I have now had the replacement feet for 10 days and have done some comparative listening tests. First impressions are favourable.
Based on "thump the turntable support whilst wearing headphones with the pickup stationary on a record"
1 Stock feet - horrendous thump heard
2 Kevins sonic domes - reduced thump but still a thump
3 Isonole feet - absolute silence
Based on "thump the deck plate whilst wearing headphones with pick up playing a record". This was not a heavy thump, I would say equivalent to someone knocking against the turntable support whilst playing record.
1 Stock feet - pick up jumps out of groove
2 Sonic Domes - pick up keeps in groove but mistracking
heard
3 Isonole feet - rock steady, no perceptable difference
Listening to music via speakers at normal volumes (85db measured on a cheap hand held sound level meter so accuracy not good)
1 Stock feet - rock solid image, dark background,
instruments portrayed accurately. Human
voice nicely presented.
2 Sonic domes - as above but more of it.
3 Isonole feet - Another veil gone. Everything more
vivid, dynamic. Last trace of
silibance gone from female voice.
Same test via headphones, speakers switched off.
The same findings as above.
Conclusions: I really do not understand this. It must be all to do with vibration and transmission of the vibration. My outfit sits and an Optimum 5 shelf rig coupled to a suspended wooden floor via castors. This is not the most rigid of setups. I therefore expected differences using speakers but via headphones?????
There seems to be something more fundemental going on here! The only explanation I can come up with is that vibration is entering from somewhere else, apart from the speakers, maybe from the amp that sits on the second shelf of the stand, and that the Iosonole feet are filtering the vibes out. The sonic domes are reducing this vibration but the Ionoles are killing the vibes dead.
So are the feet worth it?
If you use your SL1200 at horrendous volumes (DJing?) or in an environment that is less than ideal, most definitely.
If you use the SL1200 for normal domestic listening and have paid attention to obivous sources of vibration probably not, go for the sonic domes.
If you are after the last enth of quality then definitely yes. Another veil been lifted.
One thing is certain, ditch the stock feet.
My equipment is good but not high end. If I can hear the differences then I am sure someone with a well matched superfi system will be over the moon with these feet.
The pecking order for upgrade for the SL1200 has to be:
PS1200 first
Arm damping second
Feet third
Threaded clamp fourth
Strobe disabler fifth.
It would be nice if someone with the time, knowledge and test equipment could run a proper measured comparison against the stock feet and come up with an explanation of what is happening.
Music used for each set of feet was:
Joan Armatrading "Show Some Emotion"
Leo Sayer "Another Year"
Beethoven Piano Sonata "Appasionata"
Oh yes - one last plus point for the Iosonoles, by God they look the business.
Based on "thump the turntable support whilst wearing headphones with the pickup stationary on a record"
1 Stock feet - horrendous thump heard
2 Kevins sonic domes - reduced thump but still a thump
3 Isonole feet - absolute silence
Based on "thump the deck plate whilst wearing headphones with pick up playing a record". This was not a heavy thump, I would say equivalent to someone knocking against the turntable support whilst playing record.
1 Stock feet - pick up jumps out of groove
2 Sonic Domes - pick up keeps in groove but mistracking
heard
3 Isonole feet - rock steady, no perceptable difference
Listening to music via speakers at normal volumes (85db measured on a cheap hand held sound level meter so accuracy not good)
1 Stock feet - rock solid image, dark background,
instruments portrayed accurately. Human
voice nicely presented.
2 Sonic domes - as above but more of it.
3 Isonole feet - Another veil gone. Everything more
vivid, dynamic. Last trace of
silibance gone from female voice.
Same test via headphones, speakers switched off.
The same findings as above.
Conclusions: I really do not understand this. It must be all to do with vibration and transmission of the vibration. My outfit sits and an Optimum 5 shelf rig coupled to a suspended wooden floor via castors. This is not the most rigid of setups. I therefore expected differences using speakers but via headphones?????
There seems to be something more fundemental going on here! The only explanation I can come up with is that vibration is entering from somewhere else, apart from the speakers, maybe from the amp that sits on the second shelf of the stand, and that the Iosonole feet are filtering the vibes out. The sonic domes are reducing this vibration but the Ionoles are killing the vibes dead.
So are the feet worth it?
If you use your SL1200 at horrendous volumes (DJing?) or in an environment that is less than ideal, most definitely.
If you use the SL1200 for normal domestic listening and have paid attention to obivous sources of vibration probably not, go for the sonic domes.
If you are after the last enth of quality then definitely yes. Another veil been lifted.
One thing is certain, ditch the stock feet.
My equipment is good but not high end. If I can hear the differences then I am sure someone with a well matched superfi system will be over the moon with these feet.
The pecking order for upgrade for the SL1200 has to be:
PS1200 first
Arm damping second
Feet third
Threaded clamp fourth
Strobe disabler fifth.
It would be nice if someone with the time, knowledge and test equipment could run a proper measured comparison against the stock feet and come up with an explanation of what is happening.
Music used for each set of feet was:
Joan Armatrading "Show Some Emotion"
Leo Sayer "Another Year"
Beethoven Piano Sonata "Appasionata"
Oh yes - one last plus point for the Iosonoles, by God they look the business.