Continued from Jeff's WBAS thread, from here, where Jack said:
Two different conversations, Jack. What you're talking about is isolating the monitors from the console desk in the case of near fields and from coupling with the walls in the case of soffit-mounts. The point there is to keep architectural and furniture resonances from buggering the frequency response of the monitors. What micro and Frank are talking about is the common audiophile belief in ground vibrations that cause audible (but oddly immeasurable) distortion in electronics. It is not totally unfounded, but like many audiophile myths, while the problem exists in the extreme (a turntable sitting on a subwoofer comes to mind), it is, according to the data, a non-issue in common practice. The fact that amps work so weill, mounted directly inside active monitor speakers effectively debunks the myth in my view. YMMV.
Regarding the kind of monitor isolation you're referring to, I've already gone way beyond pads. My monitors are isolated, I'm sure, to a degree that is absolutely unnecessary. But it makes me feel better.
By the way, the pro world is not a completely myth-free zone. There are audiophile/engineers. They're pretty rare, but they do exist, and I've found more than a couple of them that believe, as many audiophiles do, in ghosts in the machines that cannot be quantified yet still manage to be very, very scary. Steve Hoffman is one of the best-known of the breed, and I've found some of his mastering work that seemed dulled in an attempt to make it sound more analog. Yesterday, however, I acquired his re-master of Bill Evans' "Explorations." Absolutely gorgeous.
Tim
That's not entirely true Tim and you're using the same logic as Micro when you invoke the Pro world. There are many vibration isolation products for speakers and equipment for pros and they are gaining in popularity. Auralex makes the MoPad, Adam ships with their own set of pads, potting is common for quite a few onboard components. New potting agents for high temperature instrumentation are popping up regularly and can be bought in bulk. What one has to take into account with pro gear is that electronics are usually rackmounted and these enclosures help protect the chassis of the equipment and the mounting couples the equipment (the heavy faceplates do have a reason for being there. Meanwhile, soffit monitors are decoupled and near field monitors are now getting either pads or joint and elbow devices. They know the problems exist and they are addressing them. That the domestic market beat the pro world to the punch is more a function of the domestic market simply needing it more. $40 Tim, give them a shot with your monitors if you aren't using any yet and let us know if they work or if the Pro world is just trying to carpet bag the pro market.
Two different conversations, Jack. What you're talking about is isolating the monitors from the console desk in the case of near fields and from coupling with the walls in the case of soffit-mounts. The point there is to keep architectural and furniture resonances from buggering the frequency response of the monitors. What micro and Frank are talking about is the common audiophile belief in ground vibrations that cause audible (but oddly immeasurable) distortion in electronics. It is not totally unfounded, but like many audiophile myths, while the problem exists in the extreme (a turntable sitting on a subwoofer comes to mind), it is, according to the data, a non-issue in common practice. The fact that amps work so weill, mounted directly inside active monitor speakers effectively debunks the myth in my view. YMMV.
Regarding the kind of monitor isolation you're referring to, I've already gone way beyond pads. My monitors are isolated, I'm sure, to a degree that is absolutely unnecessary. But it makes me feel better.
By the way, the pro world is not a completely myth-free zone. There are audiophile/engineers. They're pretty rare, but they do exist, and I've found more than a couple of them that believe, as many audiophiles do, in ghosts in the machines that cannot be quantified yet still manage to be very, very scary. Steve Hoffman is one of the best-known of the breed, and I've found some of his mastering work that seemed dulled in an attempt to make it sound more analog. Yesterday, however, I acquired his re-master of Bill Evans' "Explorations." Absolutely gorgeous.
Tim