Various Bearing Isolation Devices


After you have spent a fortune on Audio components, interconnects/cables, AC power cord/line conditioner, room treatments, and even good equipment rack......playback isolation is critical for good sound. You can only go so far with cones and soft compond feet. The new bearing designs such as Symposium Rollerblock and Aurious MIB, seem to offer the next step by offering horz and vert isolation while simultaneously draining vibration from component to base, which should be one of many aftermarket products by Symposium, Townsend, Rosanite etc which absorb vibration. CD players and turntables have motors which develop internal rotational vibration which must be drained off.........I want to buy a base and bearing supports, anyone have some feedback on what is a good set-up, regards Sam
128x128megasam
Hi Megasam; Redkiwi has more practical info. and experience with vibration control and management than anyone I've ever heard of-- haven't seen his name here lately, but I imagine you could contact him through Audiogon. Redkiwi is/was really big on Townshend Sinks. He helped me a lot with my dedicated AC and ground system. Good Luck. Craig.
I won't pretend to be and expert, but I've listened a lot to equipment placed on the Symposium bases and rollerblocks. My experience gives me these general impressions: (i) The Symposium Rollerblocks to good things with solid state equipment - sharpen focus, quiet the background; (ii) Be careful with them under tube equipment - to my ears they "sharpen" too much and tend to cause the sound to have an upward tilt (I think tube equipment does better with soft feet); (iii) The bases are good, make some difference - mainly in detail, but I'm not sure they are better than other price equivalent bases made by others; (iv) I haven't perceived any particular synergy between the bases and the rollerblocks; the latter clearly make a more dramatic difference (+ or -) and pretty much do so on anything. I'm also curious about the Aurios(so?) devices, but haven't heard them. I'll be following this thread to see what others have to say.
I see a lot of typos in my previous remarks. Actually, I'm not quite as stupid as my comments may make me appear.
the Aerios (sp?) are supposed to outstanding at $299 per set. They have reviews on stereotimes.com and Sir John at soundstage.com commented on them. The company is in Tempe AZ and will sell them to you and allow you to return any or all of them w/i 30 days.
Honoluluan, for what it is worth, I was so amazed at the similarity of your response to my own experience, that I failed to notice the errors. Have you tried the Iso Bearings? They are soft like Mod Squad and other "soft" feet, but share the bearing principal with the Rollerblock.