Hi Reid! I did call Herzan for help once when I was setting up the platform and was treated VERY well. Much better than I would have expected considering I thought I was a rather unorthodox user. I couldn't be happier with the platform or the support. Thanks!

mab33 July 14, 2012 15:31

Hi Matt,

I hope your Herzan vibration isolation system is working well and has improved the clarity of your audio equipment. It is always nice to see our equipment benefitting various applications. If you find any challenges or issues, please don't hesitate to contact us.

-Reid Whitney
Herzan

reidwhitney June 28, 2012 22:41

I purchased the Isodamp c-1002 in 1/4" thickness from Michael Percy audio. You can find it on page 19 of his catalog online. It was suggested by him that at this thickness would be best to support the 200+ lbs I would be loading it with.

Finding a shop willing to cut even the aluminum I wanted was a little challenging - mostly because I don't think they really wanted to bother themselves with such a small job, but eventually I found a couple willing to put up with my seemingly strange requests:).

Best of luck!

mab33 November 12, 2011 03:02

Thanks for the information, Mab33. I am looking to pre-load the VP with about 130 lbs and because the top plate is steel, I thought I would try that first. Could you please specify which EAR Isodamp material you have? I was thinking about just a piece of scrap roofing rubber, which is cheap and very strong.

I was also concerned about the ringing of steel, but granite and aluminum also ring. I figure that in the real world, there will be little impact on the surface of the VP to cause the steel to ring and as it is designed for very sensitive equipment anyway, that should not be much of an issue.

I will try it as soon as I get my massive piece of 1 1/2" steel cut down to size so I can move it. It's not so easy to find a shop to cut such a thick piece.

peterayer November 07, 2011 22:45

Nice system! Where did you get the ISODAMP? Is this the C-1002-25?

ack November 07, 2011 17:32

Hi Peter,

Sorry for the delayed response! Congrats on the Vibraplane! I think you will be happy with it:).

I did not try materials other than aluminum, though I too thought about steel. Considering aluminum's easy availability and machining, it was the most attainable for me in the size/weight I needed to get to the right load. The Herzan vibration table top plate is made of steel and rings like a bell, as does the aluminum plates I had cut. Since this seemed not entirely ideal I purchased some EAR Isodamp material to put between the two. This deadened the whole "unit" without adding any real play that I can detect. Isodamp isn't so "squishy" like sorbothane(at least any I've used) and remains reasonably stiff in my experience with it.

I would certainly be interested in your experience with other materials if you try them. I am happy with this set up so I haven't experimented with much else in a few years...

mab33 November 07, 2011 00:22

Hello Matt,

Nice system. I've always wanted to hear Raul's pre/phono/line. I just bought a Vibraplane and am planning to pre-load it because my turntable is only 30 lbs. I'm considering steel, aluminum, granite and marble. Did you try other materials and what is that blue sheet that you place between your isolation and aluminum slab? Thanks for any advice you may have about this isolation stuff.

Peter

peterayer October 21, 2011 19:18

Hi Matt,

Just to say hi and note that your system has moved on in leaps and bounds since last we spoke. Congratulations and I'd still love to hear it at some future point.

Happy listening

dgob December 17, 2010 08:49

System edited: Just adding some carts and a tonearm purchased over the last year or so.

mab33 September 19, 2010 20:51

Hi Kevinzoe,

So sorry I haven't responded! It's been a while since I checked in here. To make a long story short, I am still experimenting with positioning:-). My plan is to move most/all of the skylines to the cieling. The info I've gotten on this so far suggests that they will work best at the first reflection on the ceiling and then somewhere between that and the directly above the listener. Rives said that you should keep a minimum of 2.5-3 feet between any Skyline and your ears. Another poster suggested that he had found it was best to keep the additional Skylines( after the first reflection) outside the axis of the speakers(closer to the side walls than overhead).

My Realtraps are placed in the corners, at the first reflections on the sidewalls, and centered behind the speakers. I haven't permanently mounted them either though, because I like to change things up here and there and see what effects it has.

The back of my room has built in bookcases and cabinets, otherwise I may have gone for more diffusion back there, as I think this is a fairly classic placement. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss more!

Matt

mab33 July 21, 2007 18:27

Hi Matt - can you share with us where you've placed your RealTraps & RPG acoustic treatment goodies? Are the Skylines on your ceiling or front wall or behind the listener etc etc - same goes for the RealTrap placement.

. . looking for some info on what goes where so to speak.

thanks,
kevin

kevinzoe June 06, 2007 01:27

Hi Spencer,

Thanks for the compliment! Yes, I use both arms. I haven't actually swapped cartridges between them so it's kinda hard to describe the differences in sound without considering the different carts. I will say though, that I find the Schroeder easier to adjust, although still not perfect in that regard. Lately I've been considering selling the Hadcock and finding something that has independent adjustments for all things like VTF, Azimuth, VTA etc. One thing about the Schroeder #2 is that with any change in VTA, the VTF changes - making quick changes more of an effort. Any arm that combines two function in one mechanism, like a counterweight that you twist to set Azimuth, makes things a bit more difficult to get set up correctly. The Schroeder gets around this with an additional counterweight that screws into the back of the arm stub and in his Ref SQ, I believe, most of these kinds of things have been addressed. Unfortunately, there don't appear to be a lot of arms that are engineered that way and the couple I've found so far are on the pricey side:-). Personally, because the difference in cost between the Hadcock Super Silver and Schroeder #2 is not that huge, I would recommend the Schroeder based on build quality and ease of adjustment alone. In order to describe differences in sound I would have to do a lot of swapping and set up, which doesn't sound too fun and is probably why I haven't done it:-).

Glad you got to hear the Essential! I'm still a tube lover as well, but I have been very happy with my SS pre. I suppose it's a bit unorthodox to have a SS pre driving a tube amp, but it sounds really good to me and I think that's what counts. Unfortunately the VAC has too much gain for the system so I'm currently on the hunt for a new amp.

mab33 March 24, 2007 19:10

Hey Matt, great looking system.
Do you run both tonearms on the table at the same time? How do the tonearms compare?
And yes, the Essential is a pretty amazing preamp. I heard it in three systems, and it was great in all of them. Just about the only ss preamp I'd say that about! Cheers,
Spencer

sbank March 21, 2007 13:52

Hi Icorem,

Thanks! The ST's were made by Von Schweikert for the DB-99's. They weren't released until well after the main speakers, so it was an add on. I bought them used from another member here so the price wasn't too bad. As far as what impact they have on the sound, well, it's subtle, but they do add a little clarity to the sound. The guy I bought them from had described the difference as listening to the piano with the lid closed versus open. Although this is probably a bit exagerated for effect, I think that it does a good job of explaining what to expect from them.

mab33 December 05, 2006 19:08

Matt

great looking setup. re supertweeters -what type do you use and can you sense their added value ?

icorem December 05, 2006 17:12

System edited: Posted pics of the Essential 3150.

mab33 December 05, 2006 05:46