Agree...but I am not a vinyl guy. Fortunately, I do drive the Zanden 4-box digital which is reasonably analog-like for digital. That's as close as I promised myself I would ever come to analog, I'm afraid. 
Vibrations and cable network boxes
- Thread starter PeterA
- Start date
Agree...but I am not a vinyl guy. Fortunately, I do drive the Zanden 4-box digital which is reasonably analog-like for digital. That's as close as I promised myself I would ever come to analog, I'm afraid. 
"The Lost City of Z" is a great book but I think "Season of the Witch" or a Murakami novel will take things to a higher level
Let me remind you, life's too short; think about it.
Yes, you are surely right...I agree. However, my own personal approach to that philosophy was that I promised myself not to split my resources across 2 or 3 front-ends. I went after what for me was one of the best digital sources (finally got it second hand), and placed all my efforts towards that goal (including music collection which is now somewhere around 1700-1800 albums) and now just enjoy the music.
Well, I'm back at it. After looking at these network boxes sitting on the floor right next to my Vibraplanes, I figured, what the heck? So I unplugged the amps, the cables, the ICs and moved the amps back to the rear of the steel ballast plates on each Vibraplane creating just enough room to place the Transparent networks in front of each amp.
I've spent the day listening and sure enough, it sounds different. My initial impressions are that the sound is a bit more clear and focused. Slightly better low level information and increase in depth of soundstage. Individual instruments are slightly more defined. The LP which sounded the most different was the Sheffield Drum Track. More impact, clearer cymbals, slightly more dynamic. This was pretty surprising. I continue to marvel at how this LP sounds on my small two-way, sealed speakers.
I will keep listening for a few weeks to confirm these observations, but for now, I'm encouraged. It does look a bit strange and I wonder about the proximity of the networks to the massive transformers in my amps. But, I do like the sound.
I've spent the day listening and sure enough, it sounds different. My initial impressions are that the sound is a bit more clear and focused. Slightly better low level information and increase in depth of soundstage. Individual instruments are slightly more defined. The LP which sounded the most different was the Sheffield Drum Track. More impact, clearer cymbals, slightly more dynamic. This was pretty surprising. I continue to marvel at how this LP sounds on my small two-way, sealed speakers.
I will keep listening for a few weeks to confirm these observations, but for now, I'm encouraged. It does look a bit strange and I wonder about the proximity of the networks to the massive transformers in my amps. But, I do like the sound.
Hi Peter...I understand your observations are part of what underlies the design of the Opus and Ref MM network boxes (and even your XL box). For those that have not got Vibraplanes...what else have you tried that made a positive difference besides the brass and marble lions? Which was better...damping on top or padding underneath? Oh and please don't say Stillpoints Ultras or Ultra 5s...I could not get myself to buy even more! Thanks for any other suggestions you may have tried but not mentioned.
Thanks for any other suggestions you may have tried but not mentioned.
Even better - get rid of the Transparent boxed cables immediately and buy some Shunyatas - the Shunyata cable elevators are not so expensive as the Ultra 5s!
Darn you Peter...Now I gotta go get the bubble wrap outa the garage and try this to ! Thanks for trying something different that most of us (me anyway) don't even usually consider. I am guessing there are capacitors and resistors inside those networks, so this shouldn't surprise us...like it is...
Hope you and your family are having a great summer !
! Thanks for trying something different that most of us (me anyway) don't even usually consider. I am guessing there are capacitors and resistors inside those networks, so this shouldn't surprise us...like it is...Hope you and your family are having a great summer !
Just try tiptoes. Think it's a better solution. I'm using Goldmund cones.Darn you Peter...Now I gotta go get the bubble wrap outa the garage and try this to
Hope you and your family are having a great summer !
After reading this thread, I just put some Synergistic Research MIGs under the network boxes of the MIT Magnum M1.3 SCs I have on loan in the 2 up, one down config.
Listening to some Andrew Hill, and I'm now enjoying a more liquid presentation.
Before reading this thread, I would have never thought about any doing anything with the network boxes.
