Aurios are very nice. I have a trio of the earliest model in use in my second system.
Hey I don’t play music incredibly loud, but I find isolation components to be a boon to the system anyway. Others vehemently claim that for most components they are a waste of money no matter how loud you play music. It’s among a class of things I classify “try for yourself and decide.”
I’ve tried several different products including Herbie’s Tenderfeet and Iso Oreas.
While i hear a noticeable difference with the Oreas under my amp (all top end), I hear no difference under my DMP or DAC or P5. I’ve spent rainy days putting them in, taking them out, listening to a familiar recording and if I were to start over, I’d just put Tenderfeet under everything. My experience has been that cables and tubes can make dramatic, easy to hear differences but I’m not sold on isolators.
The Oreas made a significant and immediately noticeable difference when placed under my DS Junior. Less so under my Bel Canto evo2i integrated, but still an improvement. Still, the IsoAcoustic Gaias, which I installed under my speakers, have made the biggest improvement of any isolators I’ve ever used in my system. I highly recommend both products, at least to audition and see if they make an impact in yours.
Well Gazjam, another PSA owning Brit here. Move to Aberdeen and build a house there so the whole thing is underpinned by granite.
Ted’s advice is sound, but for about 50 quid get a piece of acrylic cut, 12mm will do, and put it on some Sorbothane feet from Amazon. There is an iOS app that measures vibration. Do before and after. If you want to splash some cash, Emporium had some podiums going cheap.
The app is called “Seismometer”
BHK Pre / DMP on isolation springs & platforms sitting on concrete pavers / BHK 300 monos on isolation springs & platforms sitting on Ikea chopping blocks (saves the tiles getting scratched). DS Directstream sitting on isolation springs, paver, Ikea chopping block and Stillpoints. Quad2905 speakers also use Stillpoints. Probably over the top.
Which spring spec? Available at McMaster-Carr? I’ve yet to try springs but would like to experiment <$100? for 4 or 5 components.
The perspex route with some German pro things underneath that I got very cheap that look the part but I’d probably be better off with Sorbothane.
There’s a P3 underneath.
Hi @brett66
I’m in Australia 
so I doubt they are available. The platform sits on springs tuned to ~3Hz to isolate the unit.
No advertising on his website ( www.lenehanaudio.com.au ) but a fair bit of discussion on one of the Australian audio forums - link to one of the threads from the designer.
Ah, gotcha, thanks for the link to the thread
The pro iso pucks are £96 for 4
The consumer ones are basically the same, only cosmetically different, and cost £276 for 4
Work that one out
We did earlier in the thread, I posted a link to the patent. They are not much, if any, different.
It is nice to see all your higher end systems. This meaning that the DS is obviously a higher end component as well, and worthy of such treatment. Non mechanical does not usually change much but can and will at least some.
I have mine on a rack with suspension shelves. each component is clamped between two Granite shelves. There are very sturdy “rubber band” like material that attach each of the upper and lower shelfs at their four corners to the 4 posts of the rack which are not connected or coupled anything. The cylinders that make up the frame are filled with cement. The components just float.
I built this and am still working on it. Seriously if one has glass shelves I would recommend shake away at Lowes. I am not kidding. Even on other surfaces they can provide very preferable sonic benefits. Often exceeding things such as Siltech, Nordost etc. You might laugh after you here those for $10/4 count. They are made so Washing machines and Air conditioners do not move across the floor but in many instances provide incredibly superior vibration isolation/ Decoupling. Of course sometimes they are worse, but at $10 just YMMMV.
Other components I have that are more sensitive like CD Transport are on A solid stand with Stillpoints 6 under them. As I saw other folks here are using as well. Interestingly the P20 benefits most to me form the Shake Away blocks. Makes sense given it’s heft.
My speakers are on stands of what most people would think of as turntable plinth isolation. I think disconnecting the Loudspeakers makes a big difference in some Standmounts. The small high end sub is different. It benefits from being heavily weighted both on top and bottom plus being slot loaded with a barely anti reflective wave material.
All together, it all makes a difference. Not huge but it is there. Of course all cables are suspended as well as to reduce introduction of mechanical noise. It is just nice to see that the DS/P20/BHK ETC. are regarded this highly. PSA is in fact a manufacturer of high end audio equipment. That is no secret, none of this stuff is mid-fi. OH, they make mid-fi but the flagship products are indeed, flagship. In every sense of the word. Also being a great value to boot, you do the math…
I decided to put it on 2 “Stillpoints Ultra 6” in front and 1 in rear. People say this is better but I do not get it. It does not wobble so I figure it can stay that way. I feel other things like the P20 are simply too heavy for 3 and must have 4 of whatever one chooses to use.
I’d like to see more pics of your cabinet if possible. I’ve been trying to narrow down between a reworked older Barzilay cabinet and a custom built walnut “rack”. Thanks.
As series of random images including a matching unit for LPs.
I had more stereo at the time I had it made, now used for more important things.
The lower section has a P3 regenerator, mounted sideways, TV satellite box, server and router with
external power supplies, DVD machine and turntable bits.
When streaming I don’t have to open anything, as Devialet auto-starts etc. It is sufficiently ventilated.
Only open the top when playing LPs and lower the top to keep dust off. The front and top arms are damped so nothing slams.
The lower section is only opened to get a drink.
I would add that at a demo the other day there were 4 Devialet Expert Pro units and the dealer had put them on plinths. The chief technical guy from Devialet said it was totally unnecessary, they do not need any mechanical isolation at all, and are designed to be stacked directly on top of each other when used in mono config.
Raising it up was mainly to keep the heat off the veneer. Also slightly assists cable management.
Mechanical isolation of the speaker cables achieved by clipping them to the wall. A 10c rather than $100 approach.
Beautiful!
I find 2” cubes of dried (bad or not) beef very absorbtive between the feet and the shelf, though often stinky, and my dog is always making off with them. : )
