Mapleshade Isolation: Does Nothing?

Recently installed Mapleshade Bedrock speaker stands under a pair of Totem monitors in the 'man cave'.  FWIW, this 'system' is not for music, but for TV only, using the TV as the audio source run through an NAD 3020 digital integrated amplifier.  While watching movies there's been an immediate improvement in the bass response - deeper, tighter, more impactful.  The soundstage, if you want to call it that, is lifelike and bigger than before.  I like monitors, and have owned several nice pair, I am just not a big fan of speaker stands.  Once you put monitors on stands the footprint is every bit as big as modest sized floorstanders.  Why not have the bass response too and just buy the floorstander?  OK, they are more expensive, I get that, but monitors on stands are at extreme risk  environments that include kids, grandkids, drunken buddies, dancers, and animals.  I've heard the argument that monitors image better than floorstanders, which may be true.  That said, good floorstanders also image well. The Mapleshade Bedrocks sit just inches above the floor which makes the room look 'cleaner', less crowded, and they sound every bit as good or better than expensive stands which stand 25" up the wall.  I'm buying a second set of Bedrock speaker stands for the community 'TV room':  no compromise  in sound quality (I'd argue a sonic improvement), and a much nicer look in the rooms' interiors.  Both TV's are set up using two channel configuration only, the NAD integrated in room 1 and Parasound separates in room 2.  

I had the MAPLESHADE SAMSON audio rack, with their HEAVYFOOT brass footers , along with their FINISHED air-dried MAPLE BLOCK 4" ISOLATION PLATFORM WITH ISOBLOCK SUSPENSION accessories.

In brief:

Butt ugly set-up so WAF was never blessed ... Putting that aside for the moment....

The Mapleshade system was a replacement upgrade to a prior DIY cheap maple butcher block rack / platform.

The Butcher block DIY rig was an abject failure ...a complete placebo and useless step and a total waste of time and money in my experiences. It was mercifully junked because the it was no better than any simple basic cheap audio rack.

The MAPLESHADE arrangement above was isolating the components and especially the source (hi-end $14,000 CDP/DAC ); and a matched $14,000 integrated ss amp.

-- the 4" thick maple block was its own thick isolation platform sitting first on Isoblocks coupled first to the top shelf of the SAMSON rack.
-- Then the brass Heavywight footers were placed between the 4" maple block platform and the CDP/DAC.
-- Now the source was further isolated by sitting first on the Heavyfeet brass footers coupled first to the Platform block, and the latter sitting further on Isoblocks coupled to the top shelf of the SAMSON rack.

This was a plesant audio performance improvement immediately (and curiously) over the prior DIY kiln-dried butcher-block rig. No doubt out it, but I can’t explain it , but it was still expensive and still a butt ugly tweak/upgrade.

NOW.....

I was introduced by my dealer to chuck the entire MAPLESHADE rig above in favour of his NAIM FRAME bespoke custom clone audio rack system: his professionally made bespoke custom-made clone of the NAIM cup-and-cone conduit rack system including bespoke glass shelves a la NAIM FRAIM.....the latter website:

https://www.naimaudio.com/product/fraim-0

I had just moved up to a brand new audio $40K system costing 5 X what my prior one did. So he offered up a challenge ....that we do an actual A-B shoot-out: a in-house actual demo bake-off: my Existing MAPLESHADE first and then his BESPOKE CUSTOM CLONE .

The BESPOKE CUSTOM CLONE was a very large audio performance immediate step up in everything: including inter alia: overall clarity (like a thin veil was suddenly lifted): an expanded wider and deeper soundstage, distinct deeper bass response and impressive bass slam ... go figger.

In short, it simply smoked the MAPLESHADE rack and all its accessories with isolation approach by MY new vibration conduit system....full stop.

YOUR TAKEAWAY: Any audio rack choice and resulting synergy (or lack thereof) is system dependent

(1) My noble first attempt with a DIY Butcher block cheap short-cut to a cheap DIY isolation rack swap-in was a waste of time and money on an illusory tweak that offered nothing but an expensive drain on my wallet.

(2) The MAPLESHADE custom isolation approach above was an improvement over (1); but it still MAY NOT be the cat’s ass in all circumstances = system dependent ....full stop.

(3) The BESPOKE CUSTOM CLONE cup and cone conduit system was a very large audio improvement over (2) in my new system by a large measure ...full stop.


YOUR TAKEAWAY:

(a) The comparatively light weight BESPOKE CUSTOM CLONE system (Euro approach) that conduits vibration away instead of a bulky and heavy US model isolation approach reigns supreme in my "A" system.

(b) I sold the bulky MAPLESHADE SAMSON audio rack with my wife’s sigh of relief. It was an improvement over my DIY butcher block cheap knock-off approach for sure,,,,but ... was still a distant pretender to the BESPOKE CUSTOM CLONE contender/winner.

(c) I still use the Mapleshade 4" maple block platform, and their Heavyfeet brass footers and also their isoblocks for my ’B" system. Its an audio improvement over sitting on a bare shelf, but .......

FWIW ....

I have used their Brass footers, and have had some good success with them.

Thanks! for sharing- All.

A single piece of wood is not as stable as several pieces glued together, assuming they are cut and dried and assembled properly.