Incredible Stillpoints

[Stump]

Have been tweaking my room lately and just screwed the Stillpoints Ultra 5s under the speakers.Speakers now spot on level sitting on 35mm (1 1/2 inch) bisalloy steel plate on wooden floors.First noticeable difference is the speakers sit more stable then before.Second is very limited micro cabinet vibration while the speakers are pumping.Third is if you feel the stillpoints while for example playing Money For Nothing you feel the vibration of the Ultra 5s doing there job.As for listening results WELL ,the music just gets cleaner ,more detailed with each tweak.In theory if the speaker cones are not competing with cabinet vibration they will have to be clearer.Another week or so and my room will be finished and I will do a more detailed room post!!
Stump
Speakers are Vaf I-66s made in Australia
http://www.vaf.com.au/detail.asp?audio=signature&grunt=s200r26720

 

[LL21]

Congrats!

 

[Orb]

Toxicity...

I do love the single Chop Suey (not necessarily for what it stands for though) on that album.

I do not think the following get much credit but they are incredibly professional (seen them live) - Slipknot.
Seriously good as well IMO but very thrash metal and I feel their best and most accessible tunes are unfortunately scattered across a few albums rather than just one.
Closest to Linkin Park IMO is Marylin Manson who has done some great stuff and also incredibly professional live; probably best listens are Holy Wood or Mechanical Animals IMO.

Ok this is waaay out but definitely take time and listen to a few tracks because he is better than most realise, highly entertaining as one would expect from Jack Black and Kyle Gass - band is Tenacious D.
The single Tribute also has Dave Grohl (who is a fan) in the video playing the devil.
Probably best played when a) drunk and b) with drunk friends and c) definitely not in the mood to be serious and d) even more drunk
Like Slipknot needs to pick and choose singles from various albums, need to be careful as I think a few of those tracks may be seen as offensive (such as Cock Pushups); probably only around 5 music tracks on the album also called Tenacious D.

Cheers
Orb

 

[1kitch]

I have several of the ULTRA 5's as well as ULTRA SS's, which I have great success with, and was contemplating the purchase of a few additional stillpoints when the thought crossed my mind as to potential material deterioration which could possibly occur down the road. Realizing that metal and ceramics don't deteriorate and are stable materials, but that rubber componds possibly could deteriorate, and not knowing what materials are utilzed in the "technology", I am wondering if anyone could shed some light as to life expectancy and whether there are any materials which could degrade over time. I would hate to pay for additional ULTRA 5's only to discover years later that they have a limited life and deteriorate over time.

 

[Steve Williams]

I have several of the ULTRA 5's as well as ULTRA SS's, which I have great success with, and was contemplating the purchase of a few additional stillpoints when the thought crossed my mind as to potential material deterioration which could possibly occur down the road. Realizing that metal and ceramics don't deteriorate and are stable materials, but that rubber componds possibly could deteriorate, and not knowing what materials are utilzed in the "technology", I am wondering if anyone could shed some light as to life expectancy and whether there are any materials which could degrade over time. I would hate to pay for additional ULTRA 5's only to discover years later that they have a limited life and deteriorate over time.

I bet that they will outlive all of us

 

[allvinyl]

Stillpoints Ultra 5 Life Expectancy

I have several of the ULTRA 5's as well as ULTRA SS's, which I have great success with, and was contemplating the purchase of a few additional stillpoints when the thought crossed my mind as to potential material deterioration which could possibly occur down the road. Realizing that metal and ceramics don't deteriorate and are stable materials, but that rubber componds possibly could deteriorate, and not knowing what materials are utilzed in the "technology", I am wondering if anyone could shed some light as to life expectancy and whether there are any materials which could degrade over time. I would hate to pay for additional ULTRA 5's only to discover years later that they have a limited life and deteriorate over time.

The materials in all Ultra products are stainless steel and ceramic. There are no materials in any of the products that will deteriorate over time. We are going to be using this aspect of the product in upcoming advertising.

John

 

[DonH50]

I do not know what is in a Stillpoints device.

Note if there is a steel spring or compression device, then it will deform over time so you may have to eventually replace it (or the whole foot).

Still, I expect they will outlive the speakers... - Don

<edit: Just noticed John from Stillpoints responded right above, he should know!>

 

[allvinyl]

Stillpoints Ultra 5 Life Expectancy

There are no springs or compression devices in any of the Ultra series of products: Minis, SS, or Ultra 5s.

John

I do not know what is in a Stillpoints device.

Note if there is a steel spring or compression device, then it will deform over time so you may have to eventually replace it (or the whole foot).

