A challenge / scientific research involving Bub

Thomas,

If he was using these devices on Mana then we really have no idea of how they work in isolation. I use a slate slab under my Micromega CD player which sits on rubber feet atop a Mana rack. Without the Mana the slate sounds heavy and slightly muddled, to such an extent that the player sounds far better just put directly on the glass. .

It is obvious that the slate plinth is benefitting from the isolation given by the Mana support. Thus it is not a good support in itself but an adjunct to the Mana support.

To judge the effectiveness of a support, that support must be used on it's own not plonked on top of another isolating rack. I suspect that PM was giving these supports a bit of a helping hand so that the usual good Hi Fi + review could be given.

 

If he was using these devices on Mana then we really have no idea of how they work in isolation.

Indeed!

I suspect that PM was giving these supports a bit of a helping hand

Yes, AFAICT, that's what mainstream hifi mag reviews are all about. He really should have done the dem in isolation, i.e. off Mana.

Still, judging by his enthusiasm (and if you trust his judgement) this seems to be one of the rare cases in which a high-performance stand works with some other stand/platform system.

 

I guess that rules out Phase 7 then doesn't it Paul

FWIW, if you audition a platform on it's own surely you are limiting it's performance, in the same way that a reference table is designed? And it is worth noting that the combination of Mana AND Vertex was considered vastly superior to the Mana alone don't you think? Or was it just a paid for review to help a start up company Paul?

 

I'm not rising Merlin,

You are far too bright to be seriously asking those questions.

Anyways I'm sulking cos I think Thomas is calling my slate plinth low tech, albeit in a very polite way.

 

Paul, not at all! I'm sure your special arrangement is also one of those rare cases where pick-and-mix works (if that's the direction you thought I was going).

BTW, where's Ribee San? Not read anything by him in ages ...

 

Well it does seem to work, Micromega used to sell a granite base for the Solo, so I suppose it likes mass.

Jonathan is very busy at present, but I am hoping to drag him out for a beer before too long. He is working on becoming a new streamlined Ribee with a body like a Greek God.

 

Merlin, that won't work because of the impedance between the stand and the air. Basically, air is too "soft".

 

Sorry Markus, you've lost me

Are you saying that the difference prevents the sound going from something solid straight into air? If that is the case, how is it that loudspeakers produce sound or I can hear my system in the bedroom with the door closed?

These are genuine questions BTW, not a wind up! Are there different types of vibration?

 

Merlin, why are you wasting everyone's time?

Just say "I tried Mana and didn't like it". Then we can all take careful note of your expert opinion and move on.

 

This is precisely why dynamic speakers are so woefully inefficient. 100 Watts electricity input equals 1 Watt sound wave output. To make an efficient loudspeaker, you have to use a transformer to interface the impedance of the driver to that of the air. This transformer is commonly known as a 'horn'.

 

I TRIED MANA AND DIDN'T LIKE IT

Ah, what a weight off my shoulders.

Sorry Bub if my actually asking questions in an attempt to understand more is ruining your weekend. I'll stick to being self opinionated in future.

 

The problem is that you either don't listen to, or don't understand the answers. It's a bit like a two-year-old who has just discovered the word 'why?'.

 

Why?



Aaaww

Uncle Bubba not play with Merlin anymore

 

Crabby Devil isn't he? Must take him for a beer next week.

If you don't like Mana, Merlin, then you didn't set it up properly, and that;s that. It's like not liking a Naim system, it's always badly installed, needs a recap, needs more money spending on it, etc etc etc.

The alternative would be to believe that we all have different tastes and opinions which is obviously too scary to contemplate.

Off for a pint or two now, I only meant to give Uncle Ants a model number.

 

Crabby, yep, but Merlin would try the patience of a saint, and I am unlikely to be canonised for at least the next four centuries, if not even longer.

 

No I wouldn't, only crabby evangelists who react predictably to minor criticism

 

I think the whole point was that there wasn't any 'criticism', just a load of stupid questions.

I'm not an 'evangelist', you can support your gear on a large pile of dildos for all I care, principally because I'll never hear the result. Similarly, Mana sales are a matter of complete indifference to me.