Vibration isolation or absorption?


You see those pointy things at the bottom of a speaker that are very very sharp.  Arguably a weapon in the wrong hands.  And then you see those same pointy things inserted into a disk.

So the pointy things, aka ‘spikes’ , can Channel vibration elsewhere and away from the components and speakers, or they can isolate it.

Seems channeling vibration away from a component/ speaker, which I guess is absorption, is preferable.

Is this true? And why do they keep saying isolation.

 

emergingsoul

Atmasphere,

You missed my point. 

Killing vibration is stupidity because you cannot destroy it. 

Manage it, yes, but vibration-forming resonance never goes away. Electricity vibrates causing the issues you deal with on a daily basis.

Did you ever try mechanical grounding all the key parts in your electronics design? It beats using damping compounds and provides livelier sound quality, but who am I to state this? 

Try mechanical grounding your amp chassis first and reduce the thermal operational temperature. The audible outcome will surprise you. I am more than happy to assist in any way we can.

You choose to use damping compounds. We use natural damping factors in the materials used to build our products. 

You are a manufacturer of electronics, we understand your reasoning and design philosophy. 

As a sound engineer, I look at vibration as music’s lifeblood. Quite a different point of view.

Resonance formed by vibrations is the issue we should be focused on.

Robert  

 

The EAR damping products mentioned by @atmasphere are available from Michael Percy Audio, a great hi-fi accessories mail order business. The sheets of EAR damping material (developed for industry) work great at absorbing the mechanical vibrations of the enclosures of electronic components.

For speaker enclosures, bracing is the first defense against cabinet resonances (look at the bracing inside Salk speakers and subs)---they raise the resonant frequency of the enclosure panels above that mostly excited by the drivers, with GR Research NoRez used to mop up what remains. Adding bracing to an already existing speaker is rarely possible (the bracing eats up air space volume inside the enclosure, changing the tuning of the design), but NoRez can be, as it is volume-neutral.

The ideal setup is for absolutely NO vibration on the turntable, especially turntable motor vibration / noise. Isolation and vibration reduction required on the mounting platform (air suspension and / or large mass platform to concrete slab).  Most electronic components will probably have some vibration. Absorbing that vibration is good so that it doesn’t get into other components.

You are suggesting that springs, used in combination with dampers, are coupling devices?

Would you characterize shock absorbers, used on every car in the world, as coupling devices?

Hello, whipsaw,

Yes, the coupling is when any product comes in contact with the ground plane of the earth. This definition includes shock absorbers. 

I would prefer the conversation to stay within musical boundaries. In audio, outside sciences and principles and analogies are difficult to describe what it means for sound quality.

Here is a link to a patent of a "Vibration decoupling connection device", in which the word "decoupling" is used multiple times: 

Our Company Founding Fathers held multiple Patents. Our material science engineer holds a degree in Patent Law, so I am familiar with US and Global Patents. Patents, their writings, and the logic behind them are topics for a separate thread.

The device involving this Patent changes the frequency or converts energy into another form. Once the part adapts to a vehicle, the new mechanism is mechanically grounded or coupled to the Earth. 

I have the impression that you are playing semantic games, based on the suggestion that even the best designed springs/dampers are unable to completely decouple components from floors/racks, etc.    

I do not play games. Our company has designed equipment racks, studio environments, and other musical instrument parts.

Please NAME ONE PRODUCT that “completely decouples components from floors, racks, etc”. 

But there is no doubt whatsoever that, at least in the case of speakers, they can come far closer to decoupling than coupling devices such as spikes.

It is time we stop comparing everything out there to the expensive one-dollar ($1.00) spike and realize there is much more we can learn from our peers. How does a low-end part command comparison and remain the primary topic driving conversations in High-End Audio?

Are we stuck in the mud?

Robert