YG Hailey 2.2 + CMS CenterStage2 LS footers : Mind-blowing!

[CKKeung]

I am a fans of CMS CenterStage2 footers.
Their new LS Series footers for loudspeakers have arrived in Hong Kong not too long ago.
A friend of mine visited the dealer showroom and told me that the LS footers could transform a pair of YG Hailey to Sonja, performance-wise.


Was he bluffing?
I decided to visit the dealer and listen with my own ears.

Here is the listening room for higher-end components at the CMS dealer in HK.
The dealer carries also Luxman, Soulution and YG.


I asked the dealer to compare Hailey 2.2 with its orginal spikes vs CenterStage2 LS1.0.
The other components used for the experiment were Luxman D-10X sacd player, Soulution 525+711.

We listened first to the Hailey2.2 with their orignal spikes. The spikes looked nice and well-built/sturdy :


Then we installed the LS1.0 :


The result was straightforward :
My friend's claim was validated!


The Hailey2.2 was transformed by the LS1.0.
Every sonic aspects were improved by such a big margin that as if the speakers were transormed to a pair of Sonja!


I could hear zero negative effect/trade-off.
The installation was easy and the Hailey2.2 sitting on four LS1.0 was stable and looked very nice as well.

IMHO CenterStage2 LS footers are must-add for all Hailey and Vantage models.
For Carmel2, the only consideration may be the cost ratio, but performance-wise it must be a no brainer.

For Sonja, it's a pity that their bottom is not horizontal. Hope that a solution can be found (I heard that Joe of CMS is thinking/designing a cradle?).

 

[CKKeung]

Easter Egg :
That Hong Kong YG/CMS dealer is also a retailer of CrystalConnect cables.

It so happened that there were Art Series Da Vinci powercord and xlr ic for demo in the showroom yesterday.


After listening to the Hailey2.2 + LS1.0, I asked the dealer to install the Da Vinci cables onto the Luxman D-10X.

OMG! I was speechless for many minutes!

Please refer to my WBF post about these unbelievable Da Vinci cables :

CrystalConnect Art Series Da Vinci - Best Cables of 2020

Disclaimer : Although the title of this thread is Best Cable of 2020, that's my personal view only and YMMV. ;) In fact Crystal cables are all along not my cup of tea. In the past I considered them too finesse/civilized. However both Siltech and Crystal have a lot of changes during the recent...

www.whatsbestforum.com

I was in heaven yesterday afternoon!

 

[MRJAZZ]

Easter Egg :
That Hong Kong YG/CMS dealer is also a retailer of CrystalConnect cables.

It so happened that there were Art Series Da Vinci powercord and xlr ic for demo in the showroom yesterday.
View attachment 73744

After listening to the Hailey2.2 + LS1.0, I asked the dealer to install the Da Vinci cables onto the Luxman D-10X.

OMG! I was speechless for many minutes!

Please refer to my WBF post about these unbelievable Da Vinci cables here :

CrystalConnect Art Series Da Vinci - Best Cables of 2020

Disclaimer : Although the title of this thread is Best Cable of 2020, that's my personal view only and YMMV. ;) In fact Crystal cables are all along not my cup of tea. In the past I considered them too finesse/civilized. However both Siltech and Crystal have a lot of changes during the recent...

www.whatsbestforum.com

I was in heaven yesterday afternoon!

Easter Egg :
That Hong Kong YG/CMS dealer is also a retailer of CrystalConnect cables.

It so happened that there were Art Series Da Vinci powercord and xlr ic for demo in the showroom yesterday.
View attachment 73744

After listening to the Hailey2.2 + LS1.0, I asked the dealer to install the Da Vinci cables onto the Luxman D-10X.

OMG! I was speechless for many minutes!

