Stillpoints Ultra 6 vs Critical Mass Center Stage 2


Hello, I am about to pull the trigger on a set of four to place under my amp. A dealer senT me a set of stillpoints ultra ss to try under my new dac and the results were amazing instantaneously. I love that it is so easy to test as well. I am now a firm believer in isolation footers.

I would like anyone who has any experience in these two products mentioned as it seems they are the two best options. Ideally, if anyone has done an a/b comparison it would be really helpful to hear your experience because they are far from cheap..! Thanks for any input.
Cheers!
b345t
Hi b345t

Nothing wrong with starting with the amp. I would find out where the power transformer is and put one foot under that or under them both if your amp has two transformers as they create the most vibration. Joe (the designer) recommends four of the feet under each component instead of three, that’s why he includes different thickness metal shims which allows the user to shim the fourth foot so there is no rocking motion and the component is rock stable on the shelf. They’re designed to go flat under the chassis, not under the components factory foot. The are vey expensive but after hearing the improvement, I found it impossible to live without them. Enjoy!

Scot
I would be grateful for your advice.I choose the best feets for monoblocks (now Stillpoints Ultra SS) and sources (now SR MiGs).
Has anyone compared Townshend Pods and CMC Stage 2?

I haven't compared CMS footers with the Townsend pawns but looking at the physics of both to me the pods would do a better job because you're now floating everything on a cushion of air and the component is riding on the spring which makes it move freely so no vibration will get into it that's just my opinion though and the critical mass stuff are ridiculously priced big ripoff.

Magnuman, i would’ve thought the same thing - until I got the Center Stage 2M in my system and let them "settle" for 10 days.

As good as the Townshend isolation pods/Sesmic Isolation Platforms are (and I have both the iso pods and the Seismic Isolation platform), they do not perform at the level of the Center Stage 2ms. What the 2m does, is to "liberate’ instruments and voices so that they "move" the way they in life (and the symphony hall or jazz clubs).

Most recorded/digitized media (CDs, vinyl, streaming) make music sound "slow" compared to how astoundingly dynamic music is in real life (without microphones and amps). The Center Stage moves you much further closer to that real-world experience.

I was surprised at the magnitude of the improvement. It really was more akin to getting much better electronics. But more than just better "sound", the lifelike quality of human voices is startling to hear. Hearing Cleo Laine Live at Carnegie Hall on songs I’ve heard for 50 years was astonishing. Ditto some pretty mediocre CDs, where the recording itself sounded fresher as though there had been an alternate recording made the same day as the original, but it was on voices that one notices it instantly. I find the effects easiest to hear on human voice, although symphonic music, jazz and even vintage r & B all sound equally great; more "live" (by far) and the dynamics less "reproduced" or "bland," no matter what I play. It reminds me of my Antique Sound Lab Hurricanes, which - to this day - remain the most "real-sounding" component I’ve ever owned, even among the Goldmund/Jadis/Audio Research/VAC components. Only the Hurricane - less than 30 seconds into listening - sounded convincingly "real." The Center Stages don’t do that, but they sure allow one’s electronics to perform free of vibration, no matter that we do not hear it. With these devices, you realize that with vibration removed, it’s a whole new ballgame, and supposedly the footers remove internal vibration (from whatever component it’s under) as well as vibration from the room itself.

It would be unlikely that I would buy another set of electronics until I had at least one more set of these for the integrated amplifier, so that I can hear what it "really" sounds like when vibration - both internal and external - are removed from it. The musical experience with these in the system is far more engaging. I can listen to my system and not be moved unless I love the music (sentimental memories), but with the footers, I find ’60s rock (which is usually poorly recorded) and ’50 jazz singers (who were minimally miked) waayyyyy more involving. Singers  liked, I now still just "like," but i find their voices more "complete" as though an electronic haze as removed, and I have dedicated circuits, Furutech outlets, and quite good power regenerator, so I know it's not my electricity getting better as the evening wears on.

I got the 0.8 footers, and they were dazzling enough. It’s said the bigger sizes yield more of what you get from the smaller one, but that is hardly a reason to buy the bigger sizes unless you need them. The 0.8 is more than enough to reveal the accomplishments of the Center Stage 2M footers.

Now to decide what to do with the Stillpoints and the Townshend isolation devices...