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63.162.18.146
15" x 14" x 1 1/2 " maple board from Michigan Maple. From Dawn at Audiogon. I put thin stick-on felt pads on the bottom and my CD player on top. Never would have believed the improvement in sound this inexpensive tweak creates. Why is that? Better isolation? Dawn makes no audiophile claims. She just sells them at a great price compared to other maple board outlets.
Follow Ups:
Slab of maple under both the CD deck and table.
Mapleshade modded,slabbed and brass footers.
Some of the Mapleshade theory is questionable, but the slab and footer thing work according to my ears AND the S.O.
Thanks! for sharing- Mali.
Mali,Dawn has a permanent presence on eBay where she displays her full range as a national distributor for Michigan Maple Block Co. which has been in the same company ownership since 1898. Joe Barbercheck, their Vice President, Sales, said that the blocks sent out from the factory are perfect, not seconds, as the competitive price might suggest.
I bought three 24" x 18" x 3" maple blocks from her last year for $93.99 each and they were all delivered in excellent condition within 8 days. I found doubling the thickness to 3" under each speaker made a substantial improvement to the audible detail. Less sure that doubling thickness under a component is of comparable value. (Notice that the price for that particular block has since risen to $106.92 but it's still very reasonable.)
http://stores.ebay.com/Dawns-Depot/Cutting-Boards-Chopping-Blocks-/_i.html?_fsub=7117695&_sid=1502860&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322
DG
Edits: 04/23/15 04/23/15
To upgrade my SolidSteel rack, I replaced the stock MDF shelves with Michigan Maple Block. I bought 4 of the 24 x 18 x 1.75" th. Michigan Maple Blocks from Overstock about 3 years ago and they were shipped from the factory; all appeared perfect. They had the type of coating on them to assure the NSF certification, so I had to sand them, after cutting the lengths of 3, and resealed and finished (2+ coats) all board surfaces with a low gloss urethane. I have noted some minor movement (up and down only - no gaps or splitting) of the wood pieces on all 4 shelves, but they were never meant to sustain the weight of equipment and support of an audio rack.I assume your items came with a non-urethane finish and that you left them that way, am I correct? [My reason for asking is because she offers the MMB products with a urethane finish only on her A'Gon ads.] If so, I may simply try that next time I buy more; it was a hassle and a lot of time taken with the refinishing (a major project in the household here). You do want to keep the surfaces from drying out however.
I use a heavy duty oak and Michigan Maple Block wood cart I made for my kitchen back in the late 70's/early 80's as a headphone system rack now; the top is the main piece of MMB, but is still in solid condition even thought it has seen more water on it than needed in the past.
Edits: 04/24/15
Robss,
All I knew was that maple color was vulnerable to light and made the ignorant decision to sand off the protective finish supplied (not urethane) and apply urethane with a high-gloss for aesthetics. Today I remedied that mistake by placing a layer of cork on top to kill the reflection. Using chemicals for urethane-removal is problematic as the adhesive holding the block together can then possibly fail.
Next time would apply a wood polish and conditioner (caution: combustible) to feed the wood every four months (caution: difficult to remember) after finding somewhere to cut off the hand-grips as the power saws of local hardware stores here cannot cut thicknesses of three inches. Incidentally be aware that three-inch blocks are heavy...
DG
I bought about 10 maple platforms from Dawn in 2013 and 2014 and eventually placed one under every component and external power supply. The improvement in sound when some of them went in was truly rewarding, considering her low prices on them. Almost half of the platforms I bought from her were custom-sized - round ones under the Thor and its round PS, narrower than standard clearance on the steel-bar shelves of my old TNT stand. She's a nice person and will do almost anything to make customers happy. Custom sizes were priced based on their sizes without any premium for the fact that they were special. Shipping was free and fast, and every single platform arrived in perfect condition. She even discounted them when I ordered more than one at a time. I could have had them with either finish or even raw for my own finishing.
FWIW, I am currently undergoing a whole-house remodeling project that will let me put my system up on a much better wall and have just taken everything down for temporary storage until the carpeting is in and I get the last bits of a new Steve Blinn rack. This let me check the condition of all the platforms, some of them three years in service. None of the platforms shows any sign of degeneration - no warping or separation at the glued joints. The only maintenance I've done on any of them besides occasional dusting is the application of the sticky junk she also sells in a bottle for about $15 just before putting them in service.
Everything is going to the dogs
Image: Acacia tonewood plinth (3/4 inch edge grain board).
My POV concerning vibration control is *control* of vibrations (think resonance), not a full elimination thereof (life totally sucked out). I find tonewoods such as maple, with acacia wood and laminated bamboo (while actually a grass, not a wood) being my favorites tend to improve multiple listening cues while still maintaining a pleasant tonal quality; presenting a discernible musical sonic signature rather than sounding non-lively (deadened). Audiophile components are musical instruments, not laboratory test equipment ;-)
Vibration control footers and/or cones when placed above and below the platform/plinth can do wonders to further improve the performance of a vibration controlled component.
my 2 pennies
I think you should remove vibrations for better sound quality.
