Confessions of an Audiophile Junky-I Got Center Stage With Pitch Perfect Sound

Joe Whip

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2014
1,735
557
405
Wayne, PA
I must say I have had the .8 under my Yggy for two years. I hear the improvements he described without any of the nasties he described. I find it hard to believe that footers would change the sound of the amps that much so that they would now make every song sound the same. Doesn’t seem likely to me but what do I know.
 

QuadDiffuser

VIP/Donor
Apr 2, 2017
373
338
340
Hong Kong
I watched that and listened. I made comments but he deleted them

Bottom line is he removed his CS 1.5's too soon and what he was reporting on each day was nothing more than the footers settling. He felt day 30 was the magic day when the clouds would part and the sound would be perfect. He simply removed his footers too soon. He reported hearing changes in the feet which were the signs that the feet were still settling. Simply put that video was totally deceptive as he was listening and reporting daily to all of the negative settling that was still going on. each system follows it's own course as these are system dependent. We have many satisfied Boulder users as well as users of the gigantic D'Agostino Relentless all with positive results

IMO you have already developed an obvious negative bias to the footers by your very comments

Once again the time to settle is system dependent. Some will settle in 10-14 days whereas others take longer. In that video Jay says it is ok for tubes and caps to take time to settle but not these feet. This guy is simply misinformed and has no clue as to the physics behind these feet. When I asked him about 2nd Law of Thermodynamics he had no clue except to say that he removed them on day 30 and the wonderful sound of his amp returned and "he knows amps as he has owned 300 different amps"
Oh I'm really sorry to hear that, Steve. Dishonesty, in my books, is a no no, and one shouldn't resort to negative sensationalism to generate eyeball hits. Breaking the tacit rules, especially so prominently in public, won't result in good Karma. Perhaps the reviewer's opinions of the CS2 footers will turn around with his new amps? Too much drama for me!

BTW, the numbers are what they are. When expectations are lifted, and the transaction completed, consumers will naturally expect the product to deliver. Subjectivity, and consumer psychology are indeed finicky beasts, but isn't that the nature of the business? Cognitive bias is indeed a powerful reality-distortion machine, and professionals at the top of their game know how to leverage its powers.

All this background noise won't change what I had initially heard during my audition of the CS2-0.8s under my DAC one iota - it was truly nothing short of amazing. So I took a leap of faith the next day, as life is truly too short. I'm still eagerly waiting for my CS2 footers to ascend and settle, even if that place is only a few steps higher than where my components started without the footers, as component interaction will vary (as one should understand).

But yes, at the end of the day, this is a happiness business! :)
 
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Hieukm

Well-Known Member
Oct 2, 2016
271
105
128
Hi Steve, can you help with the CS2 1.5 placement under the Extreme? It seems many holes under the chassis preventing optimal operating conditions for CS2 footers.

Appreciate if any one with experience in placing these footers under the Extreme can chime in to help.

Thank you guys
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I have used the CS2 1.5's under my Extreme since purchasing it. By trial and error Have found the best places to place these feet.

I found that the 1.5's work best when placed inside the stock feet but the two in the front are pushed forward and the two in the rear are pushed back so that they sit just under the edge of the Extreme

Even Emile heard these settling in when he visited me shortly after I purchased the Extreme and I remember Emile commenting on the second day how my system was sounding different from when he heard it the evening before

Here are a few photos to serve as a guide. BTW those are not shims upon which the 1.5's are sitting but rather the interfaces that sit between the bottom of the CS foot and the top of the CMS shelf
 

ACHiPo

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2015
518
309
310
Pleasanton, CA
Second Law of Thermodynamics Lee and entropy


Yeah, I’m struggling with that explanation. Entropy is increasing disorder, which requires energy to overcome. When I hear such things I think of Harold Hill in the Music Man and his perpetual motion piccolo music holder.

I’m game for giving them a shot, but the pseudo science doesn’t help the case. Plus I struggle with the gushing about Stillpoints, then 3 years later these devices. Now a year or three on, are folks still enamored?

Don’t get me wrong—I am curious and would love to be enveloped by the soundstage.
 
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ACHiPo

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2015
518
309
310
Pleasanton, CA
We should ask CSI to analyze them. BTW just ordered two sets - but I will skip the white papers!
Good as they are a waste of time. If the footers work so be it, but there is no wisdom to be had in the white paper.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Good as they are a waste of time. If the footers work so be it, but there is no wisdom to be had in the white paper.
Talk is easy and always seems to come from those who have never heard Center Stage footers. BTW, this thread is quite old and pertains to an older version of Center Stage as the CS2M is the current version

As for how do they compare to Stillpoints , my entire system was supported by Stillpoints. To my ears there is no comparison and there is certainly no immersive effect

As for my explanation as to they work according to 2nd Law oof Thermodynamics but heck Im not a physicist, but rather a physician, so much of this is above my pay grade. Listening is the key and listening to the change in one's own system is paramount

I see you live in Pleasanton. We must have been neighbors as I used to live in Danville and my office was in Pleasanton. I was just there last week visiting friends and family. We have several members from Pleasanton

