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

[microstrip]

These little thinks really need break-in time, but it seems mine settle after a 9 days playing continuously under the cj GAT preamplifier. They surely improved the sound quality considerably - focus, detail, rhythm and deep bass articulation. I have been comparing the GAT with other reference preamplifiers during these days and have no doubt on it.

But burn-in is really a problem for the success of such product. Although I own two sets of CD feet I have just used one for the testing purpose. Two days ago I tried the remaining set under the DAC - today I had to take it away from under the DAC to listen to music, these things sound aggressive during break-in. Fortunately I have some spare equipment to listen, otherwise my attitude towards break-in would not be so patient!

 

[Steve Williams]

These little thinks really need break-in time, but it seems mine settle after a 9 days playing continuously under the cj GAT preamplifier. They surely improved the sound quality considerably - focus, detail, rhythm and deep bass articulation. I have been comparing the GAT with other reference preamplifiers during these days and have no doubt on it.

But burn-in is really a problem for the success of such product. Although I own two sets of CD feet I have just used one for the testing purpose. Two days ago I tried the remaining set under the DAC - today I had to take it away from under the DAC to listen to music, these things sound aggressive during break-in. Fortunately I have some spare equipment to listen, otherwise my attitude towards break-in would not be so patient!

It’s worth the wait Micro

 

[microstrip]

It’s worth the wait Micro

Yes, I know. And fortunately I will have to send the second order only after the next 10 days break-in !!!

 

[NorthStar]

We are patient, audiophiles are generally patient people, or they wouldn't be true audiophiles.

 

[mullard88]

Hi joelavrencik and Steve Williams,

Are there any advantages or disadvantages in using the 1 inch tall feet in situations where the 13/16 inch feet will suffice?

 

[Steve Williams]

No

In fact the second time I had them in my system I used all tall size. There is no sonic difference and they are priced identically. If you go to the website you can read about it in the FAQ's
www.pitchperfectsound.com

 

[mullard88]

Thanks Steve.

 

[rockitman]

Silly question.... if the button makes contact with the component bottom, why the upside down brand logo ?

 

[Steve Williams]

not sure I understand the question. There is nothing upside down. You can see the black paper on the top. The button is not shown on the bottom

 

[bonzo75]

Stranger things, the upside down

 

[Steve Williams]

Stranger things, the upside down

there's nothing upside down

 

[rockitman]

View attachment 36955

not sure I understand the question. There is nothing upside down. You can see the black paper on the top. The button is not shown on the bottom

what side on the footer is against the bottom of the component ? I thought the silver button. If not then no issue on branding label orientation.

 

[microstrip]

Silly question.... if the button makes contact with the component bottom, why the upside down brand logo ?

No, the silver button males contact with shelve, the wider part is in contact with the equipment.

 

[rockitman]

Thanks Micro. I assume if a shim is needed for uneven component bottoms, it is slid under the metal button residing on the shelf ?

 

[Steve Williams]

Thanks Micro. I assume if a shim is needed for uneven component bottoms, it is slid under the metal button residing on the shelf ?

that's correct

 

[bonzo75]

there's nothing upside down

Stranger things is a tv series in which Upside Down is the other dimension from which aliens come

 

[mountainjoe]

Ok, I’ve been busy with work, audiophile events, and what-not but now able to do some serious A/B/A/C/A comparisons of the CS footers.

In this case the footers in question are under my PS Audio DS DAC (running Huron FW) and they’ve now settled in for 3 weeks so I assume they’ve reached their peak performance or pretty close to it.

In the above sequence:

A = CS footers
B = stock feet on the DAC
C = Magico QPods (3)

I listened to Rickie Lee Jones CD (redbook) - I find this original CD was very well mastered and is a good reference for such comparisons.

I first listened to several tracks with the CS footers- having not touched them in 3 weeks. The sound was open, dynamic, with punchy, tight base, lots of air around the vocals and instruments, with an immersive soundstage.

The vocals in particular convey a sense of realism that I never knew my DAC was capable of.

I then removed the CS footers and let the DAC rest on its stock feet. I immediately noticed the soundstage shrank with most of the energy coming from between the speakers whereas with CS it was extended beyond my speakers - but also more evenly distributed in space (i.e. not squished between the speakers).

More notably, the imaging was more vague with instruments bleeding over into the dead space between (especially in the bass region) - i.e. there was less air between the instruments and less definition in the imaging. The bass was less articulate with noticeable bloom. And lastly the vocals lost that sense of realism and tonal correctness.

I then re-inserted the CS footers as close to their original locations as possible and everything came back as noted above. Lots of clear, open, air between the instruments, articulate bass, and very realistic vocals.

