WAF Alert: McCormack DNA .5 on Vandersteen 2W sub?


My wife would like me to place my McCormack DNA .5 on top of my Vandersteen 2W sub for home decor reasons(I have to admit it does look good up there, all enthroned on it's own massive pedestal as it well deserves., kudos to Steve..). I have the amp on the McCormack supplied sorbothane pucks with the short tiptoes inserted in the recess, all resting on pennies which have funtak under them. So far sonically after a brief listen there seem to be no glaringly apparent negative effects. Anybody else doing this or am I crazy or perhaps deaf ? maybe I should build a custom sand isolation box like jax2 has done?
bibasset
Wow! So Jon, you're the one that got Marco started on his downward spiral into Audiophile Hades? Personally, I think a highly creative goofball like Jax2 would have found another insanely expensive outlet for his creativity even if you hadn't let him listen to your system in the early days. He's the resident Audiogon kook and comedian!

Years ago, I had one of those wooden 240 disc CD spinners sitting on top of my subwoofer. I never heard any CDs rattling during scenes like the T-Rex vs. Spinosaurus battle to the death, maybe because my whole building was shaking too, but I did notice a few had gotten shaken out of their slots.

You're probably right about the amp case shaking from both physical contact and airborn vibrations. I was listening to my system last week and noticed a slightly hooty sound in the upper bass and lower midrange. It turned out it was caused by an empty box sitting at my feet. When I picked up the box with the music still playing I could feel the vibration in the sides and flaps of the box. Even when I moved it to the back of the room, I could feel it humming along to the tune. I put some stuff in the box and the noticeable vibes had stopped.

Since audio gear is all exposed to airborn vibrations, my guess is the only thing you can do to reduce the buzzing if your wife insists you place the DNA on the Vandie, is to create isolation between the two units. Granite or a two inch thick piece of hardwood with the kneaded eraser tweak I mentioned might help a bit.

And, since you're an old friend of Marco, maybe he'll lend you some sand or even let you in the sandbox. But don't go digging around for those nudie girl playing cards, who knows what else he's got hiding under there.

Good luck,
Dean
Goonbah- Yep, it's out in the open, Jon's the one who popped my cherry sending me into the dark netherworld of hi-end never to return to to 'normal' life again!

C'mon now, there is no question an amp on a sub is going to be detrimental to the sonics (not our basketball team Jon)...the question is only how bad does it get. Keeerist, MY amps are vibrating here in Seattle when Jon plays his sub and he lives across the sound on a friggen Island! I was wondering why my CD's were all falling out of their jewel cases....turn the level down on that sub will'ya Jon?! The magnetic question is a good point though. I had FedexGround deliver a Velodyne ULD15 years ago in several pieces, evil primates that they are, and MAN that magnet is huge and heavy! I got too near a 21 inch sub once and had to get three strong guys to help me break free. I had to leave my belt and watch there with the sub, but I was just happy to get away with my life!

Kneeded eraser tweak?! Hey Gunbei, I would've thought you had the Blockheads squished underneath your components for isolation? Or just hack off a few clay toes or sumthin'? Don't they just grow back instantly?

Ain't no nudie cards in my sandboxs. I rented it out to my relatives on the Lower East side. They pay me handsomely each month. They're keeping parts of Jimmy Hoffa in each of three sandboxes I have. Told me the dude was an audiophile and would have wanted it that way. Who am I to ask questions...my toes don't grow back!

Marco
Of course I can blame Marco for re-infecting me with this audiophile fever. I was happily minding my own business, content with my modest system while distracted by raising three kids. Then he tells me about Audiogon (my wife probably curses that day...) and here we go again...different speakers, an inexplicable exploration of solid state amplification, the search for new cables, and damn I'm sure the digital front end can be improved.. I need to fire up the Goldmund Studio..it's been too long in hiatus. So I wonder,regarding the magnetic fields issue with the sub: do I also need a slab of 2" thick lead ? Perhaps a big sandwich of maple, lead and sand. Or I could just take the damn thing off of there..of course switching to some nice quicksilver mono amps back and off to both sides would be all zenlike and fengshui too...
I have my BPT 3.5 power conditioner on my Paradigm sub with inverted polycrystal cones inbetween with the noticeable difference of the bass tightening up and cleaner, less booming.
What's with all these WAF stuff. My wife never tell me what to do with my audio gears nor how much money I spent on them. Maybe you should marry an Asian woman instead :)