Please refer to my WBF post about these unbelievable Da Vinci cables here :

CrystalConnect Art Series Da Vinci - Best Cables of 2020

Disclaimer : Although the title of this thread is Best Cable of 2020, that's my personal view only and YMMV. ;) In fact Crystal cables are all along not my cup of tea. In the past I considered them too finesse/civilized. However both Siltech and Crystal have a lot of changes during the recent...

www.whatsbestforum.com

I was in heaven yesterday afternoon!

Interesting report....but noticed the supplied spikes are still attached to the speaker, and appear to be touching the carpet below. Perhaps they should be removed, with even better performance to be had......by the way I thought these “footers”, require substantial “break-in/settling” time for them to reach optimal performance......

 

[CKKeung]

Interesting report....but noticed the supplied spikes are still attached to the speaker, and appear to be touching the carpet below. Perhaps they should be removed, with even better performance to be had......by the way I thought these “footers”, require substantial “break-in/settling” time for them to reach optimal performance......

Don't worry, I checked that the spikes were not on any weight when the LS1.0 were installed.

Yes the LS1.0 does need time to settle down to give their best performance.
Also, the carpet of the listening room is not the optimal surface to place the LS1.0.
But the LS1.0 still gave stellar performance!

 

[RaChiK]

Very good. Can you tell me what characters of Luxman D-10X did the crytalconnect Davinci power cord improve. I have DD-10X and am researching a good power cable. Did you try CMS centerstage2 footers on D-10X ?

 

[moby2004]

I am a fans of CMS CenterStage2 footers.
Their new LS Series footers for loudspeakers have arrived in Hong Kong not too long ago.
A friend of mine visited the dealer showroom and told me that the LS footers could transform a pair of YG Hailey to Sonja, performance-wise.


Was he bluffing?
I decided to visit the dealer and listen with my own ears.

Here is the listening room for higher-end components at the CMS dealer in HK.
The dealer carries also Luxman, Soulution and YG.
View attachment 73741

I asked the dealer to compare Hailey 2.2 with its orginal spikes vs CenterStage2 LS1.0.
The other components used for the experiment were Luxman D-10X sacd player, Soulution 525+711.

We listened first to the Hailey2.2 with their orignal spikes. The spikes looked nice and well-built/sturdy :
View attachment 73742

Then we installed the LS1.0 :
View attachment 73743

The result was straightforward :
My friend's claim was validated!


The Hailey2.2 was transformed by the LS1.0.
Every sonic aspects were improved by such a big margin that as if the speakers were transormed to a pair of Sonja!


I could hear zero negative effect/trade-off.
The installation was easy and the Hailey2.2 sitting on four LS1.0 was stable and looked very nice as well.

IMHO CenterStage2 LS footers are must-add for all Hailey and Vantage models.
For Carmel2, the only consideration may be the cost ratio, but performance-wise it must be a no brainer.

For Sonja, it's a pity that their bottom is not horizontal. Hope that a solution can be found (I heard that Joe of CMS is thinking/designing a cradle?).

Eagerly waiting for the solution for Sonja speakers. I was so disappointed when I realised I could not give the CMS footers a try on my Sonja...
Alex

 

[CKKeung]

Very good. Can you tell me what characters of Luxman D-10X did the crytalconnect Davinci power cord improve. I have DD-10X and am researching a good power cable. Did you try CMS centerstage2 footers on D-10X ?

Hi Romney80,

Virtually every sonic aspects of D-10X were improved.
But those invincible continuousness & naturalness of Da Vinci were there.
Very poisonous & addicting!
I can't think of any digital or analog frontends whom the Da Vinci cannot benefit.

However, the Da Vinci power cable is more expensive than a D-10X in Hong Kong (there is no import tax nor VAT here).
So it's again a cost consideration. Will a D-10X owner prefer to use the fund to upgrade to a better digital frontend instead?
For flagship grade digital frontends such as CH Precision or dCS Vivaldi or my MSB Select ...etc. , the Da Vinci cables are their perfect partners for sure.

What's the price of D-10X in your country?

