We put a PS Audio Power Base under my mate’s Lyngdorf TDAi2200 (fully digital amp) last week
The improvement was obvious - more defined bass, wider and deeper soundstage. He’s happily left it in - and wants another for the impeding G1 purchase.
I’ve had Mana Acoustics under my system for years, analogue and digital. It just works.
So, Yes
No Slim, it means exactly what it says. Most objectivists think measurement is king but wouldn’t know how to interpret a measurement to save their lives. But the tribal urge is strong. They band together and use emotive language and ridicule in the place of any factual rebuttal. I say so as an objectivist myself. Sometimes I am not very proud of my tribe.
Does the Lyngdorf have an analogue low pass filter on the output stage?
Dunno, don’t think so.
It has various digital filters and room correction - there’s a digital crossover; useful when you run a 2+2 (as I do).
The only analogue I know of is the output (obviously) and an analogue input module (that I’ve never had). My understanding is that it is a ‘power DAC’ i.e. rather than the line level you get from a normal DAC (2v?) it outputs something like 48v and dispenses with the need for a separate amp.
Could be marketing bolox, mind 
A bit of further digging suggests it does, although I infer from the response specifications that it’s still a little sensitive to loudspeaker load.
I’m not hugely familiar with class D amplifiers, so I guess I’m wondering if it’s the output filter being affected by vibration, or maybe how the high frequency switched output is fed from the power rails. All analogue effects though…
No idea what’s happening, but it is
I’ve had loads of kit over the years, all benefited from decent supports/stands
I had a Levinson Ref CD transport and DAC, built like brick sh1t houses, the transport had suspension and buffers etc etc - both noticeably better on the Mana
Maybe for some. For myself, for anything subjectively expressed, I want to see a correlation with something objectively measurable. If I don’t understand the result of such a measurement then it something I may need to make an effort to learn about.
But isn’t that a common problem everywhere? You may casually observe something, you set up better conditions for proper repeatable observation and measurement, then you try to figure out what the results mean and for the scientists, formulate a hypothesis and prove/disprove it.
Not understanding results is not and should not be a barrier to attempting to observe and measure. In the case of audio measurements we don’t always need to understand the raw measurements, just understand an explanation of them and be able to decide if the explanation is reasonable and ideally correct or not.
The problem is often the unwillingness to measure for fear that there is just nothing there.
Objectivists vs subjectivists can probably be summed up with this quote:
In science, contrary evidence causes one to question a theory. In religion, contrary evidence causes one to question the evidence. — Floyd Toole
Ad hominem. Can’t win that way.
I prefer rationalist. Maybe they are different things. It’s more like seeking an explanation or evidence; if there isn’t any, then one has to doubt the proposition.
I’m a big fan of vibration control. The adverse effect of vibration is not limited to tubes (I have tube amps) but extends to “our friend the capacitor”, the most problematic of the basic electronic components.
I like weighting and damping components which have built in transformers to reduce vibration. toroidal transformers seem less prone to create vibration than conventional shapes. Obviously don’t cover any air vents in the process. Separating power supplies from the component is a good start to reduce vibration.
Does it make an audible difference ? I don’t know, I haven’t tried A/B ing it because I know I don’t remember sound that well and it would take time to add and subtract a component. I just know I like to control it where I can. I’m quite content to tinker with my system as art, rather than strictly on a scientific basis.
Oh, I like this.
I jump between the 2, depending what day of the week it is 
Yes. My 2 lb. Darko doorstops look spiffy.
Not sure how the gross level products being trumpeted in this thread can ameliorate capacitor vibrations and the like. These devices are, for the most part, meant to address vibrations transmitted to/from the case work. No? If components such as this are vibrating so badly that an external sop has any effect, then there are other problems.
“Darko doorstops” were introduced simply to hold smaller/light weight components in place which might otherwise be pulled by connecting cables.
