My system is complete and well balanced but I don’t have footers under any of my components which are on a nice rack. My speakers are on large cones as are my power conditioner, headphone amp and tuner. I wonder if I could get even better results if I were to put footers under my streamer which sits on my PST and if I put footers under my PST which sits on my DSD and under my DSD which sits on the top shelf of my component rack which is on a shelf on cones pointing up from the metal rack.
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My Pass preamp and amp rest directly on the rack as well. Would footers be helpful there as well and which footers are best recommended for under my source components.My system sounds good but I hear of people swearing by good footers.
My component rack is filled with sand and is very solid. I would like good footers for my source components at least but footers can get pretty expensive all around. This would be my next project for my system.
There are footers and there are effective footers. Effective footers can be expensive. The VooDoo Isopods that I use cost around $100 each and I think they’re worth the money. (3/component)
But, although you’ll hear people wax poetic about the improvements, I find the improvements are only minimal.
You can find substantial improvements for free by experimenting with speaker placement.
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Thanks for your reply. I have been all over speaker placement and room treatments with foam on side walls and corners behind speakers. I recently had my 25 year old modded Hales T5’s measured and matched to each other. It was the best money I have spent in audio recently.
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I think these were what Hans Beekhuyzen on Youtube found especially effective under a DAC, say. An effective low-cost solution.
Footers can and will make big improvement. With your level of equipment, it makes sense to invest in footers. I upgraded from IsoAcoustic Oreas to AV RoomService EVP’s, and was astonished at the improvement - in all areas. That is going from a good footer to a much better one. They have gotten more expensive, and there are plenty of other options also. AV RS does offer 30 day guarantee, so easy to try.
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I recently tried the Vibration Black Hole footers from Vera-Fi Audio. Reasonably priced at $200 for a set of four. I purchased two sets for my speakers, but didn’t feel they made much of a difference, possibly because my listening room is on a concrete slab. I then decided to try them under my gear, and I was shocked at what they brought to the table. I found they sounded best under my BHK pre and 250, but I do plan on buying two more sets for the transport and DAC.
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Footers in my system are an important element in improving SQ. The AUVA 100 footers for the FR-30 speakers are the best ones I have tried for speakers, and I have tried many.
I also tried and use footers for equipment such as Orea, Isopucks, XSSH, Voodoo, platforms, and many others. But Stack Audio also makes AUVA EQ footers for equipment, and they got great reviews as well. Will they be as good as AUVA 100? Well, I ordered a set of four CSA2 and will give them a tryout.
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Out of curiosity, were Stillpoints among the footers you compared to the Auva’s?
I have not tired Stillpoints, but only their copies or similar designs. Footers with metal columns and steel/ceramic balls (XSSH for example) from AliExpress are the ones I like, and maybe Stillpoints work even better. I have tried early Aluminum two piece footers (from Nordust as I remembered) and found them to be great to support the platforms I use.
All different design of footers make my system sound different. It is hard to say which ones would work better in a particular system. In my system I like Orea better than VooDoo for MK2 and BHK pre, but XSSH works better on PST and Lumin U2 than both Orea and Voodoo.
Now I will find out if I like AUVA better.
If you want to sell me a few sets of the voodoo iso pads on the cheap let me know…
Voodoo isopods were loaned from the Cable Co, and I have since returned them. I may have Orea available if I like AUVA better.
PM sent
I have dozens of Orea, if anyone interested please PM me. Graphite, Bronze and Bordeaux. All with original box. Shipment cost from Italy to be considered.
I’ve lost interest in footers and preferred keeping all components on their own feet on the shelves for months.
Lately I tried HRS system with a few components, both Nymbus Assembly feet under the chassis and Damping Plate on their top.
They seem to work well, reducing noise and bringing a blacker background as general result regardless the source.
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I have spare Orea footers and found a great use for them on my NAS. I’m not sure if it helps with the sound quality but it cuts down the noise from vibration.
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If the signal gets rockin’, the clock ain’t clockin’. I am no digital genius but you would think that a digital signal that locks on via the clock would not be influenced by mechanical vibrations. But, I don’t deny the findings. Much to learn.
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All you guys should try AUVA, or wait for me to tell you how great it is for equipment too.
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The footers that I use–VooDoo Isopods–are effective sonically in my system. The primary benefit to my ears is in the high frequencies where “airiness” lives.
The secondary benefit is separating gain chassis of preamps, especially phono stages, where they by definition, generate considerable heat. I’m sure that’s not necessary but it satisfies my OCD.
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I like them and last count have 27. I’ve never done comparisons like @dchang05 but they were better than the Rollerball one.
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