 

[RaChiK]

Hi Romney80,

Virtually every sonic aspects of D-10X were improved.
But those invincible continuousness & naturalness of Da Vinci were there.
Very poisonous & addicting!
I can't think of any digital or analog frontends whom the Da Vinci cannot benefit.

However, the Da Vinci power cable is more expensive than a D-10X in Hong Kong (there is no import tax nor VAT here).
So it's again a cost consideration. Will a D-10X owner prefer to use the fund to upgrade to a better digital frontend instead?
For flagship grade digital frontends such as CH Precision or dCS Vivaldi or my MSB Select etc. , the Da Vinci is their perfect partner for sure.

What's the price of D-10X in your country?

Hi CK (By the way I am known as Mr CK here
D-10X costs 17000 USD here. Yes, the cost of cable is too much. I have been using Shunyata anaconda and they are very good so far.

 

[CKKeung]

Hi CK (By the way I am known as Mr CK here
D-10X costs 17000 USD here. Yes, the cost of cable is too much. I have been using Shunyata anaconda and they are very good so far.

There is a personal 2nd best powercord of 2020 (for frontends & preamps) which is a lot cheaper than the Da Vinci.

I will write a post on the WBF Cable Forum about it soon.

 

[RaChiK]

I will write a post on the WBF Cable Forum about it soon.

Very nice. Will wait for it then. Looking forward.

 

[Tango]

These feet are mind-blowing indeed. They shape sound like nothing else.

 

[Steve Williams]

I am a fans of CMS CenterStage2 footers.
Their new LS Series footers for loudspeakers have arrived in Hong Kong not too long ago.
A friend of mine visited the dealer showroom and told me that the LS footers could transform a pair of YG Hailey to Sonja, performance-wise.


Was he bluffing?
I decided to visit the dealer and listen with my own ears.

Here is the listening room for higher-end components at the CMS dealer in HK.
The dealer carries also Luxman, Soulution and YG.
View attachment 73741

I asked the dealer to compare Hailey 2.2 with its orginal spikes vs CenterStage2 LS1.0.
The other components used for the experiment were Luxman D-10X sacd player, Soulution 525+711.

We listened first to the Hailey2.2 with their orignal spikes. The spikes looked nice and well-built/sturdy :
View attachment 73742

Then we installed the LS1.0 :
View attachment 73743

The result was straightforward :
My friend's claim was validated!


The Hailey2.2 was transformed by the LS1.0.
Every sonic aspects were improved by such a big margin that as if the speakers were transormed to a pair of Sonja!


I could hear zero negative effect/trade-off.
The installation was easy and the Hailey2.2 sitting on four LS1.0 was stable and looked very nice as well.

IMHO CenterStage2 LS footers are must-add for all Hailey and Vantage models.
For Carmel2, the only consideration may be the cost ratio, but performance-wise it must be a no brainer.

For Sonja, it's a pity that their bottom is not horizontal. Hope that a solution can be found (I heard that Joe of CMS is thinking/designing a cradle?).

I said here that imo the LS series is the best product Joe has brought to market. and the LS 1.5 is La Creme de la Creme ( as CK would describe them)

 

[howiebrou]

Easter Egg :
That Hong Kong YG/CMS dealer is also a retailer of CrystalConnect cables.

It so happened that there were Art Series Da Vinci powercord and xlr ic for demo in the showroom yesterday.
View attachment 73744

After listening to the Hailey2.2 + LS1.0, I asked the dealer to install the Da Vinci cables onto the Luxman D-10X.

OMG! I was speechless for many minutes!

Please refer to my WBF post about these unbelievable Da Vinci cables :

CrystalConnect Art Series Da Vinci - Best Cables of 2020

Disclaimer : Although the title of this thread is Best Cable of 2020, that's my personal view only and YMMV. ;) In fact Crystal cables are all along not my cup of tea. In the past I considered them too finesse/civilized. However both Siltech and Crystal have a lot of changes during the recent...

www.whatsbestforum.com

I was in heaven yesterday afternoon!

