Coffman Labs Review

Posted by Winston Smith (A) on January 14, 2017 at 21:30:07

Many people into high-end headphones and tubed electronics may have heard of Damon Coffman and "Coffman Labs", an award-winning designer of tube gear, and retail seller of superbly matched NOS tubes.

I was introduced to Damon via Dan Wright of ModWright Instruments, and as a result, I have purchased a number of matched NOS tube pairs for my audio system from Damon. I know from personal experience that Damon really stands behind his products and provides excellent service.

Thus, when Damon offered me the opportunity to review a new product of his, I was happy to do so. The product is Coffman Labs adjustable "Footers" @ $100/set of three or $125/set of four. (And yes, "Footers' is the product name.)

I decided to post here in the AA "Amp/Preamp" section because first, Coffman Labs is really all about designing very high-end tube-based amplification electronics, and the footers were made to complement their design philosophy.

Secondly, the Coffman Labs adjustable 'Footers' made such a huge impact on the sound of my electronics that a wider audience of potentially interested readers was warranted (as the AA backwater area known as "Tweaks" garners little traffic, and most folks there are --wisely-- looking to do DIY stuff on the cheap, which I think is totally cool, btw.)

With these footers' uncanny ability to shape and contour the sound of the equipment they are mounted on, they become an extension of the gear they are mated with, and an indispensable element in the making of the ultimate sound the gear produces.

Of course, all footers to one degree or another, do exactly this, so no surprises there. What makes these Coffman Labs footers somewhat unique is how, by simply twisting the top and bottom of the footers to-and-fro, you can adjust the sonic effect to suit your tastes and the type of electronics employed.

You can go to the Coffman Labs website for further general investigation by linking here: http://coffmanlabs.com/ or by directly e-mailing Damon here: damon@coffmanlabs.com or info@coffmanlabs.com

As I have already taken far too much time for busy readers, let me streamline the review process.

By tightening the footers via a simple righty-tighty twisting movement, the footers allow for a more focused, immediate and dynamic presentation, bringing out the speed and details from a recording, which I found to work well under tube gear, especially gear that may be considered soft and defocused slightly. An old, venerable MFA Magus preamp tightened up very nicely with the footers at full compression. By relieving the tightness, you can move the sound towards a more relaxed and warm tonal balance and presentation. (FYI- The CL 'Footers' replaced the Magus' set of Mapleshade brass 'Triplepoint Heavyfeet', a very fine footer itself.)

With the Coffman Labs 'Footers' at fully open (lefty-loosey turns), you end up with a footer that should work very well under most solid state gear, where a little softening of the presentation can provide a more realistic fullness and warmth that can sometimes be a touch AWOL in many (but certainly not all) SS pieces. This was apparent under a pair of Bel Canto REF500M amplifiers, which sweetened up nicely, filled out, warmed up and simply sounded lovely with the CL 'Footers' in place. (The CL 'Footers' replaced the Bel Canto's set of stock, large EAR C-1002 feet.)

Under my ModWright Sony DVP NS9100ES CD/SACD/DVD player, the Coffman Labs 'Footers' were really adept at clearing things up and providing a clean yet very musical presentation, above the already fine performance of that player. (The CL 'Footers' replaced a set of Mad Scientist Audio basic feet, yet another fine footer.)

In short, with a million footers out there to choose from, new footer products must find an innovative approach to really help listeners to enhance their musical involvement. The infinite adjustability of the Coffman 'Footers' provides an opportunity for those willing to take just a small amount of time and money invested into their system, to reap substantial sonic benefits, and all with the no-lose guarantee that if unsatisfied, you can simply return them w/n 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked.

Highly recommended! :-)

Disclaimer: I am not friends with anyone at, nor do I know or do business with anybody at Coffman Labs, other than as a normal retail purchaser, referred by Dan Wright, as mentioned above.

Cheers,

WS

Post Script-

For those who do not believe footers make any difference on gear's sonic performance, please ignore this post, as any flamers claiming such merely publicly display their own ignorance, prejudices, and will be dutifully ignored by me. Life is too short to waste on nay-sayers and those who condemn without experience.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Topic - Coffman Labs Review - Winston Smith 21:30:07 01/14/17 (0)

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