Black Diamond Cones ADVICE

Most reviews I have seen have been very good concerning the BDR especially Stereophile.It sounds like the general opinion here is BDR is inferior to many other products.If so,what was the big hype about when the were new?Did I make ANOTHER mistake by ordering these? I e-mailed JEFF @ SOUND VALUES and he said no return on discounted items.

To David99,I didnt say they won`t work, just they don`t work as well as the Valid Points,you will hear the difference with the BDR OVER YOUR STOCK FEET, but the Valid Points are much better, also you could try the BDR under your turntable . Some people like these very much,so if you don`t like them you could always sell them. do talk to Tom he`s a great guy. hey if you want you can e-mail me at home without having to come here. gregorygresham@webtv.net Greg

I don't think you made a mistake David99. There is nothing that is perfect in the vibration control arena. And no single product does it all. Location, under-floor support, rack material/structural integrity/damping, shelf material/thickness, etc. The cacophony of all these things that vibrate affects the sound you get, not just the cone under your equipment. Judiciously used the BDR cones can be very beneficial. IMHO, the common mistake is made when you find something beneficial like BDR cones under your transport, and then assume if you put them under everything, get BDR shelves for everything etc, that things will just continue to improve in proportion to how much BDR is in the system. When this results in a system that resonates to the sound of BDR, the mistake is compounded by removing every vestige of BDR altogether, and leaping on the next band-wagon. So hang on to the BDR cones. Use them judiciously and they can play a very valuable part in a resonance control strategy. Too much of the BDR can play havoc with tonality, but from my experience, too much of the Walker Valid Points causes problems too - mainly in the pace and rhythm department.

David99, I agree with most of what Redkiwi said about the BDR`s,I dont about the Valid Points, I didn`t feel they slowed the pace or rhythm down at all , I felt that it increased a little each time I installed them under the transport, then the pre-amp, then finally the amp, the last place I tried them was the dac,it didn`t seem to do anything better, but it didn`t make it worse,or lose any pace or rhythm. I do agree that not all of these things work on all equipment,but the Valid Point do work wonders on the ROGUE AUDIO gear. There chassie doesn`t seem as strong as some of the others, the ROGUE 66 is light as a feather,so the HEAVY MASS LOADING of the VALID POINTS ON this gear seem to work well, being a drummer, I`am well aware of ANY PACE AND RHYTHM PROBLEM IN AUDO GEAR, SOME OF THAT STUFF IS REAL BAD. Try one at a time,then listen to it, do all over til you get what you need from you set up, I`am not saying REDKIWI IS TOTAL WRONG, BUT WITH THE ROGUE HE IS. Greg

No experience with the Rogue, so my comments are probably not needed. I still think (like Redkiwi) that there are too many things going on in a system to depend on one type of foot. I use the following: Simply Physics, Mod Squad Soft Shoes, Stainless Steel spikes (custom), Walker Valid Points with cups, Sound Anchors Stands (with more Simply Physics), and Iso Bearings. Why so many? Because each piece of equipment reacts differently to feet, depending on all the conditions listed in comments above by everyone! All these comments are true, provided the listener is in the environment that the tests were done in. I really believe that most of us are after similar results. The reason we disagree is due largely to differences in results in various systems. It REALLY VARIES THAT MUCH. So, to beat this dead horse some more, you are going to have to try some of these combinations and find what works in your room and with your system. I am willing to speak with you on the phone and tell you what I think will work, provided you can describe what you do and don't like about the way it is now. All the isolation devices we are speaking about have personalities, and some more than others. All are the "perfect" solution, depending on the situation.