If you want to hear a system of Center Stage, hop on a SWA flight from the Bay Area to John Wayne Airport which is all of a 40 minute flight that is usually under a $100. I will pick you up at the airport and its a 20 minute drive to my house. Listen as long as you want and I will get you back to the airport for your same day flight back to the Bay Area
 

ACHiPo

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2015
518
309
310
Pleasanton, CA
Talk is easy and always seems to come from those who have never heard Center Stage footers. BTW, this thread is quite old and pertains to an older version of Center Stage as the CS2M is the current version

As for how do they compare to Stillpoints , my entire system was supported by Stillpoints. To my ears there is no comparison and there is certainly no immersive effect

As for my explanation as to they work according to 2nd Law oof Thermodynamics but heck Im not a physicist, but rather a physician, so much of this is above my pay grade. Listening is the key and listening to the change in one's own system is paramount

I see you live in Pleasanton. We must have been neighbors as I used to live in Danville and my office was in Pleasanton. I was just there last week visiting friends and family. We have several members from Pleasanton

If you want to hear a system of Center Stage, hop on a SWA flight from the Bay Area to John Wayne Airport which is all of a 40 minute flight that is usually under a $100. I will pick you up at the airport and its a 20 minute drive to my house. Listen as long as you want and I will get you back to the airport for your same day flight back to the Bay Area
Steve,
I absolutely understand I have not heard the footers, and want to hear their impact for myself. That said the fact that I haven't heard their effect means all I have to go on is what I can find written.

The number of your customers that have plunked down real money are a strong endorsement (as is your opinion and others' I've grown to trust), and much more convincing to me than the white paper or allusions to thermodynamics. I have no doubt Joe has good rationale for the design, and I take it on faith that it works, it's just that the thermodynamics reference is off-putting (at least to me). Exacerbating my skepticism was the many pages of how Stillpoints were amazing devices, only to come across similar raves about these a few years later as Stillpoints were replaced. I just wonder sometimes if we embrace difference rather than better sometimes. Heck I was a total skeptic about power conditioning, yet a few weeks after trying Shunyata in my system I spent more than I care to admit on a complete Shunyata power loom. Things I don't understand can and do make an audible difference.

Yes I live just down the road from your old stomping grounds. You moved south to OC about the same time I moved south from Portland.

I appreciate your demo offer. I'm still working (and many hours at that) so taking a full day off for audiophile investigations (in addition to myriad other hobbies) requires domestic negotiation. Definitely doable--just need to find the right time.

Regards,
Evan
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Fly in on a weekend day. That will work

as to your off putting re thermodynamics, all of Joe‘s products are based on just that. I don’t know what else to tell you. His platforms are based on First Law and Center Stage on 2nd Law.
 
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ACHiPo

Well-Known Member
Feb 22, 2015
518
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310
Pleasanton, CA
Fly in on a weekend day. That will work

as to your off putting re thermodynamics, all of Joe‘s products are based on just that. I don’t know what else to tell you. His platforms are based on First Law and Center Stage on 2nd Law.
Sounds good. Will be in touch, probably after I get a new server and it settles in.
 
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joelavrencikCMS

Industry Expert
Jul 30, 2021
155
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74
Yeah, I’m struggling with that explanation. Entropy is increasing disorder, which requires energy to overcome. When I hear such things I think of Harold Hill in the Music Man and his perpetual motion piccolo music holder.

I’m game for giving them a shot, but the pseudo science doesn’t help the case. Plus I struggle with the gushing about Stillpoints, then 3 years later these devices. Now a year or three on, are folks still enamored?

Don’t get me wrong—I am curious and would love to be enveloped by the soundst

Yeah, I’m struggling with that explanation. Entropy is increasing disorder, which requires energy to overcome. When I hear such things I think of Harold Hill in the Music Man and his perpetual motion piccolo music holder.

I’m game for giving them a shot, but the pseudo science doesn’t help the case. Plus I struggle with the gushing about Stillpoints, then 3 years later these devices. Now a year or three on, are folks still enamored?

Don’t get me wrong—I am curious and would love to be enveloped by the soundstage.
It might be easier to think of it as a reduction in heat (unusable energy) generated by the introduction of vibration (vibration generates heat and is abundantly available in the room) into the circuit boards resistors and capacitors etc through the chassis. An example would be installing a better bearing in a turntable, or increasing the rigidity of a loudspeaker thus increasing usable energy (although "increasing" might not be the best word. It's early and I haven't had my coffee) thus brining the device back (closer) to its design potential.....I need more coffee.
 

mageak

Member
Jan 3, 2022
15
2
8
42
howdy just got a set of cms 2m .8 for my ayon streamer dac s10 but they are to small. is it ok to take the feet off and use cms without the unit keeping its own feet
 

joelavrencikCMS

Industry Expert
Jul 30, 2021
155
57
33
74
howdy just got a set of cms 2m .8 for my ayon streamer dac s10 but they are to small. is it ok to take the feet off and use cms without the unit keeping its own feet
Please allow me to add that, yes, you can remove the feet from the Ayon and place the it directly upon the 0.8s. You do not have to place the CS feet directly under the screw holes. In fact, it might be better to avoid the holes entirely. The most important thing is to place the feet so they are in direct contact with the bottom of the Ayon away from screws.
 

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