Magnetic levitation feet

Functionally the same as a progressive spring. Within the tiny range of motion playing music it is probably pretty linear and with freedom of motion in all planes should be about as good as any other spring. The drawback with all springs is they are resonant, and these will be too. So they will probably need to be tuned with weight just like springs. Bottom line you would have to compare but I would suspect they are maybe a little better than Nobsound springs for only about seven times the cost.

Interesting design.

There’s already many similar products out there.

Here’s one from Triton Audio.

https://www.gear4music.com/Recording-and-Computers/TritonAudio-Neolev-Levitation-Damper-Pack-Of-4/3R... e

Apart from perhaps a minor concern of placing a magnetic field near a cartridge these devices are an intriguing alternative to springs and rubber.

Perhaps these devices don’t get the attention they should. Reviews have been few and far between but here’s one from 2009.

Russell Lichter’s Stereotimes review for
Spikesound Will Isolation Feet asks a few interesting questions which seem to have remained unanswered to this day.


"Now, I understand something of the physics of resonance, how frequencies above a resonant point meet an increasing resistance to and dissipation of vibrational energy.

For example, by installing a small bicycle inner-tube under my CD transport, which weighs 45 pounds, I created a resonant system somewhere around 3Hz, effectively isolating the transport from foot falls, earth tremors, sonic booms and the like.

It solved the occasional problem of CD skipping on playback when a non-ballerina walked through the living room.

But like any simple, under-damped resonant system, it retained kinetic energy. Not ideal.

What happens to the vibration that lies above resonance and therefore does not propagate unimpeded through a resonant system?

Some of it probably bounces back as standing waves and dissipates elsewhere. Most of it converts to heat locally.

In the case of a installation-base/compliant-element/supported-weight system, mechanical friction (typically internal friction) converts motion to heat on a molecular level.

For a relatively undamped, simple system with a single restoring force, the rate of roll-off above resonance is 6db per octave.

This means that if the resonant frequency of a system is 10Hz, a 20Hz vibration will be rolled-off (diminished) by 50%, 40Hz by 75% and so on.

ButSpike Sound Will feet do not have a mechanism for molecular friction; what flexes under external excitement is not a bicycle tube or a spring or a hemisphere of sobothane, but two repelling magnetic fields.

So what happens to vibrations that reach the base that supports the feet?"


http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/spike-sound-will-isolation-feet

What worries me about the Michell is that center post. It appears to fit fairly snugly, but it's hard to tell.

I can see it being extremely effective in the vertical plane. It leaves me wondering how well it does with horizontal or torsional forces. 

Like others, I don't see a way to tune it other than adding mass to the plinth.  And it likely works best when each foot sees the same mass, meaning that one would need to balance the mass of the plinth very carefully. 

Another set from Yamamoto with review here