Mechanical Isolation Devices: Myth?

[Purité Audio]

Happy to provide my experience on this topic. I am using a Seismion under a field coil power supply. The difference is massive! Keep in mind this is a power supply for the electromagnetic drivers, which are not directly; but indirectly in the signal path.

For the first time, I could hear the nuance of a trumpet player’s breath between passages. Notes are “crisper” and more “alive”. Dynamic, loud, swings, are now distortion free — I never noticed distortion before, mind you.

No offence to anyone here but I don’t think this forum is the right place to discuss something like this. Many of you will scoff at the price ~$5k. And I get it, if your system costs about the same, then I’m not sure it’s worth it. For those with a world-class system (unfortunately it means it has to cost a considerable sum), the Seismion is a must-have. From what I’ve read, it outperforms its competitors and costs 1/2-3/4 less. It’s a no-brainer if you can, and want to, afford it.

Yes you are right this isn’t the place to discuss ‘woo’ on the bright side there are many forums , the majority in fact who would welcome your anecdote.
Keith

 

[SamR]

Yes you are right this isn’t the place to discuss ‘woo’ on the bright side there are many forums , the majority in fact who would welcome your anecdote.
Keith

Indeed. Any seriously interested people can message me on another platform. Thanks to @Purité Audio I will not be replying to this thread.
It’s not everyone here, but this is the reason why I dislike this forum. It should be called the World is Flat Forum!

Open your minds… trust your ears… If you don’t want to, or can’t, afford expensive gear, that’s obviously fine - enjoy what you have without trying to create a narrative that more expensive gear doesn’t sound better (Hint: it does! ).

 

[Purité Audio]

Are you either extremely gullible or selling this BS? oh are you a reviewer for Stereophile?
You are quite correct no-one here has expensive gear and we are all envious.
Keith

 

[BDWoody]

Open your minds… trust your ears… If you don’t want to, or can’t, afford expensive gear, that’s obviously fine - enjoy what you have without trying to create a narrative that more expensive gear doesn’t sound better (Hint: it does! ).

You are the 'hi-end' propaganda machine's wet dream come true.

It should be called the World is Flat Forum

Kind of an ironic projection.

 

[DonH56]

Happy to provide my experience on this topic. I am using a Seismion under a field coil power supply. The difference is massive! Keep in mind this is a power supply for the electromagnetic drivers, which are not directly; but indirectly in the signal path.

For the first time, I could hear the nuance of a trumpet player’s breath between passages. Notes are “crisper” and more “alive”. Dynamic, loud, swings, are now distortion free — I never noticed distortion before, mind you.

No offence to anyone here but I don’t think this forum is the right place to discuss something like this. Many of you will scoff at the price ~$5k. And I get it, if your system costs about the same, then I’m not sure it’s worth it. For those with a world-class system (unfortunately it means it has to cost a considerable sum), the Seismion is a must-have. From what I’ve read, it outperforms its competitors and costs 1/2-3/4 less. It’s a no-brainer if you can, and want to, afford it.View attachment 259894

Hmmm... If true, makes me think the power supply has vibration issues; does it use tubes (microphonic)? Being able to hear breaths or not sounds like perception bias or lack of controlled tests to me. That is a fairly significant difference. The times I have changed something and noticed something like that, almost invariably going back to the old system proved it was there all along, I just wasn't paying close attention until I got some new toy. Decades ago, when I thought I could hear every grain of copper, a series of controlled tests was very humbling and revealing into what folk do and do not hear. We found a few things actually made a difference, and many that did not...

For the record, I play trumpet, and my system is rather high end price (well into six figures retail) and performance wise, yet I remain skeptical of many "tweaks" that do not make sense and/or cannot be measured. I have never placed an active isolation table under my amps, but passive isolation stands made no difference except a minor measurable difference on a tube amp that was traced to a failing tube.

The usual response will be "If you have a good system then your hearing must be poor if you cannot hear the difference."

All that aside, a thread on modern field-coil drivers would be cool.

 

[SamR]

The nice thing about comparing how it sounds with or with active isolation is that it’s easy - just turn it off. I agree that the difference is more significant that anticipated. This is a solid state, well built (steel chassis with good quality components), power supply. It was already sitting on a panzerholtz base.
It’s not perception bias — I trust myself enough to believe my own ears . Not to mention that I have other (non audio related) uses for it, or could sell or return it if I didn’t find it made a significant improvement.
It’s a relatively new application (active isolation in audio)… keep an open mind and see if you can borrow one.
Passive isolation is not the same as active - which I know you know… so just because you tried a passive unit doesn’t mean you should paint active units with the same brush, so to speak.
Good luck!

 

[Purité Audio]

Actually they are both are isolators, I have tried both under my TT , the question is always how effective is the isolation and through which frequency range.
Keith

 

[Killingbeans]

All that aside, a thread on modern field-coil drivers would be cool.

I was about to start one earlier today, but got distracted. I kid you not.

 

[Sal1950]

Indeed. Any seriously interested people can message me on another platform. Thanks to @Purité Audio I will not be replying to this thread.

Thank you, this site is a "NO BS" zone.

Fact is you are right on one point, if you run a system the uses antique technology like tubes and turntables, anything you
can do to isolate them from vibrations may offer some improvement in sound. They are all highly susceptible to both airborne
and physical vibrations.
But honestly, if your really interested in higher quality sound, you'd be much better off disposing of all that 1960s type gear
and replacing it with modern quality products that aren't so micro-phonic.
Cheers

 

[kemmler3D]

It’s not perception bias — I trust myself enough to believe my own ears .

I hope the winky face means you know how ironic this statement is.

Any experienced audio engineer has at some point, spent time tweaking a defeated (read: inactive) EQ knob while still hearing a (smaller than expected, but clearly audible) difference.


This is just how brains work. If you have a brain, you're susceptible to audible illusions due to various biases. To argue otherwise is to argue that you somehow hear things without the use of your brain... which I am sure many on this forum would assert is exactly the problem with mainstream audiophile reviewing.

To put it another way - you can sit there turning the isolator on and off, and hear a clear difference each time... even if there isn't one. I don't know that any amount of listening experience or confidence in one's ears can save you from this effect.

I'm not actually prepared to assert there is no audible difference - there are plausible physical mechanisms that could cause it IMO. But... "I know what I heard" is not evidence of anything to us, and it really *shouldn't* be compelling evidence to you either.

When it comes to ears - "trust, but verify".