For a mere $103 for a set of eight “Tall Boy”, I have the best SC elevators in terms of performance/cost ratio, in my opinion. With them I can lift all my cables at different levels without touching each others:
These Tall Boys have sticky pad at bottom to secure them in place, that is a nice touch.
Even my grounding boxes and cables are lifted with extra footers now. My system seems to sound extra clear today, it could be in my mind but it definitely looks better!
The Snake River Audio speaker cables do look nice
I’m not so much interested in the price or the product itself (I won’t be trying them) as I am in their differing approach to other manufacturers. Some say the reasoning is to reduce static from carpets, others claim the the floor acts as an imperfect dielectric when in contact with the cables, others cite removing vibrations, etc, etc. Who knows which, which combination of, or if any of the above are the primary factors for cable risers’ changing the sound. I guess the proof is in the listening.
As for myself, I’m happy with my little 3” cardboard cable risers. I have a couple of Shunyata Darkfield minis under my speaker cables at the moment that seem to be fine. I tried using them to separate signal cables from each other but for some reason it had a seriously negative impact – things turned grey and 2-dimensional over the course of the several days they were in place.
I’ve also played around with one of the power cable supports from Audio Bastion, using it on my server’s power supply. It definitely changed the sound – staging narrowed a bit and my system turned into a bass cannon (in a bad way). It may prove useful in other applications down the road, but that first test wasn’t what I was looking for.
I use Mapleshade speaker wires, and they have this to say about risers:
”Avoid laying the cables on (or under) any rug with artificial fibers or on any plastic-tiled floor or along any plastic wall-molding or plastic wallpaper. If you have artificial fiber
rugs or plastic tile floors, raise cables at least four inches off the floor with wood blocks
or cardboard vees or polystyrene cups or suspend them with non-plastic string or
thread. This is true of all cables, not just ours: they all are severely muddied by the
dielectric losses of nearby artificial fibers and plastics.”
My uneducated take is that those forbidden materials have a static response to magnetic fields. A really good insulator (like ceramic) would be and is my choice.
I wonder though, would a stack of hundred dollar bills be an effective cable riser? Or should they be thousand dollar bills? LOL
Hey — good thread! A few thoughts + what I use-
For quick room-checks, I lean on my phone (PS Audio themselves even note that modern phone apps can do a decent job for relative SPL mapping).
I’ve also used the NIOSH SLM app — pretty reliable and free, plus it lets you calibrate it.
If you want a dedicated meter, something like the Galaxy Audio CM‑130 is solid — or for a cheaper but decent option, Digital Sound Level Meter 30‑130 dBA works well for basic use.
Just make sure you use C-weighting and Slow response when balancing speakers — that’s the recommended setup.
Happy measuring!
I have a vintage RadioShack SPL Meter.
Occasionally, one is for sale on eBay.
Archie-