Still, I expect they will outlive the speakers... - Don

<edit: Just noticed John from Stillpoints responded right above, he should know!>

 

[LL21]

The materials in all Ultra products are stainless steel and ceramic. There are no materials in any of the products that will deteriorate over time. We are going to be using this aspect of the product in upcoming advertising.

John

Thanks and good to have you here for all the questions...

 

[BruceD]

Another Vote for the Stillpoints--at least they avoid the problem of the damn screw heads protruding all over some bases--ahem i.e Audio Note Dacs and can be moved to the "sweet spot"

The Marigos( Mystery feet) which I have also are a pain in the ass with the massive base area on the feet--Mr Marigo-can we use them upside down?--you can with the Stillpoints

BruceD

 

[1kitch]

Thanks all for the material deterioration clarification/discussion. The stillpoints are a great product and I won't think twice or have second thoughts now on additional purchases.

 

[allvinyl]

Stillpoints Ultra Products' Life Expectancy

Thanks all for the material deterioration clarification/discussion. The stillpoints are a great product and I won't think twice or have second thoughts now on additional purchases.

Thank you for the kudos and confidence in our products. We are very proud that our products can stand the test of time and be confidently passed on to audio hobby newcomers to not only improve their systems but to teach early on lessons of system foundation that many of us older hobbyists spent too many years understanding.

John

 

[Mobiusman]

Yesterday was my first exposure to Stillpoints in my system. I have a weird system somewhere at the top end of mid-fi or bottom of high end that has benefitted incredibly from numerous Shunyata upgrades on the power front, including a Triton and Typhon and Zitron PC's throughout, as well as an obscene amount of money on MIT signal cables and speaker wire. My components are good, but only modest by the standards of many on this forum (Martin Logan, JL, Spectral, BAT, Meitner etc). So it seemed that I was a perfect candidate to take my first sip of Stillpoint juice.

I bought 8 Ultra SS with adapters for my ML's since I thought that their system left a lot to be desired and i could see some gross moment of the reflection on the film and frame during high output with major mid bass. Since I had labored so hard to get the ML's in the best position for my room, I thought I would try to Ultra SS's under my JL 113's before screwing them into the ML's. I randomly put one under each corner (4 per) and took what I was very impressed with previously, especially after adding Shunyata Alpha HC PC's, to another level, in ways that I would not have imagined.

As expected the bass tightened up and in retrospect a lot of cabinet resonance went away, further contributing to the crispness, more than tightness, of the bass. What I was not prepared for was the illusion of the improved bass from the powered woofer in the ML's. Overall the bass was much more REAL with marked improvement in the foundation of the music all the way into the lower end of the midrange. Said another way, it was much more enjoyable to listen to because there was less boom, already minimal, but less is always better! I did not experiment with location and three versus 4 so I am quite interested in any feedback on these fronts.

I then moved the Ultra SS's to the ML's listening to the system with them gone from the JL and not yet installed on the ML's and it was painful compared to the increase in pleasure that I had just experienced. I then screwed the Ultra SS's into the ML's and heard a difference, but not as much as with the JL's. The difference is good enough that they will remain, but not the jaw-dropping experience some with heavier speakers have described. BTW, the gross vibration of the ML's is now totally gone on the most difficult music I can throw at them.

I have no doubt that the best choice will be getting more Stillpoint SS's or maybe Ultra 5's for the JL's and am open to suggestions regarding which on this front, remembering the modest nature of my system. Do I need 3 or 4 per? Should I buy the bases? I am also interested in suggestions about my components (BAT VK 32 SE preamp, Spectral 260, Meitner Dac, Mac Mini for audio serving, Oppo 103 as a transport. Any information on the ERS fabric would also be much appreciated.

 

[scouter]

Russ,
I have ultras under my 260, and it makes a big difference as well. I have spoken with some in the know, and they swear it makes the biggest difference putting them under the Shunyata power supplies. I haven't tried this yet, as I don't want to tinker much with the Spectral amp- kinda heavy, as you know and difficult to move while in a rack. When I move my system later in the fall to another room, I'm going to check this out. Keep us posted with your experimentation. Hard to believe these things work as well as they do, huh?

 

[rbbert]

I just put 3 Ultra Minis under my Modwright Oppo 105 with what are by now the expected improvements. Now I wonder if they will make much difference under my Pass INT-150 (I wonder because it is SS rather than tube, so maybe less difference than with tubed components or those with moving parts).

Remember to stay away from Andre's Symposium Acoustics thread

 

[LL21]

Yesterday was my first exposure to Stillpoints in my system...I was a perfect candidate to take my first sip of Stillpoint juice...