Next came the QPods - this was a bit easier to manage as they are taller than the CS footers so I left the CS footers in place and simply lifted the DAC and inserted the 3 QPods close to the 2 CS footers in the back and one in the center front.

The QPods provided a more “analog” sound to the DAC with more definition in the imaging than the stock feet, but not as good as the CS footers. Still noticed some blooming in the bass but better soundstage than the stock feet. If I hadn’t heard the CS footers, I would probably be happy with the sound of the QPods but the CS footers take my DAC to another level of realism, bass definition, and airy, open, immersive soundstage.

I then removed the QPods and let the DAC settle back onto the CS footers that were still in place. Again, the air, the bass, the immersive realism all came back.

Btw - Joe sent me a shim as I couldn’t get all four footers to make contact under my DAC so I used one of these under one of the footers. The shim is aluminum and 1/32” thick - it is placed under the footer where it contacts the shelf per Joe’s instructions.

As a final note, I have to say after listening to several albums in a variety of formats, the realism in the vocals brought out by the CS footers is sometimes startling. Closest I’ve heard digital playback come to sounding live. This is true of the instruments as well but most prominent in vocals imo.

I’m still letting the footers under my phono stage settle in and will report on those in a week or so.

For my DAC, the CS footers are by far the most significant upgrade I’ve made and easily worth the $1,200. Btw the three QPods are $900 for comparison - I will now be using these in my second system ;-)

Cheers, Joe

 

[mullard88]

Thanks for sharing your experience Joe.

 

[microstrip]

About a fortnight ago I got my order of Center Stage feet from Steve. I must say that the decision of ordering them was not an easy one - I deeply dislike products that I can not take from my system and re-insert a couple of hours or days after to confirm my findings. However considering that some people we know well were reporting nice things about them and they are not terribly expensive I put my order.

They did not arrive at the best moment - I was expecting some interesting gear to listen for a few days, and considering I am not retired or in holiday , my time for listening has been limited and I will not be able to provide detailed follow-up as some other WBF members.

I decided to test them in the GAT preamplifier - I have been repeatedly comparing it with the ARC REF40 for the last months, as my preference has been balancing between the enjoyable (GAT) and the reality (ARC REF40). For my auditions I used mainly four recordings - (1) Schubert Winterresie - Peter Schreier, (2) Mercedes de Sosa Misa Criola, (3) Jordi Savall Routes de l'Esclavage and ( 4)Shostakovitch Symphony no 14 - Haitink.The GAT was playing the Purist Audio CD enhancer in a cheap CD player at level 70-75 when I was not listening.

As soon as I inserted the feet under the GAT I noticed a slight shift in tonal balance in the GAT - some fatness of cj, particularly when compared to the ARC, disappeared and dynamics increased in (2) and (3). At day 3 I decided to try an A/B, taking the feet out to confirm my findings, but when I re-inserted them a couple of hours after, the extra detail and focusing had gone. Since them I have been listening mainly occasionally, as I focused most of time in the Constellation Audio pre and amplifier. The improvement was gradual, but along defined lines - enhancements in detail detail and layering - Peter Schreier advanced in the room, the piano separated more clearly, (2) and (3) sounded snappier and crisper, low level surprising transients were more clearly found. Bass was really better in (2), particularly transient bass. In (4) the soloists advanced in the room, further away from the orchestra. I was perhaps expecting more in the dimensions of the orchestra and string sections, an area where the ARC REF40 surpasses the GAT, but here there as no improvement. If pressed to compare emotional improvements, the winner was really (2).

Overall the sound is more present and detailed, but not creating and enhancing any hardness in voices. The GAT performance clearly improved to the point I could connect it to the Constellation Audio Centaur without feeling the mismatch I found the first time I tried it weeks ago.

I am now pleased enough with the CMS feet to risk sending a second order for another two quartets do Steve. I feel I should now take the feet out to test the famous "soundstage collapse", but really do not want to take risks! I did it just for a few minutes using a friend as a test listener - I told him that I was inserting them when I was really removing them and he clearly stated he preferred the sound with them in place, before removal! It was a very short time, he explained that his choice was mainly due to more detail in the position where in reality the Center Stage feet were in place.

Surely the second quartet went now under the Vivaldi DAC ...

 

[NorthStar]

Francisco, you always speak the honest truth, you see clear through thick walls of concrete, you are one of the last frontiers of hawkeyes, you have solid high end audio experience, nothing can shake the tree leaves in your backyard, not even the seasons, you are a regular unique audiophile; they don't make them like that anymore the way they used to.

You are recommending this audio product to all audiophiles?
Ty