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Amp stands- Do they work?

I recently purchased a Pass Aleph 3 and loved it so much that I "had to buy" a pair of the Aleph 2 monoblocks. I have been A/B-ing them at my home for the last 3 weeks for most of my free time. The 2s have a lot more presence, but lack the for lack of better words "musical reality" the 3 has. Forgive me for the term, but if you've heard the 3, then you probably understand. Anyway, I have asked most of the guys at Pass Labs and they essentially tell me I am hearing things- that the 2s "have all the sonic characteristics of the 3, just more of it" I have eliminated all other variables except that the 3 is on the bottom of my rack (Salamander Archetype), and the 2's are on the carpet in front of my system. I am interested in anyone's input as to the impact a reasonable stand might have on the sonics of my amps. I currently am acting on this hypothesis and have put the 3 on the floor next to the 2's. If it is of any help the components are in order- my source is a Muse Model 5 transport, Illuminati D-60 digital, EAD 7000 MkIII D/A, Kimber KCAG, Muse Model 3 preamp, WBT 5151 -great cable!!!!!, Pass Amps, Nordost Red Dawn speaker cable, B&W 804s. Counterpoint PAC-5 conditioner, API Power Wedge 4A conditioner. Marigo RMX ref power cables. Amps are using stock power cables- Nelson Pass's recommendation. Thanks for listening and I look forward to any input.
tsquared
gerrym5's avatar
gerrym5
286 posts
 
Do they work? Probably not as well as advertised. From an engineering concept and point of view a benefit can be had buy carefully controlling vibrations and draining them properly. First approximations by good intuition could yield good results. I think that my Sound Anchor stands under my Audio Note Ankuro's are better than the tip toes I they replaced. The thick Berber carpeting was better penetrated with the longer spikes supplied on the stands and made they made better coupling to the concrete slab floor. The stands cost were a huge $ investment over the tip toes way beyond any true cost benefit, but I am very happy. I did it when it was a detail I could afford. I never invested in partial answers between the tip toes and the Sound Anchors because I had an idea where I wanted to get to in the end. More cost effective elements can be found in stone yards, scrap yards, junk stores. The benefits of better air flow of raising the amps nine inches above the floor is clearly a tube life win. It also looks cooler. Go with your intuition, I do and it will be generally correct to a point. Good luck.
nanderson
291 posts
 
A common reality check on most audiophiles is that their habit has made retirement a more distant reality. Often I find tax time a prime time to benefit from this phenomenon. The tweaks are like a drug addiction a habit out of control. Lets get real, explain using physics how a solid state amp is going to sound different on a stand or floor, that is, enough to pass a double blind test. No offense to those who use syrupy terms like sound stage, lushness etc. I was once caught in that cat racing after its tail. Do your self and wallet a favor, invite a impartial neighbor or friend over to double blind test you. I bet that you will end up saving tons of cash by not buying things common sense would tell you not to. Good luck, life is a big picture, don't burn all your beans in one pot.
nanderson
291 posts
 
A common reality check on most audiophiles is that their habit has made retirement a more distant reality. Often I find tax time a prime time to benefit from this phenomenon. The tweaks are like a drug addiction a habit out of control. Lets get real, explain using physics how a solid state amp is going to sound different on a stand or floor, that is, enough to pass a double blind test. No offense to those who use syrupy terms like sound stage, lushness etc. I was once caught in that cat racing after its tail. Do your self and wallet a favor, invite a impartial neighbor or friend over to double blind test you. I bet that you will end up saving tons of cash by not buying things common sense would tell you not to. Good luck, life is a big picture, don't burn all your beans in one pot.
mikeam
122 posts
 
While I do believe that amp stands offer some improvements, I do not buy some of the hype I hear posted all over the web. I cconsidered buying a pair of the Aleph 2 units, but I agree with you that the Aleph 3 sounds better. The 2 sounded a little cool (lean if you will) even after warming up for over 2 hours. This was store demo on loan to me so it was fully broken in. The Plinius and even the monarchy SE100 Delux sounded much better than the Aleph 2. It should be noted that the Aleph 2 did seem to have more dynamic range than the Monarchy. Trust your own ears, prestige and cost don't always mean better audio. Mike
ejlif's avatar
ejlif
1,375 posts
 
I recently did just what you did and upgraded from the 3 to the 2s. I had my 3 on a sandbox and added a second when I switched to the monoblocks. I personally found that the 2s sounded better that the 3. The extreme highs maybe sounded a little better with the 3, but the imprvement in bass slam and dynamics was clearly better with the 2s, plus if you can you will be able to run them balanced which you can't do with the 3. I have a friend who is heavily into this hobby and he recently quantified all of his tweaks (cords cones stands racks cd player upgrade you name it) and he came away whith the conclution that the vibraplane makes the most significant diffrence of all. I had a similar experience with a custom made stand for a mixing console in a recording studio. So yes amp stands do work. Don't listen to the guy who says you should have your neighbor come over and decide for you, thats the stupidest suggestion I've yet to hear
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