CK,

Please tell Thomas I am waiting for him to lend me some CS2 footers to try

 

[CKKeung]

CK,

Please tell Thomas I am waiting for him to lend me some CS2 footers to try

No problem, I shall call Thomas at once!
(Thomas is the manager of Famous AV, the CMS dealer in HK)

 

[Steve Williams]

I am a fans of CMS CenterStage2 footers.
Their new LS Series footers for loudspeakers have arrived in Hong Kong not too long ago.
A friend of mine visited the dealer showroom and told me that the LS footers could transform a pair of YG Hailey to Sonja, performance-wise.


Was he bluffing?
I decided to visit the dealer and listen with my own ears.

Here is the listening room for higher-end components at the CMS dealer in HK.
The dealer carries also Luxman, Soulution and YG.
View attachment 73741

I asked the dealer to compare Hailey 2.2 with its orginal spikes vs CenterStage2 LS1.0.
The other components used for the experiment were Luxman D-10X sacd player, Soulution 525+711.

We listened first to the Hailey2.2 with their orignal spikes. The spikes looked nice and well-built/sturdy :
View attachment 73742

Then we installed the LS1.0 :
View attachment 73743

The result was straightforward :
My friend's claim was validated!


The Hailey2.2 was transformed by the LS1.0.
Every sonic aspects were improved by such a big margin that as if the speakers were transormed to a pair of Sonja!


I could hear zero negative effect/trade-off.
The installation was easy and the Hailey2.2 sitting on four LS1.0 was stable and looked very nice as well.

IMHO CenterStage2 LS footers are must-add for all Hailey and Vantage models.
For Carmel2, the only consideration may be the cost ratio, but performance-wise it must be a no brainer.

For Sonja, it's a pity that their bottom is not horizontal. Hope that a solution can be found (I heard that Joe of CMS is thinking/designing a cradle?).

CK

The third photo shows the LS 1.0 under the speaker but I also see a front spike that is clearly in the carpet

The stock feet (that spike) need to be elevated off the carpet. This can be done by turning the saucers to create that elevation as well as making certain that the speaker is level in all 3 planes OR just remove the speaker spikes completely and then you won't need to adjust the saucers

 

[CKKeung]

CK

The third photo shows the LS 1.0 under the speaker but I also see a front spike that is clearly in the carpet

The stock feet (that spike) need to be elevated off the carpet. This can be done by turning the saucers to create that elevation as well as making certain that the speaker is level in all 3 planes OR just remove the speaker spikes completely and then you won't need to adjust the saucers

Don't worry.
It seemed to be but I checked the spikes at that time and made sure that they were not supporting any weight of the Hailey.

 

[KeithR]

so Haileys + feet = Sonjas? I'd love to hear about someone who has done this exact comparison, not hypothesis. the Sonja is vastly different in construction to the Hailey so have strong doubts. it's not just a "bigger speaker"

 

[spiritofmusic]

Keith, my Revopods footers make my Zu Definitions 4 into Definitions 4.1

 

[CKKeung]

so Haileys + feet = Sonjas? I'd love to hear about someone who has done this exact comparison, not hypothesis. the Sonja is vastly different in construction to the Hailey so have strong doubts. it's not just a "bigger speaker"

Yes, Sonja got many very diff and more advanced designs.

BTW what I said on #1 is by my impression only.
There wasn't a pair of Sonja2.2 for me to do a direct comparison, so WBF brothers please take my words with some grains of salt.

 

[howiebrou]

so Haileys + feet = Sonjas? I'd love to hear about someone who has done this exact comparison, not hypothesis. the Sonja is vastly different in construction to the Hailey so have strong doubts. it's not just a "bigger speaker"

I wouldn’t take it so literally. Obviously there is a use of poetic license here to make a point.