Hi Mike this is a very good insight and observation of what really happens in chassis dynamics. When tightly integrated into the overall architecture the passive negative stiffness approach offers many benefits.
My Continuum Audio Labs Caliburn Project
- Thread starter Lee
- Start date
Thank you for sharing your experience, I learned new things from your post. IMHO MinusK is a good isolation platform but it’s hard to set it up and I’m not really a two left handed person.
the best passive material is sylomer, a heavy foam. it fights everything above 5 hz very effectively. you have to know the weight to be carried. then you have to use a formula to calculate the size of the 3 or 4 pads that come under the turntable. type sr 11 yellow up to 50kg type sr 55 green for higher weight. Exsample impulse on the floor.
www.acoustic-group.com
P.S
Anything below 5Hz is very rare, for example an earthquake or a tank driving through the listening room. The phenomenon occurs in 1 out of 100 cases. Tonearm resonances around 6-15 Hz, impact noise occurs in the room at 30-70 Hz
Sylomer SR 11 yellow - Sylomer - Acoustic Group
P.S
Anything below 5Hz is very rare, for example an earthquake or a tank driving through the listening room. The phenomenon occurs in 1 out of 100 cases. Tonearm resonances around 6-15 Hz, impact noise occurs in the room at 30-70 Hz
The best way to compare performance is to look at the test data,minusk have published very detailed test data ,Herzan Seismion's is a bit simpler, but their coordinates are in different units and need to be converted .....
and minusk recently make a video to compare these.....
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Isolatoren – Seismion
seismion.com
New plus data hasn't been released ,seem is better than Reactio much..
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Transmissibility Curve, VC Curves & Criterion for Vibration Isolation Isolator Tables | Performance
Transmissibility Curve & VC Curves criteria/criterion for negative-stiffness vibration isolation control systems, tables & platforms.
minusk.com
Transmissibility Curve, VC Curves & Criterion for Vibration Isolation Isolator Tables | Performance
Transmissibility Curve & VC Curves criteria/criterion for negative-stiffness vibration isolation control systems, tables & platforms.
minusk.com
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Quick update: getting an oil change soon for the table thanks to the good service from Continuum tech Rich O’Neil.
As I listen more, one thing that is standing out for me is the decay of notes and the realism of instrument timbre. This is really making my Blue Note and classical music collections sound right. I am so happy when I listen to this beast of a table!
As I listen more, one thing that is standing out for me is the decay of notes and the realism of instrument timbre. This is really making my Blue Note and classical music collections sound right. I am so happy when I listen to this beast of a table!
Although it is a great idea, implementation of magnetic bearings is not an easy job. It needs extremely uniform and symmetric magnets, otherwise it will induce micro variations in drag.
There has been mature technology used by several companies for 45 years. I'm not worried about that
I will attempt to answer this in a couple of ways...
1. It was fairly groundbreaking for its time as an all-out assault on analog. Fremer used his for 15 years as a reference.
2. I think they sold dozens of them but at $150-200K it was a limited audience for sure.
3. I was told the R&D was very expensive for this table.
I sort of think of it as the Carrerra GT of its day. The GT came out two years before. Given the build quality I am witnessing it is not surprising they sell fast when available on the used market.
It really helps to have a precise bearing approach. I think the continuous ring makes it a bit easier on the Caliburn. Dohmann felt the platter needed to have a traditional bearing for noise dissipation but he went with a huge spindle at 1" diameter by 5". I think that Esoteric is taking a similar approach with the magnets effectively lowering the weight of the platter.
Further notes on sound quality from the Caliburn after an extended listening session tonight. I finally had time to take in the changes to the system, most notably the Caliburn and (finally) a decent number of hours on the Ref Phono 3SE (326).
> Perhaps the best thing this table does is present a wide and deep soundstage. It’s just astonishing. It’s rearranging what I thought was possible from analog.
> There is a feeling of solidity in where the instruments are and the note decays go on as long as the recording permits.
> i listened to the demo quality LP “The Wonderful Sounds of Quality Record Pressings”. This $95 three record, six side set has reference sound quality (for some reason the classical music on Side 2 was noisy, maybe got a bad pressing). There is an immersive quality to the mastering of these tracks…no surprise since this lineup was selected by Chad Kassem himself, originally for the Throens 125 set. The music just comes alive. I think the word here is Presence. Spectacular realism!
> Guitar sound, acoustic or electric, just comes alive. Listening to the Mofi 45 of Industrial Disease and it just jumps! There is a lot going here and I feel like the instruments get separated from each other in a way that doesn’t destroy the layering. It creates more and more musical engagement. It’s addictive. It’s the best I have heard this song.
> Instrument purity. Piano, violin, cello, acoustic guitar, trumpet...timbres are spot on.
> Dynamics are incredible. Soft to loud passages just feel natural. It really comes across on the QRP set with Hugh Masekela’s Stimela.
I think I am done with analog for a while but we will be adding the Minus K platform next year If things go well. This is a really special table even in 2023. If you can find one used for an acceptable price, snag it. You won’t be disappointed.
> Perhaps the best thing this table does is present a wide and deep soundstage. It’s just astonishing. It’s rearranging what I thought was possible from analog.
> There is a feeling of solidity in where the instruments are and the note decays go on as long as the recording permits.
> i listened to the demo quality LP “The Wonderful Sounds of Quality Record Pressings”. This $95 three record, six side set has reference sound quality (for some reason the classical music on Side 2 was noisy, maybe got a bad pressing). There is an immersive quality to the mastering of these tracks…no surprise since this lineup was selected by Chad Kassem himself, originally for the Throens 125 set. The music just comes alive. I think the word here is Presence. Spectacular realism!
> Guitar sound, acoustic or electric, just comes alive. Listening to the Mofi 45 of Industrial Disease and it just jumps! There is a lot going here and I feel like the instruments get separated from each other in a way that doesn’t destroy the layering. It creates more and more musical engagement. It’s addictive. It’s the best I have heard this song.
> Instrument purity. Piano, violin, cello, acoustic guitar, trumpet...timbres are spot on.
> Dynamics are incredible. Soft to loud passages just feel natural. It really comes across on the QRP set with Hugh Masekela’s Stimela.
I think I am done with analog for a while but we will be adding the Minus K platform next year If things go well. This is a really special table even in 2023. If you can find one used for an acceptable price, snag it. You won’t be disappointed.
Looks for all the world like a modified Verdier Platine design...
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