Stillpoint break in period

[Mivera]

I was reading on the Stillpoint website that there's a break in period for them. Doe's anyone know approximately how long it takes to fully burn a set of these in?

http://www.stillpoints.us/index.php

They say "very short" But how can a guy be sure exactly when you invite friends over to hear them?

 

[amirm]

Forget that. What does this mean?

"Human hearing is generally considered to be 20Hz-20kHz. With electronics, Stillpoints' technology effectively functions over 20kHz. Typical damping products operate below 20kHz; thus shifting tonality. "

 

[Mivera]

I guess they must mean they work in the ultrasonic range. I think most people who buy these have tube gear that is very sensitive to ultrasonic vibration. I did a recent experiment with ultrasonic DSD filters. With single rate DSD the noise rises sharply right at 20K. Normally DAC's will have aggressive low pass filters just past 20k to filter out the sharp ultrasonics from single rate DSD. Our DAC is designed for 11.2Mhz DSD only. Because of this the low pass filter is set at a very high 180Khz. We use software based SRC/SDM to upsample all audio to 11.2Mhz. As default the software based upsampler has a low pass filter set @ 50K for single rate DSD. But I found with our DAC and both my headphones, and speaker system the sound was much better if I changed that filter point to 150K. So I was using it this way with all of my gear. Then 1 day I brought the system over to a local client's place that has very expensive tube amps. When we played single rate DSD, the noise floor was horrible. When turned up loud the noise almost was louder than the music. So I set that filter back down down to 50K, and the noise went away. Well we still had the standard tube noise, just not the other noise. So I really think most of these tweaks are effective only with gear designed back in the industrial age. Because with properly designed modem gear, these tweaks don't seem to be as effective.

 

[Mivera]

Seems like half of the products in the audio industry are designed to deal with problems that don't exist to begin with if the gear is properly designed. I'm not saying they aren't effective with poorly designed gear. But kinda makes me wonder why folks would buy gear that needs these tweaks to preform properly to begin with? I'd say if these tweak's help, that's a great indicator that it's time to change out the main gear. Not add more tweaks.

 

[Dynamix]

My eyes just rolled so far back in my skull that I could actually see the neurons firing off in the bullshit-detection centre of my brain.

 

[amirm]

Seems like half of the products in the audio industry are designed to deal with problems that don't exist to begin with if the gear is properly designed. I'm not saying they aren't effective with poorly designed gear. But kinda makes me wonder why folks would buy gear that needs these tweaks to preform properly to begin with? I'd say if these tweak's help, that's a great indicator that it's time to change out the main gear. Not add more tweaks.

It is a question I keep asking but even customers of these products don't want to go there. One example is a power cord on a $300,000 amplifier. Why would it still be in need of an aftermarket cord???

 

[Purité Audio]

It is a question I keep asking but even customers of these products don't want to go there. One example is a power cord on a $300,000 amplifier. Why would it still be in need of an aftermarket cord???

Because Steve Williams is an arse?
Keith

 

[Dynamix]

It is a question I keep asking but even customers of these products don't want to go there. One example is a power cord on a $300,000 amplifier. Why would it still be in need of an aftermarket cord???

On another forum I'm a member of, there was a guy who used a $300 power cord with a $180 dvd player. I'm sure his local crack dealer loves him.

 

[cjf]

I've got two sets of the Stillpoint SS here. l'm using one set under my equipment rack and another set sitting on the kitchen table holding down a pile of napkins.

It seems no matter what equipment I place these under the sound always gets worse by a large margin. They do work well as feet under my rack though but I couldn't tell someone with a straight face they made any difference in SQ no matter how long they simmered in one position

 

[iridium]

On another site I asked an engineering technical question of the Stillpoint owners.
Rhetorical: do you know what the answer was?
Dead Silence = Zero Replies.

So with NO significant input, I just kept using my 7 inch layered pads of rhinocerous + elephant skin under all my components including all drivers.

Would anyone have any 12" thick whale pads for sale, or the layered 36 " thick baby sea otter pads?