Welcome! Sawyer-
all interesting points of view guys.
If you could remove all vibration from them, the reproduction would most likely more closely approximate the original waveform. I suppose there could be a rare circumstance where a deficiency is somewhat righted by an added resonance, but I'd bet its incidence is extremely infrequent.
Think of it this way: isn't the chassis of your components adding its own inherent sound to your component? It makes a difference if its metal or wood, aluminum or steel. Doesn't the chassis have its own inherent resonance?
Reread the laws of thermo dynamics:energy can not be created nor destroyed. All you can do is to transform it. It is impossible to remove all vestiges of any energy generated. You can transform it to something more benign, or you can use it to reinforce something you like. AEither waz you are not eliminating it, simply changing it.
Stu
Hi all ! Mechanical resonance is the main reason two amps sound different although they can measure the same . All components have their own resonances , matching them with tuning devices and cables is how we obtain that flat system response . "Synergy " is a term I hate because it is used to imply there is some magical interaction between two or more components that make them sound "better" . Careful matching your amp to your speakers' needs is the only "synergy " I know of .
Why does a 100,000 dollar plus Steinway or Bosendorfer concert grand use a Spruce soundboard, when they could use aluminum or carbon fiber? After all, the strings are steel and they can charge pretty much whatever they want. Come to think of it even the new Faziolis use spruce, supposedly from their special old growth forest that they own, and their founder is a mechanical engineer dedicated to reforming the sound of the piano.
Ever try dampening the solid state devices in your typical audio gear (transistors)? The sonic differences are rather profound. The truth is every individual component has its own particular resonance which is imparted to the overall sound. Replacing shelving is only one means of controlling or tuning that resonance. If only it were true that only amps and speaker make the only audible difference. The truth is far from it, and if you firmly believe that you will be in for quite a surprise later.
Just consider that musical instrument makers have been experimenting with materials literally for centuries. Modern makers like Yamaha have come with carbon fiber violins as well as ceramic ones. Funny how the traditional wooden ones still dominate, particularly at the professional level. Haven't seen an electric keyboard replace a concert grand yet either. Modern electronics and audio engineers have a lot to learn from musical instrument makers
Stu
nt
..I won't argue my experience of beneficial resonance anymore than any tube guy should argue the beneficial presentation of odd harmonics by tubes...
Cheers, Duster
;-D
believe it is the even harmonics not the odd numbered ones.
Stu
-snip-
Some aficionados who prefer Class A amplifiers also prefer the use of thermionic valve (or "tube") designs instead of transistors, especially in Single-ended triode output configurations for several claimed reasons.
For those who prefer low distortion figures, the use of tubes with Class A (generating little odd-harmonic distortion, as mentioned above) together with symmetrical circuits (such as push-pull output stages, or balanced low-level stages) results in the cancellation of most of the even distortion harmonics, hence the removal of most of the distortion.
-snip-
Yeah push pull cancels out much of all harmonics since both halves are working in opposition, but that doesn't explain single ended stuff, where there is no cancellation. Pure Class A is single ended for the most part. There is no symmetrical half.
Stu
I've used Rollerblocks and Mi-Rollers under my CD player for years now and loved the improvement in sound. But I tried these small wooden blocks from Ayre under my CX7e-MP player recently and the organic improvement has made me leave them there. Wood rules!
A gentleman is best defined as someone who knows how to play the accordion ... and doesn't.
... what Peter Bizlewicz has to say about isolation on Symposium website. He's very knowledgeable and has a proper scientific point of view on the matter. That will somehow apply to your maple board and help you understand what's going on.His explanations actually convinced me to fork out for a set of Rollerblocks and the results were really amazing. I wasn't expecting a change of this magnitude. And I already had something very thick and heavy under my CDPs.
So yes, isolation matters a lot. It's been a real eye-opener for me. I'd always thought it mattered but more as a little tweak.
JB
Edits: 04/16/10
There are a lot of things to put under components to improve the sound. I'm glad you found one that works for you.
ET
Question "Authority", the mainstream media sucks - Go Independent and hold BOTH parties accountable instead of just the other guys!
Michigan Maple on Audiogon.
Some of the same boards can be found on Overstock.com for a few dollars less at the link below. $1.00 shipping is a good deal.
I've spotted a Lyptus board located at Overstock.com that looks very interesting; I'll likely order one. Lyptus is considered to be a rather hard tonewood, with an intonation somewhere between mahogany and maple. Only $49.
18 inches long x 12 inches wide x 1.75 inches thick:
Nice pics! Duster.
Dawn does not advertise them on Audiogon, but she also has boards with a thickness of 1 1/2" of various dimensions. 3 inches thick was just too much for me. E-mail her and ask. She'll get back to you pretty quickly.
Maple almost always delivers positive results when installed under source components...sounds good under speakers too.
All for the love of music :-)
oy vey,,,,
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