Amp Isolation Recommendations

[kroslos]

I have a pair of AirTight ATM-2's that I've mono'ed and I'm looking for some suggestions/recommendations on isolation - inexpensive please. I really don't know if isolating my Amps will make any difference/improvement (comments welcome....); however, I'd like to give it a try if I can find something that is relatively effective and reasonably priced.

Thanks!
Kyle

 

[audiobomber]

Auralex Gramma: https://auralex.com/gramma/

A friend just bought a pair for his 60 lb DIY tube monoblocks and said they make a significant difference.

I'm a big fan of IsoAcoustics products. They have a number of competing products that could work and would be more effective than Auralex, IMO.
https://isoacoustics.com/

 

[Jeffy]

Pneupod NP-1 http://pneuance.com/

 

[kroslos]

Thanks to both of you for your responses; however, I'll continue to search for a cheaper/cost effective solution.

 

[DeadWax]

I suppose the cheapest is an Ikea bamboo cutting board. Some people say they make a notable improvement. I personally like the Symposium platforms but they may exceed your budget?

 

[Jeffy]

You have a 20,000.00 amp why cheap out on feet

 

[audiobomber]

Thanks to both of you for your responses; however, I'll continue to search for a cheaper/cost effective solution.

Lots of choices dirt cheap solutions on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=vibration+isolation&ref=nb_sb_noss

These makeshift solutions won't work as well as the pro audio products I suggested above, but this fellow has some very inexpensive suggestions. Anti-vibration starts at about 3:30:

 

[bazelio]

I have a pair of AirTight ATM-2's that I've mono'ed and I'm looking for some suggestions/recommendations on isolation - inexpensive please. I really don't know if isolating my Amps will make any difference/improvement (comments welcome....); however, I'd like to give it a try if I can find something that is relatively effective and reasonably priced.

Thanks!
Kyle

A 1" steel plate resting on rubber O-rings will really outperform most anything else, and at under $200 per plate.

 

[audiobomber]

A 1" steel plate resting on rubber O-rings will really outperform most anything else, and at under $200 per plate.

Do you mean stainless steel? I wouldn't use anything magnetic under my amps. Aluminum might be good, but I strongly doubt either would be as good as IsoAcoustics or even Auralex purpose-made products.

I had some speaker stands made from 5/16" plate and 1" schedule 80 pipe filled with sand and lead shot. The stands rang like a bell, sounded awful.

 

[bazelio]

Steel plates are much better than those purpose built products. Several of us on the forum can testify to how well they work. This has included Gryphon, Dartzeel, and Pass Labs mono blocks. I'm sure @Vienna and @PeterA would be glad to share their experience. I know Peter found steel plates to best his purpose built Townshend platforms and, if I recall, Vibraplanes.

You can use stainless steel if you want to pay extra for it. I used A36 steel and painted it black to avoid rust. I am not suggesting pipes and lead shot. Just plates resting on rubber O-rings (which provide damping). The plate was so much better than my Auralex base that I threw it in the garbage.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Steel plates are much better than those purpose built products. Several of us on the forum can testify to how well they work. . . .The plate was so much better than my Auralex base that I threw it in the garbage.

Better in what ways? How did the sound change?

 

[Vienna]

Stainless Steel type 316 and Stainless Steel type Nitronic are in my opinion the best options for Amps and Pre amps.

Out of the two Nitronic is by far the best.

the effect on the sound is immediate. The sound in my case became clearer, more articulated and palpable.

 

[bazelio]

Better in what ways? How did the sound change?

Ron my experience was the same as paragraph 3 in this post:

Sublime Sound

Three Grails - which model do you have? I returned the Grail after an in-home demo. It was the unbalanced version.

www.whatsbestforum.com

 

[bazelio]

Stainless Steel type 316 and Stainless Steel type Nitronic are in my opinion the best options for Amps and Pre amps.

Out of the two Nitronic is by far the best.

the effect on the sound is immediate. The sound in my case became clearer, more articulated and palpable.

Both 316 and N60 steel are non-magnetic, too. Where that's a concern.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I have a pair of AirTight ATM-2's that I've mono'ed and I'm looking for some suggestions/recommendations on isolation - inexpensive please. I really don't know if isolating my Amps will make any difference/improvement (comments welcome....); however, I'd like to give it a try if I can find something that is relatively effective and reasonably priced.

