Putting odd things on top - Acouplex or other means to damp those wells for the levelling spikes?

[engadin]

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You may have read Roy Gregory’s report on those Acouplex Refract boards. They sit with some conical feet in the opened wells that contain the levelling spikes.
I went to the Peak Consult Diablo room with exactly that set up.
Herr Heckel, who did the demo, kindly demonstrated the Acouplex board effectiveness.
He just removed it from the M1.1 power amp and put it on again later.
Only one component.
Adding the Acouplex board undeniably improved things.
Space, stage opened up, single tones more intense. These were my impressions with just a few minutes listening.

So my questions are:
Would CH P amps benefit from this approach as well when the CH P spikes aren’t used?
Which CH P components have most benefit from these Acouplex boards, which ones less?
Has someone tried other things to damp or treat those spike containing wells?

Thx for your input!
I do hope to avoid the invest for those Acouplex Refract boards, 1k per board, as I am saving my pennies for a P1.
But having heard what a single board does, this is difficult.
Also I have already put Neodio B2 in the center on top of all my CH P. You can’t do both.

Cheers, Ulrich

 

[RoyGregory]

Because the tubes that contain the spikes/posts are attached directly to the base plate of the unit, a base plate that serves as a mechanical ground plane, the ReFract damping plate works whether you use it with the spikes or not. In Munich, the 1 Series set-up was equipped with titanium spikes and stood on Silent Mount SM3-tx two-part titanium footers (produced by Andante-Largo who also produced the racks).

 

[engadin]

Hmmm.
On top of my CH P gear there are already sitting Neodio B2.
On my A1.5 there is also a Taiko Setchi, which should be placed on top of the component.
So I am looking for alternative approaches to damp those tubes.

Those of us not using the spike posts could fill those tubes with some damping material.
Stripes of self expanding foam?
Acrylic pearls or small Titanium balls come to my mind ….
Something you could get out again easily with a vacuum cleaner

Other odd ideas or reports of bizarre experiments are highly welcome

 

[sbnx]

I have experimented with several different devices on the top of CH gear. Currently I use an HRS damping plate and a Neodio B2. My Acouplex Refract boards arrive next week. All of these devices perform different duties. Given what I know about the Neodio B2's, I bet they can be placed on top of the Refract plates with a very similar result. I will let you know how everything turns out.

 

[sbnx]

I have experimented with several different devices on the top of CH gear. Currently I use an HRS damping plate and a Neodio B2. My Acouplex Refract boards arrive next week. All of these devices perform different duties. Given what I know about the Neodio B2's, I bet they can be placed on top of the Refract plates with a very similar result. I will let you know how everything turns out.

Hello.

I installed the Refract plates this past week on an L10, a C1.2 and a T1. Huge boost in performance. Some observations on the install.

If you get the Refract plate with the "standard" ReCo feet then it will fit very close to the top of the CH component. Maybe 1/4 inch from the surface. Obviously nothing is going to fit under this. If you get the ReCoCo feet then the standoff is much more stubstantial. A Neodio B2 easily fits under. The HRS DPX damping plate does not have enough room to fit under the plate with the ReCoCo feet. If the foot were 1mm taller the HRS DPX plate would fit. The HRS DPII would easily fit. So if you have an HRS DPX plate on top and want to keep it, then you will need the ReCoCo foot and a ReCap. The good news: Adding more acouplex ups the performance.

A couple notes on installation:

I suggest threading the peak rod into the Refract plate first and then screw on the foot. Otherwise you can end up with not very much of the thread in the plate. This can cause the plate to be "off".

Thread the foot on the plate so that it is tight but be careful. The peek thread is brittle and can snap off. Do not gorilla tighten it. I did not snap any off but just a word of warning to those that like to overtighten things.

Make sure the plate's feet are pressed firmly into the holes. There should not be any wobble. Tapping on the plate over the feet should sound like a thud. If the feet of the Refract plate are not securely in the holes then this will very negatively effect the sound.