Review of Butcher Block Acoustics brand Audio Platforms. What is under your components?*

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by marka, Feb 23, 2020.

  1. TubeMon

    TubeMon Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Monterey, CA
    Been using Mapleshade products for many moons now.
    100% satisfied.....
     
  2. marka

    marka Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Gorgeous!

    And here is my turntable, with simply a tire tube and 3/4 in. plywood, another @bdiament special.

    (And yes, it is level. Checked every time I use it)


    [​IMG]
     
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  3. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2020
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  4. motorstereo

    motorstereo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ct.
    I'm wondering; if you have solid amp stands of 1 1/2'' oak plywood will replacing the amps feet with spikes make an audible difference? I'm thinking this is a form of isolation that works well on speakers and subs and it stands to reason that it will work with electronics........won't it?
     
  5. Acapella48

    Acapella48 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Elk Grove, CA.
    I also have an AN OTO SE Phono Sig. Does the thickness of the butcher block, etc. have any effect?
     
  6. biggysteve

    biggysteve Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Diego
    I've been using the basic walnut Butcher Block Acoustics platform under an old Pioneer table with spring suspension for over a year. It solved 80 percent of the footfall issues I was having with that table at the time and matches nicely with the gear. Looking forward to having more of their product lower my FICO score. Buy with confidence!
     
  7. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Good question. I would assume so.
     
  8. Bolster

    Bolster If it ain't broke try harder..

    Location:
    UK
    My turntable platform is a DIY effort (can you tell?) :laugh: made up of left over 3/4 inch slate and glued to several layers of MDF and this sits on some camping roll foam.

    I tried Sorbothane feet but the platform seemed to resonate slightly.

    More slate and MDF for my speakers, but this was more for stability as the carpet has a deep pile on top of a slightly uneven concrete floor.

    My CD player and Amp are on some over size comedy Sorbothane hemispheres although this method of isolation probably only benefits the CD player at a stretch.

    [​IMG]
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  9. Sam

    Sam Senior Member

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    What timing! I just upgraded my isolation last night and was looking for similar projects within this forum today. I'll post some pictures later, but what I have under my turntable, speakers, preamp, amp and CD player are the furniture cup and stainless steel ball system recommended years ago to me by Barry Diament when he was active on this forum. However, I did some testing and further upgraded the isolation under my turntable by cutting up small squares of sorbothane that I had from an old turntable mat that I no longer used. I then placed the Sorbothane under each cup. I tested this by lowering my needle into a groove with the table NOT spinning. Next I raised the volume and ensured that no feedback was occurring whatsoever. Without this setup, I WAS getting feedback, which indicated vibration getting through to the needle.

    Now last night, I decided to place the Sorbothane pucks underneath the cups under the Pre amp. Was there a difference? I don't have scientific proof, but yes, it was a "Wow" moment. Midrange so clear with tighter bass. Had it gone the other way, I would have heard that as well. Next, I plan on putting these Sorbothane pieces under my CD player cups as well. I'll post pictures later.
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2020
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  10. mreeter

    mreeter Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kansas City
    I've had a 3" Block under my deck for quite some time. It's not from Butcher Block Acoustics, but it certainly handles the task at hand. I have a sheet of Sonic Barrier between the Block and the Rack.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. WayneC

    WayneC Hopelessly addicted to vinyl

    Location:
    England
    After lots and lots of experimentation my system is isolated as follows...

    Whole system sits on a single double width base-and-two-shelves HiFi Racks table - an English company, its an all oak multi level platform with each shelf isolated on spikes, the valve power amp on the bottom shelf.
    The pre and phono stage also sits on a Voodoo isolation platform, which is basically a inner tube with a thin maple top and bottom to make it look presentable. On top of this are three feet for the phono stage and three for the pre. The feet are two cork at the back and one oak and thin sorbothane foot at the front, on each. Same arrangement under the power supplies.
    The Power amp has three champagne corks under it.
    The Verdier Platine turntable is directly on the oak, but with sorbothane under the feet on the turntable motor.

    Ridicule it all you like, this arrangement sounds better than anything else I've tried. That fact that its cheap is a happy side effect.
     
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  12. Joe Spivey

    Joe Spivey Forum Resident

    Maple wood block under my VPI turntable which is isolated with Herbie's Audio Lab material. VPI actually recommends isolating their turntables with a wood block. I can hear the difference and won't be changing it anytime soon. As for the other equipment, I haven't used wood blocks but I do use other Herbie's products under most everything else.
     
  13. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    On the subject of concrete slab floors, I find they're quite efficient at transmitting speaker energy. One convention is that the higher mass absorbs the energy, thus concrete is always preferable to a suspended floor and better for isolation. Further, this prompts many to assume spikes are best, as they limit any lateral motion. It's good to limit lateral motion but I find spikes are also quite effective in transferring energy despite the minimal contact surface. This is even despite using brass spikes.

