Isolation vs. Absorbtion

Redkiwi, I ordered the Neuance and it will be up to 4 weeks befor it's here. I was wondering if you ever tried "the shelf" from Black Diamond Racing. I have one under my amp and love it, but under my SACD or pre-amp it really wasn't successful. I'm planning on the Neuance with the SACD, and just wondering if you had experience with "the shelf"

I was only able to try a BDR "shelf" overnight and would hate to pass judgement on such a short acquaintance. Clearly you not only like it but have far more experience with it. For the little that it is worth, I found it to slow things a little and to have the effect of lightening the sound. I am struggling to describe what I only vaguely remember hearing, but there was something going on that tilted the sound upwards, that did not so much result in brightness, but removed (what I feel was) natural body and weight from the middle of the mid-range down. I also felt it was unnaturally smooth in the treble. I only really tried it with my transport and with BDR cones too (which I now think was not a good idea), with a very brief flirtation with my DAC late at night. I would have liked a lot more time with it but felt that the approach was not quite what I was looking for. I would guess you will find the Neuance faster, more neutral and more naturally detailed, with a more ruthlessly revealing and less smooth upper mids and treble. But please, take this with a few pinches of salt. I will be very interested to hear your thoughts on the Neuance, and will let you know within the next few weeks how to get the best from it (in the context of my system, that is).

Thanks Redkiwi, I know you have put a lot of work in this and I am sure everyone appreciates your efforts. I know I do. Hi Dekay, at least you have a valid excuse. I do stuff like that all the time. You are an hour south of me and I do look foward getting togeather with you. I have a few toys we can play with. Should be fun.

Thank-you Redkiwi, as always a thoughtful responce. I'm excited to try out the Neuance, and I'll keep you informed.

Try the cones under a speaker, Dekay? Heck, why not. When my new order comes in from Mapleshade, I'll try it. I was really only looking for a cone that would sound a little faster in my turntable setup (and will try the Ultimate triplepoints there), but my CDP asked for a tryout, too, so why stop there? I put three cones under my cereal bowl this morning, and damned if the oats didn’t taste a little more like oats, and the corn a little more like corn. Seemed to stay crunchier, too. ...... Mapleshade is aware that every once in a while their cones have the tiny nib on top that wasn’t completely machined off. From my experience, you’d hear it if you had it. ...... My mind is on feet these days, so Brulee and anyone else, any further notes on feet comparisons are welcome.