No. The market for anti-vibration products in audio is big, with high margins. The salesman was simply repeating the marketing spiel. Possibly he believes it is true. Whatever his motivation for repeating it, it's still incorrect. There's no context in which it could be otherwise.
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Do vibrations have an impact on solid-state amplifiers' sound quality?
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somebodyelse
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It's a common tactic in marketing things. Start with a kernel of fact then assert that it's important without demonstrating its effect is big enough to make a difference.
It's a fact that components and circuits can be affected by vibration, some more than others. We know the mechanisms for this - we exploit them to make microphones, accelerometers, strain gauges and so on. It's the engineer's job to make sure it is controlled suitably for the job at hand. For domestic audio amps it's small enough that you probably won't even think about it as you would be unlucky for it to be worse than any of the many other things you do actually have to consider, and trade off. The vibration you do actually have to consider happens in shipping, and can break things. If you're designing an amp for an active speaker you might put a bit more consideration into vibration,
It's not completely inconceivable that an amplifier sensitive to vibration in a domestic setting could make it to market - we have seen some truly dreadful build quality in teardowns. They will be few and far between though. Much more common is mechanical hum or buzz from transformers, or coil or cap whine in SMPS or class D amps. And sometimes that hum or buzz can be cured by sticking a weight on top, damping some panel or tightening a screw.
It's a fact that components and circuits can be affected by vibration, some more than others. We know the mechanisms for this - we exploit them to make microphones, accelerometers, strain gauges and so on. It's the engineer's job to make sure it is controlled suitably for the job at hand. For domestic audio amps it's small enough that you probably won't even think about it as you would be unlucky for it to be worse than any of the many other things you do actually have to consider, and trade off. The vibration you do actually have to consider happens in shipping, and can break things. If you're designing an amp for an active speaker you might put a bit more consideration into vibration,
It's not completely inconceivable that an amplifier sensitive to vibration in a domestic setting could make it to market - we have seen some truly dreadful build quality in teardowns. They will be few and far between though. Much more common is mechanical hum or buzz from transformers, or coil or cap whine in SMPS or class D amps. And sometimes that hum or buzz can be cured by sticking a weight on top, damping some panel or tightening a screw.
It's a simple case of:
Technically yes, practically no.
Many components—even cables—can exhibit microphonic behavior, meaning they can pick up motion, deformation, or acceleration.
However, these effects are nowhere near relevant in most situations. The level of motion, deformation, or acceleration caused by normal vibrations in your home is nowhere close to being strong enough to have a significant impact.
Technically yes, practically no.
Many components—even cables—can exhibit microphonic behavior, meaning they can pick up motion, deformation, or acceleration.
However, these effects are nowhere near relevant in most situations. The level of motion, deformation, or acceleration caused by normal vibrations in your home is nowhere close to being strong enough to have a significant impact.
HaveMeterWillTravel
Senior Member
Microphonics were once an issue with older tube designs (pre-60s).
But even with those, the top cover was neither the cause nor required area of 'treatment".
It was better designed tubes.
But even with those, the top cover was neither the cause nor required area of 'treatment".
It was better designed tubes.
Mojo Warrior
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I will not belabor the topic. It has been thoroughly covered above. Just put a rock or something of similar mass on top of your solid state amp and don't lose sleep over this non-issue. Dilemma solved.
New market gap detected: armoured chassis upgrades.
Old_School_Brad
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To add to this, wouldn’t active speakers have significant issues if this were a real-world problem? 
HaveMeterWillTravel
Senior Member
I just tried it with my two Mitsubishi 250 kg gold bars.
Wouldn't you know it? everything sounded much richer than before!
Unfortunately only in the right channel. I'll need to invest in two more of the bars for my left channel's monoblock.
Keith_W
Major Contributor
Traditional hi-fi thinking is: "sound from your speakers induce vibration in electronic components, which in turn affects its performance". The solution: expensive cases machined from solid aluminium at massive cost (MSB), expensive equipment racks that isolate and kill vibration, elaborate "feet" like the one pictured below that suspends your equipment on the rack by absorbing shocks and vibrations, granite slabs to rest your equipment on, weights that you place on top of equipment, and so on.
That is likely what the dealer was talking about.
Does it work? Not a chance in hell. In fact, if anything, it is likely that INCREASING vibrations will help. Watch this video with actual measurements:
BTW since March Audio was mentioned ... Alan March was an engineer who specialised in vibration analysis for mining companies.
That is likely what the dealer was talking about.
Does it work? Not a chance in hell. In fact, if anything, it is likely that INCREASING vibrations will help. Watch this video with actual measurements:
BTW since March Audio was mentioned ... Alan March was an engineer who specialised in vibration analysis for mining companies.
If you have valve gear, CDs, or records, always decouple the gear in the least expensive way possible. SS amps, preamps, routers or phono stage, NO as long
as no valves are involved. It doesn't mean sitting an amp on top of a sub or speaker is EVER a good idea. Vibration and heat are component killers.
I always decouple speakers and subs. NEVER spike anything unless it's a turntable on pucks and those pucks are in a sand pit/box setup. Pods, air-ride
and spring or any combination with dampening for the springs adds to equipment longevity, there is no doubt after years of studies and component
failures in cars, semis, and HD equipment. Vibration is a total equipment and component killer.
Slabs or most rocks unless they are manufactured and some sedimentary deposits cause more problems than they solve.