    I'm no expert in how concrete transfers energy. However, my hypothesis is that it's quite efficient and most of the energy is transferred rather than absorbed, based on the magnitude of the resonances I've measured at the speaker bases and rack-shelf surfaces using an accelerometer I borrowed from the local prop shop. My floor is carpeted (for now) and removing the spikes helps to damp things some but not much.
    In my previous home that had suspended-wood flooring, I couldn't feel much in the way of transferred speaker energy but footfalls were a definite challenge for analog playback. Otherwise, it seemed the wood was far more effective at damping speaker energy.

    I currently use Acoustech Speaker Dots (sorbothane discs) between my speakers and stands. These seem to provide a good compromise between reducing transferred energy and an over-damped sound. At the shelf surfaces, I use a variety of products - some chosen specifically for their effectiveness, others because they're simply better than the OEM feet and I feel something/anything is usually better than spikes alone. I use Isopucks under my tube preamp and these effectively quell 95% of the energy. The CDP gets Vibracones - less effective but I figure vacuum tubes are likely in greater need of the better isolation.

    Anyhow, I suppose the moral of my rambling is that concrete slabs are not always so great. Eventually, I plan to upgrade to Gaia footers but that's going to be an expensive undertaking as I'll have to also purchase shorter Sound Anchor stands. :mudscrying:
     
  14. marka

    marka Forum Resident Thread Starter

    My system is on a concrete slab, so maybe that is part of the reason that isolation has such a big impact.
     
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  15. Kray

    Kray Sleuthing

    Location:
    Sarasota
    I’m trying to figure out best way for this stuff as well. I’d be using the blocks for tube integrated, CD player , and tube DAC.

    my main sticking point is using Vibrapod cones/pads vs iso-pucks vs Herbies tenderfeet. I’m leaning towards Vibrapods. Anyone compare these?
     
  16. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Get the Isopucks if wanting the most effective damping of resonance.
     
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  17. thegage

    thegage Forum Currency Nerd

    Yes, kind of surprising isn't it. My system rack is on a concrete block that is 16' x 8' x 9' deep (it functions as a passive solar sink in front of a large number of southern-facing windows), yet even with all that mass it can still transmit energy. So, my speakers are on Gaia footers, and all my components are on Symposium or SRA platforms.

    JohnK
     
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  18. ubiknik

    ubiknik Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    Wood really does the trick.
    I think whether it's a platform made up of many blocks or one solid piece I think the idea is to have the grain running horizontal.
    With the grain that way I think it channels dissipation of vibration energy more in the horizontal plane making it harder for it to travel up, correct me if I'm wrong.
     
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  19. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    The wood has to transfer the energy to something and it's not nearly as effective at changing it to heat as are other mediums. The grain pattern shouldn't really change whether it manages to vibrate right into the component it's supporting.

    I use the 3" BBA amp stands, spiked to a concrete slab. They really don't do much to isolate my amps as I can still feel quite a lot of resonance in their chassis'. That's even with the amps being damped further by the included rubber/cork feet.

    That's not a knock against BBA. The stands do exactly what I wanted: provide an attractive support that keeps my amps off the carpet (static from carpet can be strong enough to fry electronics). I fully expected to have to further invest in a product like Isopucks, which my accelerometer has measured to be very effective.

    Wood can be preferable to some mediums but its far from being anywhere near the most effective of isolators/dampers.
     
  20. Maple is an important tone-wood for stringed instruments & it's no accident that thick cutting boards have been so popular for audio gear. I tried an Ikea bamboo cutting board under my CDP with success although I found Herbies Fat Dots between it & the equipment shelf gave best results.

    APTITLIG Butcher block - bamboo - IKEA

    Herbie's Fat Dot
     
  21. Sam

    Sam Senior Member

    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    I can't post pictures with my iPad in this forum. It's easy when I'm selling as the upload button works fine. Can't seem to utilize the "URL" feature. So frustrating.
     
  22. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    If you read my posts above you'll remember that this is exactly why I like it so much. Rubber= no no.
     
  23. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    I am somewhat skeptical about the benefits of isolation platforms beneath amps, DACs, Mac Minis, etc., but they definitely make a difference with turntables, no question about that.

    I found a nice 1.5" thick maple cutting board (imported from Italy, whoop-dee-doo) at TJ Maxx for $39.95. I placed it on top of four EVA isolation pads and then placed my VPI on top. Bass was instantly tighter, deeper and more impactful, and everything just sounded more composed.

    My Fisher tube amp sits on a marble cutting board with rubber feet that I got for free at a work event. I can't say that I hear any improvement there, but it doesn't hurt anything either...

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2020
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  24. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    Spend another $29.00 and try it under your CD player..
     
  25. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    I don't own one! :)

    But I can imagine that a CD player and anything else with moving parts does benefit from isolation too.
     

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