I’ve adopted Brad’s Magical Sandwich Layer®, consisting of three Herbie’s Baby Booties on the equipment shelf, then the endpoint that I hope to quiet balanced on the resulting plane, and then three more Booties between the top of the endpoint and a Darko doorstop weight on top.
What a fun hobby!
Exactly this. I use two wilco ones on each of my pi’s purely to hold them in place as the usb cables make them squirm all other place and found one, one day hanging over the edge of the unit it was on as a result. With the door stop in place they stay in place, do the effect sq absolutely not, but they make a good conversation piece.
Well, looks like we won’t need quite so much in the way of anti-vibration products in the short-term:
I’m expecting a veil will be lifted any time now 
My naim streamer amp comes with a wobbly (no doubt a more technical description exists) mains socket to avoid vibration. I thought the bloody thing was broken at first.
I have found Isoacoustics Gaia feet did improve the sound of my PMC OB1 speakers. I enjoy the improvement in terms of more clarity/ less muddy sound a lot and don’t care what anyone else thinks to much 
love t’y’all and enjoy your own path through hifi! During lock down you’ll find times you love your hifi and other times when it don’t sound right. Tweak And try- fail learn and move on and sometimes you’ll discover Something that works for your unique circumstances.
Mostly enjoy Queen, the Cardigans and Lia Ices!
Roon rocks!
Just record the output of your gear with and without the Anti-vibration and then compare the recorded waveforms.
Speakers are an entirely different story.
I don’t think anyone would disagree with the effectiveness of speaker isolation.
After all, they ship with various feet for a reason.
Well… I don’t that feel that the ‘tone’ used in this topic, is too inviting for any ‘objectivist’ to join here… :).
But sure, I think I can share a few nice things here. Without stirring things up. I’ll bite the bait :).
First : Yes, microphonics are a very real thing in solid state electronics. Absolutely. Especially true for your capacitor example.
Any ‘objectivist’ that tells you otherwise, is either not informed well enough, or simply lying to the benefit of his point.
In fact, this is the main working principle for condenser microphones. If this effect was based on fantasy, then a condenser microphone would simply do nothing at all.
Now, if you’d ask me to prove that your antivibration product was ■■■■■■■■ : I cannot and will not do that for you.
Has nothing to do with a lack of knowlegde. Such a product actually does help alleviate said problem ! No discussion at all.
(I’m carefully avoiding to detail the scale of said problem here).
The main problem I have with this solution (from an engineering perspective), is how extremely inefficient this solution is.
In order to understand why, I need to shortly explain something :
A capacitor is quite an easy thing, as a model. It is not more than two electrically conductive plates, separated by something non-conductive (=dielectric).
There is a whole lot more to know, but you don’t need it for now.
Schematically, that would look like this :
For microphonics to occur, the distance ‘d’ between the plate needs to change periodically.
In other words : either squeeze the capacitor, or expand it every few microseconds.
What will happen if a mechanical wave comes in ? Indeed, the capacitor will move a bit.
But : this will move the capacitor as a whole. The distance ‘d’ might change a slight bit, but it will surely not be by the amount that the capacitor itself moved.
The antivibration pad will do a good job, at trying to make that capacitor-as-a-whole journey, a bit shorter. And thereby, make the d-deviation a bit smaller. Sure thing !
But : it makes absolutely no attempt at all, at trying to make the distance ‘d’ itself stable !
…And proper capacitor design does do that. Capacitors that do focus on stabilizing that distance do exist, and are used.
What I’m trying to say : use capacitors that are fit-for-purpose, and the problem is much more solved than an external damper could ever provide.
Of course, everyone is free to have their own opinion on those dampers. I don’t mind at all if you like them, and in fact, I can’t object to that.
But : if you seek for big improvement in this regards, you should look for them in the design of the capacitor itself. An improvement in an external damper, can be marginal at most. Just because it cannot affect the stability of distance d, directly…