...I bought 8 Ultra SS with adapters for my ML's ...took what I was very impressed with previously... to another level, in ways that I would not have imagined...the bass tightened up and in retrospect a lot of cabinet resonance went away, further contributing to the crispness, more than tightness, of the bass. What I was not prepared for was the illusion of the improved bass from the powered woofer in the ML's. Overall the bass was much more REAL with marked improvement in the foundation of the music all the way into the lower end of the midrange. ...
I have no doubt that the best choice will be getting more Stillpoint SS's or maybe Ultra 5's for the JL's and am open to suggestions regarding which on this front, remembering the modest nature of my system. Do I need 3 or 4 per? Should I buy the bases? I am also interested in suggestions about my components (BAT VK 32 SE preamp, Spectral 260, Meitner Dac, Mac Mini for audio serving, Oppo 103 as a transport. Any information on the ERS fabric would also be much appreciated.

Welcome to a new horizon... It's pretty cool on this side... Personally, I am a huge fan. In my system, I have found the bases can make a nice difference but its more a solid fine tuning thing than a total change-up the way it seems you have already experienced.

I do like Ultra 5s a lot...and the number has often been 4 instead of 3 for me. But on my transport, 3 worked out great. Just bear in mind if you are doing 4, you're gonna have to spend some time to ensure solid weight on each one...as many of us know 3 distributes weight on all 3...sometimes with 4, one of them is loose and therefore not helping to carry the weight properly.

ERS fabric is apparently similar to Zanden's Asahi Pulshut which according to Zanden is similar to a reasonably thick slab of aluminium in shielding against RFI, EMI, etc. I cannot say if this is true, but it is what I have been told by a few distributors. Similar but not necessarily the same. What I can say is that a lot of people have had good experiences with ERS fabric, and as long as it is used judiciously, it helps to quiet the system noise. Good luck.

 

[Barry2013]

Hi Russ.
Welcome to the club! Yes they really do make a difference for the better.
I started with the Ultra SSs under my YG Carmels and as with you the improvement was immediately apparent.
Their base only requires three so that is what I use. As your speakers are four footed I would stay with four on each.
As to where next my experience would suggest amp(s), CD player and other sources. That is likely to be more cost effective than going for Ultra 5s on the speakers which could come later. The minis are also very good for lighter components and could always be upgraded later.
Doing it across the system in a balanced way is IMHO the way to go and more threes than fewer fours with fourths added later as resources permit

 

[the sound of Tao]

Russ,
I also harmlessly started with 8 Ultra SS some time back, then bought in half a dozen U-minis and some U5s shortly after that.

In hindsight I probably should have just gone straight to crack as it would have been cheaper and less addictive.

Now there are no U-minis or U-SS. As much as I tried to keep it to 3 at a time there are now 4xU5s under the speakers, the amp, the pre, the DAC and both Shunyata Cyclops. I showed some self control tho and only have 2x U5s under the Mac Air.

Theres a great beneficial relationship between Stillpoints and Shunyata... both make it inky black and resolved but the Ultras bring air and an additional element of odd order incisiveness to marry with the Shunyata's tendency to fullness and what I figure is an even order richness.

I don't even feel any remorse about the addiction because it is lasting infrastructure that makes any good component I have sound great.

Along with the Anaconda and Python Ztrons PCs and Shunyata Cyclops they have made clearly the largest return on investment in terms of improving every other part of the circuit. I get that return every time I put some music on even if its an expensive habit to develop. Good luck sticking with 8 SS.

 

[LL21]

Russ,
I also harmlessly started with 8 Ultra SS some time back, then bought in half a dozen U-minis and some U5s shortly after that.

In hindsight I probably should have just gone straight to crack as it would have been cheaper and less addictive.

... As much as I tried to keep it to 3 at a time there are now 4xU5s under the speakers, the amp, the pre, the DAC and both Shunyata Cyclops. I showed some self control tho and only have 2x U5s under the Mac Air...

...I don't even feel any remorse about the addiction because it is lasting infrastructure that makes any good component I have sound great... I get that return every time I put some music on even if its an expensive habit to develop. Good luck sticking with 8 SS.

I agree on the lasting infrastructure part. I have spent the last year or so on infrastructure...mechanical isolation, then grounding and more recently, came across Entreq wraps which I have been playing with where they wrap around areas with [I am told] a propensity for EMI/RFI...ACs, plug inlets/outlets. So far so good.

All of this infrastructure is continuing to lower distortion where the same signal/voice of my system I have worked for years to get is now coming thru but where images are more and more still, ambience queues come out where before there were none. And ambience queues are also more stable throughout a piece of music even during loud, complex crescendos.

Still learning, still enjoying...and yes, good luck sticking with 8 SS...if you can do it, you've got more restraint than I do (and apparently many of us!).

 

[scouter]

We need to start a support group- SA. Can be for all members addicted to Stillpoints or Shunyata.