Do equipment stands have an impact on electronics?

geoffkait

Manufacturers actually shouldn't be the ones making measurements for vibration control/vibration isolation, it should be some third party independent agency.

Why? Aren't you making measurements as part of your design and manufacturing efforts? If so, why not share the results? If not, are you simply relying on trial and error?

Furthermore, even under ideal conditions, and with competent testers, because of the obvious variations and vagaries in vibration environments from town to town and city to city and system to system, the results of such tests would not necessarily be that helpful.

Yes, perhaps. But without initial measurements to use as a benchmark, we'll never know if there's any truth to your speculation.

Erik -- from your lack of critique of my third link (the discussion of jitter) do you thereby accept that this is a meaningful, and meaningfully measured, effect?

Agear -- If so perhaps this is enough to put your original question to rest, to whit

The question is does it  [i.e. vibration effects] have merit when it comes to electronics and if so why?  Are there plausible explanations for their effect on electronics or suggested measurement paradigms to document such an effect?

i.e. we have a demonstration that vibration matters in regard to electronics, and that this effect can be measured (at least for disc players)

Maybe then we can all go back to sleep 

ps I would be listening to my hi-fi but unfortunately I accidentally pulled the power on it and it takes 48-72 hours to settle after that which stinks, maybe we can have a new thread on why it takes a system such a long time to settle electrically 😉

Hi @folkfreak

Anything mechanical and spinning has known susceptibility to vibration noise, including CD’s, DVD’s and of course phonograph players. I wouldn’t be surprised if CD players were susceptible to jitter or even flat-out read errors with enough vibration. Very few CD players have buffered, asynchronous outputs. The Sonic Frontiers, and Parasound players were some of the very few. As you probably know, some other boutique players use large memory buffers to play from.

However, with good clocks and buffers, this effect should be completely eliminated. So, I am completely skeptical of hard disk / USB 2.0 players having any such issues at all.

I’m also leaving the door open to electronics or even cables having vibrational susceptibility, but again, it’s so freaking easy to begin to measure this, and I’ve seen zero. Invariably some one points out to vibration isolation for laser measurements of gravity waves, or earthquake damping .... yes, they have problems... and you know what? They are freaking measurable!! That’s how they arrive at the optimal solution. If vibration control is a real issue then magazines should be testing preamps and platforms for it. Nada.


Best,


Erik

It is quite possible we are approaching the real problem the wrong way. What if the real issues are not that electronic signals are being contaminated by vibrations, but that we are hearing our equipment stands resonate?  Same for cables. I could see them vibrating on the floor.  Maybe we need quilts instead? :)

But lack of measurements leave this up in the snake oil and trial and error. We might as well be trepinating each other in the hopes of reducing headaches.

cleeds

geoffkait: Manufacturers actually shouldn’t be the ones making measurements for vibration control/vibration isolation, it should be some third party independent agency.

to which cleeds replied,

"Why? Aren’t you making measurements as part of your design and manufacturing efforts? If so, why not share the results? If not, are you simply relying on trial and error?"

The Government employs independent contractors to test manufacturers’ products, e.g., weapons, software, radios, etc. it wouldn’t make any sense for the manufacturer to be the one providing test results. It’s competitive so the manufacturer cannot be trusted to be honest, one assumes. I use mathematics and testing in development, usually but not always, some things are not amenable to measurements, if you know what I mean, you know, what with Mr. Clock and the Teleportation thingie.

Geoffkait:Furthermore, even under ideal conditions, and with competent testers, because of the obvious variations and vagaries in vibration environments from town to town and city to city and system to system, the results of such tests would not necessarily be that helpful.

cleeds paused for a moment then pulled the trigger,

"Yes, perhaps. But without initial measurements to use as a benchmark, we’ll never know if there’s any truth to your speculation."

Sorry but there's no such thing as a benchmark for these devices as I just explained. Truth? Speculation? You’re kidding, right? What are you, god’s gift to skeptics?