better than springs LIGO would have used it. Of course there are at least a few reasons why audiophiles don't get good results with certain things. |
I can listen at a higher volume with clarity & with a more substantial/extended dynamic low end. That certainly sounds consistent with less low frequency noise and vibrations as a result of effective isolation. Turntable isolation is almost always a good thing. Magnetic isolation certainly sounds like one viable way to achieve it when needed. Vibrations a table is subject to will vary case by case but its a common plague that robs a system of performance due to unwanted low frequency noise that drains an amp of its ability to reproduce dynamics in the actual music as best it can. |
What this proves is that you hear a difference between your particular magnetic levitation system and your particular "contact based" support system, in favor of the former. From this sort of one-off experiment it is perhaps premature to generalize, but we all do it nevertheless. It is at least worthwhile to listen for a while with the maglev and then go back to the previous shelf system, to see for yourself whether the benefit of mag lev that is apparent at first listen is a real and lasting one. |