Manufactured materials like @ Corian are a whole different story. @ Corian is actually a very good material for a speaker front baffle, plinths, and a few other
things like shelving. @Corian has pretty good dampening quality and that dampening is pretty consistent compared to all, metamorphic, igneous, and most
sedimentary rock formations. Man-made materials made with epoxies can be very forgiving also. It takes an accelerometer and interface to check properly
though.
It's not the sound quality on SS equipment it's the service life that can lead to pour sound quality over time.
Regards
as no valves are involved. It doesn't mean sitting an amp on top of a sub or speaker is EVER a good idea. Vibration and heat are component killers.
I always decouple speakers and subs. NEVER spike anything unless it's a turntable on pucks and those pucks are in a sand pit/box setup. Pods, air-ride
and spring or any combination with dampening for the springs adds to equipment longevity, there is no doubt after years of studies and component
failures in cars, semis, and HD equipment. Vibration is a total equipment and component killer.
Slabs or most rocks unless they are manufactured and some sedimentary deposits cause more problems than they solve.
Manufactured materials like @ Corian are a whole different story. @ Corian is actually a very good material for a speaker front baffle, plinths, and a few other
things like shelving. @Corian has pretty good dampening quality and that dampening is pretty consistent compared to all, metamorphic, igneous, and most
sedimentary rock formations. Man-made materials made with epoxies can be very forgiving also. It takes an accelerometer and interface to check properly
though.
It's not the sound quality on SS equipment it's the service life that can lead to pour sound quality over time.
Regards
There is a solution to every problem: Here is Lavardin K-rak LePlak:
According to Lavardin's scientific work, it is excellent in reducing the sound quality killing vibrations. Just install one of these under every piece of Your audio equipment, and Your worries are over. They cost only 180 € per piece. You can trust this company, because they also found the ultimate sound destroying form of distortion - the memory distortion - and they have developed the secret sauce solution to remove it in their amplifiers!
This is a high end audiophilia product, so do not listen to those ignorant non-believers, who say that it is just a 40 cm x 50 cm piece of plywood, and that You could by 120 cm x 200 cm plank of it from the local building material store for 50 € and make 12 LePlaks for the unit cost of less than 5 € by simple application of good old handsaw.
According to Lavardin's scientific work, it is excellent in reducing the sound quality killing vibrations. Just install one of these under every piece of Your audio equipment, and Your worries are over. They cost only 180 € per piece. You can trust this company, because they also found the ultimate sound destroying form of distortion - the memory distortion - and they have developed the secret sauce solution to remove it in their amplifiers!
This is a high end audiophilia product, so do not listen to those ignorant non-believers, who say that it is just a 40 cm x 50 cm piece of plywood, and that You could by 120 cm x 200 cm plank of it from the local building material store for 50 € and make 12 LePlaks for the unit cost of less than 5 € by simple application of good old handsaw.
KSTR
Major Contributor
For starters, the vibration sensitivity of many DACs is very easy to demonstrate, and so far these are the only audio component I've found to be sensitive (from the clock crystal -- a fragile mechanical resonator -- and any reference voltages using highly piezo-active decoupling capacitors). Run a live FFT with peak hold, and slightly tap the PCB with an pencil and see the FFT trace dance like crazy.
Amplifiers... hhm, badly designed ones might show "just measurable effects" but likely orders of magnitude below the sensitivity of many DACs and ADCs. If one is ever tempted to think about vibration isolation measures, those are the #1 target (besides turntables, of course).
Wetting stuff down improves vibration?
Oh, you mean damping.
(One of the reasons I didn’t write very many technical articles for Triathlete Magazine back in the day was because I insisted on a final review after their English-major editor changed damping to dampening. It’s commonly confused in informal speech and therefore dictionaries have confused the matter (OED excepted).
“Dampen” is the result of converting the adjective to a verb, and as an adjective, “damp” always means “moist”. But “damp” is also a verb all by itself, though it would be pretty unusual to use “damp” as a verb to mean “make something moist”. So, the verb “damp” means to attenuate amplitude, especially as a technical term related to vibration. And the present participle version is “damping,” whereas “dampening” is the present participle of “dampen,” which is itself the adding of “-en” to make the adjective “damp”—moist—into a verb.)
Rick “old man shakes fist at clouds” Denney
Thanks, I'm certainly no scholar and grammar has always been a shortcoming. I did win a penmanship award in the 3rd grade for my John HancockOh, you mean damping.
forgery.
Regards
I still remember the endless ribbing I endured on the Hardcore Bicycle Science mail list when my article on bicycle frame materials in Triathlete came out with "dampening" in it. I agreed with my tormenters, but still didn't take it as well as you. Thank you for being a good sport.Thanks, I'm certainly no scholar and grammar has always been a shortcoming. I did win a penmanship award in the 3rd grade for my John Hancock
forgery.
Regards
Rick "not usually that guy" Denney
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words.
they'reimpotent.
important.
ahem.
on topic:
suffering symptoms of vibrations?
here's a treatment, available over-the-counter and at modest cost.
Available in EVA or cork, in many different sizes.
Amazon has 'em, too -- or they can be bought with audiophile brand names for higher cost.
www.usplastic.com
they're
important.
ahem.
on topic:
suffering symptoms of vibrations?
here's a treatment, available over-the-counter and at modest cost.
Available in EVA or cork, in many different sizes.
Amazon has 'em, too -- or they can be bought with audiophile brand names for higher cost.
Anti-Vibration Pads | U.S. Plastic Corp.
Vibration isolator pads are designed to work with any type of machinery that shakes, vibrates, or receives pressure of any kind. The vibr...
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