The thick bales of bald eagle feathers lining the walls have really helped the tone.

iridium.

 

[Don Hills]

It is a question I keep asking but even customers of these products don't want to go there. One example is a power cord on a $300,000 amplifier. Why would it still be in need of an aftermarket cord???

I've seen the excuse made that the manufacturers of such products know the first thing you're going to do is replace the power cord with one of your choice, so there's no need to bundle anything better than a basic cord.

 

[amirm]

I've seen the excuse made that the manufacturers of such products know the first thing you're going to do is replace the power cord with one of your choice, so there's no need to bundle anything better than a basic cord.

I see. That tells me that the manufacture doesn't know which power cord sounds the best with their gear. If they did they would ship that and admonish people from changing it.

 

[RayDunzl]

That tells me that the manufacture doesn't know which power cord sounds the best with their gear.

The basic cord on my Amplifiers is hardwired.

Maybe my manufacturer figured it was "best" enough.

Carol 10 AWG SOOW.

It's fat enough to be pleasing to my sensibilities. I could shorten it, since it's about 9 feet longer than I need, but I'm not feeling ambitious in that respect.

http://www.minelinesystems.com/files_pdf/Carol Cable Info.pdf

 

[Dynamix]

Computer says "no".

 

[Thomas savage]

On another site I asked an engineering technical question of the Stillpoint owners.
Rhetorical: do you know what the answer was?
Dead Silence = Zero Replies.

So with NO significant input, I just kept using my 7 inch layered pads of rhinocerous + elephant skin under all my components including all drivers.

Would anyone have any 12" thick whale pads for sale, or the layered 36 " thick baby sea otter pads?

The thick bales of bald eagle feathers lining the walls have really helped the tone.

iridium.

Don't expect to see any vegetarian audiophiles round your gaff any time soon...

Personally I found puppy cartilage really effective as a dampening material under my amps transformers.. it's got to be no older than 16 weeks though else it loses its elasticity.

 

[Purité Audio]

Still points and every other cup and ball offer no compliance whatsoever in the vertical plane, they are not isolator at all but offer a direct connection.
Keith

 

[Frank Dernie]

Still points and every other cup and ball offer no compliance whatsoever in the vertical plane, they are not isolator at all but offer a direct connection.
Keith

There are 6 degrees of freedom, a set of cup and balls can isolate in 3 of them but couples in the other 3 one of which is, indeed, vertical translation. In fact movement in any of the 3 degrees of freedom (and movement is needed for them to work) actually cross couples to at least one of the other 3 creating movement there.

 

[Purité Audio]

I 'worked' (they worked and I listened) , with Spiers Robertson they make isolation devices for laboratories , they use correctly loaded visco elastic, and rolling air diaphragms, we also looked at the active air platforms, there was a measureable improvement using three three plane accelorameter set up.
Subjectively perhaps a small improvement under the turntable.
Keith

 

[Frank Dernie]

I 'worked' (they worked and I listened) , with Spiers Robertson they make isolation devices for laboratories , they use correctly loaded visco elastic, and rolling air diaphragms, we also looked at the active air platforms, there was a measureable improvement using three three plane accelorameter set up.
Subjectively perhaps a small improvement under the turntable.
Keith

Isolation in all 6 degrees of freedom at all audible frequencies is technically achievable but is not easy and is, IMHO, of debatable value given the multitude of unavoidable colourations/distortions inherent in LP replay anyway, not to mention the compromises necessary in order to actually to manufacture an LP and to make it playable.
On top of that most people, myself included, actually like the extra reverb and bass one gets from imperfectly isolated record players. Accuracy is not on the menu, so one may as well tune for a fun sound to one's taste.

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

I have given up even discussing about these tweaks and whatnot... A manufacturer comes up with lies. he admits to lying and yet he has a free pass.. His products are anointed great sounding and from that point people buys them ... Ethics are never questioned .. Only the great upshot in SQ however unprovable or questionable that very notion could be... This points to me to a greater problem , a societal or civilization-related one.