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SHOOT-OUT: Stillpoints Ultra SS Footers vs. MSA BlackPod Footers

Posted by Winston Smith (A) on November 30, 2014 at 02:38:10

This is a follow-up to a recent preview of a new product from Mad Scientist Audio (MSA) of New Zealand: the MSA “BlackPod” footers (currently introductorily priced at US$99/set of three BlackPods; see at http://www.madscientist-audio.com/blackpod-high-performance-audio-footers/.)

In that preview a few weeks ago, I basically requested fellow AA inmates to fill in the key analysis of whether the MSA BlackPods were in the league with the reigning champs, the Stillpoints footer systems, as I then had no access to these Stillpoints footers and it was obviously the critical analysis to have.

And while I personally found the MSA BlackPods to beat every footer I own (and I own a LOT of footers!), and dutifully reported that finding, I think everyone here knows that most footers are basically tuning devices of one flavor or another, and you simply pick your poison. And there are LOTS of poisons to pick from, footer-wise.

Yet, the Stillpoints footers are understood pretty well universally to be ‘the best’ footers extant, and any footer evaluation that does not compare to the reigning champion is pretty much useless.

I now can report on a direct comparison between the Stillpoints “Ultra SS” footers (around $900/three) against the MSA BlackPods ($99/three.)

Listening via the MSA reference system (previously detailed in prior reviews of MSA BlackDiscus and BlackStick products here on the Tweaks Asylum), I was privileged to hear the vaunted Stillpoints Ultra SS at work. What a superb footer! I was absolutely enthralled by the gobs of detail and high frequency information the Stillpoints passed with no reductiveness or glare. Very impressive, indeed! The MSA footers would really have their work cut out for them.

But when the MSA footers went in, suddenly everything changed. The midrange got more dynamic yet more musical, and the soundstage grew wider, deeper and bigger. There was simply more ‘there’ than with the Stillpoints, at least in the mids.

Not so in the highs, though, where the Stillpoints are simply untouchable. But the MSA Blackpods were no slouches in the higher frequencies, either, just no match for the Stillpoints surreal level of HF resolution. The BlackPods’ highs were smooth as silk and very detailed with excellent extension and air, and with absolutely no aggression or even a hint of glare. Very nice.

So, in the final analysis of the highs and the mids, I heard it as the Stillpoints Ultra SS being supreme when it came to revealing every tiny detail in the upper registers, with just gobs and gobs of airy openness. But in the midrange, the MSA BlackPods beat the Stillpoints handily, making a much more musical, involving and dynamic presentation, with absolutely no glare or harshness added.

The midrange response was simply glorious with MSA footers installed, whereas the Stillpoints seemed, well, somewhat anemic and threadbare in the mids by comparison. The MSA BlackPods really put the proverbial “meat-on-the-bones” just like another set of products of great mystique, the NBS top-of-the-line interconnect and power cord offerings I heard many years ago (VERY pricey, though!) The NBS line-up also really fleshed out the sound and made the presentation so much more meaty and involving than many of their competitors’ products. The MSA BlackPod footers are cut from the same audio cloth: it’s all about the midrange, stupid! (As J. Gordon Holt continuously reminded us.)

But many of you are probably saying right now, “Bullshit, Winston! It’s all about the BASS response, buddy.” And I would certainly agree that bass is the absolute foundation of most music, and if that is wrong in any way, the house of sound built thereon is not going to be anywhere near as involving, nor as rock solid and 3D holographic as a system with killer bass, all other things being equal. That’s just the way it is in audio, at least in my humble experience.

With that back-drop, just how did the Stillpoints Ultra SS fare against the MSA BlackPods in the recreation of bass?

No comparison: The MSA BlackPods wiped the floor with the Stillpoints Ultra SS!

I was gobsmacked! I could not believe it. But there it was. And utterly unmistakable.

The Stillpoints had a somewhat receded, ‘polite’ bass response by comparison, which I was NOT expecting at all. We played the fabulous “Moonlight Serenade” CD featuring the duo of bass great Ray Brown and guitarist Laurindo Almeida to really get a feel for deep, growling, grab-you-by-the-balls-and-shake-’em acoustic bass (it’s a GREAT disc, if you don’t already have it.)

On this killer bass disc, it was absolutely clear that compared to the MSA BlackPods, the Stillpoints’ bass response was simply MIA: “Missing In Action”. It just wasn’t there like the MSA footers. On the CD’s first cut, about 3/4 of the way through, at a certain point Ray Brown really digs deep and the bass strings and instrument’s body wildly resonate and literally shake you viscerally. It’s just awesome! With the Stillpoints Ultra SS footers in there, the bass response was fine and very taut and detailed, but it also seemed (as stated above) receded and polite. The above-described passage did not growl and viscerally shake me, as I was anticipating. It seems the Stillpopints may be a wee bit too reductionist in the lower frequencies.

Not so with the MSA BlackPods. Talk about gut-shaking bass response! YOW! No comparison. That section where Ray Brown ‘digs deep’ was viscerally wrenching, like really great bass should be. That little section from the disc’s first cut actually shakes your insides, as the LF waves pass through your body. And the MSA BlackPods really put out that deep resonance, along with excellent detail, definition and proper pitch.

Simply put, the MSA BlackPods consistently created much more realistic and visceral bass when compared to the Stillpoints. It truly was no comparison.

One other thing I thought I’d mention was PRAT (pace, rhythm and timing.) While the Stillpoints are the undisputed ‘detail’ champions, (and I LOVE great definition and detail, like all audiophiles, I suspect), to me it is musicality, musical flow and toe-tapping qualities that are essential for truly satisfying musical reproduction. If it don’t ‘flow’, it’s a ‘no go’, if you know what I mean.

Like so many of us, I want a deeply involving presentation, one that draws me in and won’t let me go. It must be musically and emotionally satisfying. Speed and details are wonderful, but they are only a small part of a huge sonic picture that every piece of gear needs to (hopefully) get right to create the illusion of live music.

While the Stillpoints Ultra SS footers are very good when considered alone in these regards, the MSA Blackpods are much more involving and musically satisfying, by comparison.

Perhaps the best way to describe the difference between these two great footers is as follows: the Stillpoints Ultra SS grabs your brain (details) while the MSA BlackPods grab your heart (musicality) and your feet (toe-tapping PRAT.)

To sum up, the MSA BlackPods not only held their ground against the vaunted Stillpoints Ultra SS, but actually bested them in midrange and bass response. And while the Stillpoints remain the undisputed champs at squeezing out every last detail in the upper registers, over-all the MSA BlackPods simply sounded more musically pleasing, more involving and more fundamentally correct than the Stillpoints Ultra SS footers.

Just how much was I impressed with MSA BlackPods performance versus the Stillpoints Ultra SS? Impressed enough to immediately pick up two more sets of the BlackPods, bringing my BlackPod footer assortment to five sets.

Of course, YMMV. But to my ears and my wallet, the new MSA BlackPods continue the MSA tradition of offering products with great value and performance for a great price. They are ultra easy to use, require no break-in, and come with a full 30-day money back guarantee to eliminate risk.

And for anyone who tries the BlackPods, please write in and share your findings, positive or negative. All that matters is that we share our experiences, so others can decide if the price of admission is worth the show on offer.

Wishing everyone happy and warm holidays, and a wonderful New Year!

Cheers,

WS

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