Mahalo.
PS- the MIT spade connectors included with these cables, IMO, suck.
Listening to some Andrew Hill, and I'm now enjoying a more liquid presentation.
Before reading this thread, I would have never thought about any doing anything with the network boxes.
Mahalo.
PS- the MIT spade connectors included with these cables, IMO, suck.
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Hi Peter...I understand your observations are part of what underlies the design of the Opus and Ref MM network boxes (and even your XL box). For those that have not got Vibraplanes...what else have you tried that made a positive difference besides the brass and marble lions? Which was better...damping on top or padding underneath? Oh and please don't say Stillpoints Ultras or Ultra 5s...I could not get myself to buy even more!
I did try the lion book ends on top of the networks thinking it would dampen vibrations through mass. This was in addition to the networks being placed on top of a paperback book and bubble wrap. I found that the lion book ends did not make a difference and they looked kind of silly. The bubble wrap made a very subtle improvement.
Now up on the Vibraplanes, the improvement seems less subtle, but still not significant on most music. By comparison, the turntable and amps were immediately and significantly improved. I need some more time to sort out the differences for the networks.
These cables, and components in general, are designed (and voiced) to sound one way, and I'm sure the guys up at Transparent were not listening to these while isolated on Vibraplanes. Perhaps as Myles suggests, they were designed to be spiked or grounded and not floating on isolation. I'm thinking that my networks have the small spiked footers and they are sitting on 300lbs of steel, which is itself floating. So perhaps internal vibrations are being drained down through the footers into the steel which is isolated from vibrations coming up from the ground. At least that is my speculation as a non engineer.
I'd like to try Stillpoints someday, but for now, this is fun and the experiment is free.
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Thanks John, I guess one could experiment with the size of the bubbles in the wrap. I whoopi? cushion might also work. Seriously, since this stuff is free, I don't think it hurts to try it.
(Off subject, my buddy Madfloyd just heard your speakers at Goodwins. He thought they sounded incredible.)
(Off subject, my buddy Madfloyd just heard your speakers at Goodwins. He thought they sounded incredible.)
Thanks Jack and Christian. As you can see, the available real estate in my non dedicated listening room is very limited.
So now I have had a chance to really listen to the isolated networks. I also switched back to placing them on the floor for a few days and then returned them back to the Vibraplanes. The difference is interesting. Up on the isolation, the sound is a bit more focused and clean. Details and dynamics are slightly more clear and violins and piano sound more like what I hear at the symphony. But it also reveals better the flaws in less than great recordings. On the floor, the bass seems warmer and slightly bigger or "fatter". There is a bit more color and euphonic character to the sound which is extremely pleasant, but it is a bit slower and I think slightly less accurate. It is also a more forgiving sound. Both ways sound very good, and if I did not hear both, I would not know the difference and could easily live with either.
I have little experience with tubes in my system, though I have heard plenty of other systems with tubes. The difference I hear when the network boxes are not isolated and sitting on the floor is similar to the way people describe adding a tubed component into the system chain. "It adds just the right amount of warmth, body and midrange bloom. It is so smooth and lovely sounding. Very musical and less analytical, etc. etc." I don't want to debate tubes vs SS, but that should help describe the differences I hear.
I am biased toward a cleaner, more accurate sound, so for the time being, I will leave the networks up on the Vibraplanes. But I can see wanting to try them on the floor again in the future for a slightly different sound.
I have little experience with tubes in my system, though I have heard plenty of other systems with tubes. The difference I hear when the network boxes are not isolated and sitting on the floor is similar to the way people describe adding a tubed component into the system chain. "It adds just the right amount of warmth, body and midrange bloom. It is so smooth and lovely sounding. Very musical and less analytical, etc. etc." I don't want to debate tubes vs SS, but that should help describe the differences I hear.
I am biased toward a cleaner, more accurate sound, so for the time being, I will leave the networks up on the Vibraplanes. But I can see wanting to try them on the floor again in the future for a slightly different sound.
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