Thanks!
Kyle

Hello Kyle,

I wonder if this is a threshold question someone should've asked right away: are your amps located on the floor or on a shelf in a rack/stand?

 

[tima]

I really don't know if isolating my Amps will make any difference/improvement (comments welcome....)

Whatever your amps sit on influences their sound. The material and construction of a footer or amp stand changes the amps resonance frequency depending on what the material and construction are. Whether a steel plate or cutting board or purpose built footers or platform you will hear a difference. The fact that you hear a difference does not mean you will hear an improvement.

But improvement is often possible. Reducing resonance or vibration of electronics, particularly of capacitors and tubes, can bring additional clarity and resolution. Do you like the sound of your AirTight ATM-2s or do you want to change their tonal character, get lower bass, more dynamics or deeper soundstage?

If you like your amp's basic character then you may be able to improve it to a relatively small degree by changing what it sits on cheaply. If you want to change its character, doing that with a platform or such will be hit or miss and there may be undesireable consequences. Think about what you are trying to achieve - I usually hate that suggestion because sometimes one doesn't know what one wants, but there it is.

Have you asked Air Tight about what they use?

 

[kroslos]

Wow! So many responses and good suggestions for me to consider. Let me try to answer some of the questions that came across....

1) Regarding what I'm hoping to achieve, my system sounds great as it is. Wonderfully warm, articulate, great soundstage, but (and I qualify this because all of us are searching for some degree of "improvement"), I would like a bit more "immediacy", and sometimes, but not always, things can sound a bit veiled.
2) My amps are currently sitting on a very solid wood equipment rack (I'll post a picture below that shows my room). The feet on the amps are the original feet that came with the amps; so I have not done anything else to couple, or decouple, them.
3) 99% of my listening is vinyl and I'm quite happy with my setup of my vinyl front end. I have my turntable sitting on a metal (spiked) turntable rack, with a 4" Boos butcher block suspended on Nordost Sort Kone AC's.
4) I'd like to avoid "the rabbit hole" if at all possible. That is why I was hoping for a relatively inexpensive option that I'd be happy with the end results.

Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions!

 

[Folsom]

It sounds like you're only interested in the rabbit hole to be honest.

 

[bazelio]

Wow! So many responses and good suggestions for me to consider. Let me try to answer some of the questions that came across....

1) Regarding what I'm hoping to achieve, my system sounds great as it is. Wonderfully warm, articulate, great soundstage, but (and I qualify this because all of us are searching for some degree of "improvement"), I would like a bit more "immediacy", and sometimes, but not always, things can sound a bit veiled.
2) My amps are currently sitting on a very solid wood equipment rack (I'll post a picture below that shows my room). The feet on the amps are the original feet that came with the amps; so I have not done anything else to couple, or decouple, them.
3) 99% of my listening is vinyl and I'm quite happy with my setup of my vinyl front end. I have my turntable sitting on a metal (spiked) turntable rack, with a 4" Boos butcher block suspended on Nordost Sort Kone AC's.
4) I'd like to avoid "the rabbit hole" if at all possible. That is why I was hoping for a relatively inexpensive option that I'd be happy with the end results.

Thanks again for all the replies and suggestions!

Beautiful listening space you have there. I'd get some 316L steel plates cut to size for those amps and call it a day. Steel will also work much better under your turntable than butcher block IMO. Maple butcher block over-damps and hampers tonal color gradation IME. This is a very key comment from @tima IMO: "The fact that you hear a difference does not mean you will hear an improvement.". I can hear maple butcher block vs steel vs Auralex, vs other woods and footers. Not all good.

 

[Folsom]

Beautiful listening space you have there. I'd get some 316L steel plates cut to size for those amps and call it a day. Steel will also work much better under your turntable than butcher block IMO. Maple butcher block over-damps and hampers tonal color gradation IME. This is a very key comment from @tima IMO: "The fact that you hear a difference does not mean you will hear an improvement.". I can hear maple butcher block vs steel vs Auralex, vs other woods and footers. Not all good.

What thickness are you using?