Shelf Material - Neuance


I started a thread a month or so ago trying to find opinions on the best shelf material. I got some good new ideas, and tried them all out - except one, Maple Butchers Block. McMaster did not reply to my emails concerning Maple Butchers Block - not unusual, I have found many US companies turn a deaf ear to anyone from another country. I did try some local butchers block - stips of heart timber glued together, and the spectral balance was very good, but pace was poor. If Maple is better then it must be much lighter than what I was using (Weight = energy storage = poor pace). The best I tried was a very classy looking Neuance shelf, which you can find out about at www.neuanceaudio.com. I think subaruguru was also trying one and so it will be interesting to see what he thinks. It has a sound, but one that is difficult to pin down. It did not work well on my transport, flattening mid-range images for some reason, but worked well on everything else. I will order some more and therefore be able to get a better measure of its performance, and will try again with the transport (I have since learnt that I should not have used up-turned spikes). The Neuance is fast, it almost spotlights mid-range detail (you hear everything a vocalist is doing), it is very extended top and bottom. It might have a tad too much warmth in the lower mids and upper bass, but I am not sure yet. I love the way pianos sound with it - very much like the real thing (my daughter plays piano and so I hear it every day) - no exagerated presence, but all the natural harmonics of a real piano. I find it works best resting on small 1mm thick hard rubber pads, on a sand filled steel rack, with Vibrapods between shelf and component. I did not particularly like up-pointed spikes underneath it when I tried it but will experiment some more when I have some more Neuance shelves - it is hard to get the full measure of this shelf when I have only one. But I suspect this really is very close to an ideal shelf - very light, very rigid, no noticeable resonances - as I am using it at present. If, like me, you have been looking for a top quality shelf, then the Neuance is well worth a try. My only relationship to Neuance is that the man behind it offered me this ex-demo one for the cost of freight in response to my original post. When I order the next three shelves from him I will be offering to pay more generously for the first one.
redkiwi
Glad to hear that Ernie. You were probably experiencing a peakiness in your previous set-up that gave a persistent coloration, that persistence leading to fatigue. How are you using the Neuance?
The Nueance website gives very little info about what shelf is made of, but it sounds and looks like a similar design to "shelf" model made by Symposium in New jersey. Laminated aluminum surface, foam core, rigid constrained layers to absorb and trap vibration. These are readily available from places like Cable Co, in various sizes. Also have the more advanced "platform" and "super platform" Has anyone using Nueance tried the Syposium products? This is the same Syposium that makes rollerblocks.
Sam: What is the price range for Symposium? Neuance is around $150.00 per shelf.
Dave here is Symposium site with lots of info, www.symposiumusa.com/index.html The "shelf" has been
replaced I see now by "svelte platform" it has been over a year since I last purchased but price was similar to Nueance. Check out the "super platform" for ultra high end gear, considered SOA in shelf/platforms. I purchased mine from Cable Co, they had it shipped direct from Symposium and it arrive in a few days.
Thanks Sam: I need to hone my search skills. Looks like US customers can deal direct, which is always nice.