The D7-GE90 Feet. I set up this vibration control system underneath the Tidal LPX active crossover replacing the Wave Kinetic A10-U8 feet that I have been using since March this year. I am thankful of Keith Lam assisting me to set the feet up and he is the one who sat at the primary listening position auditioning his own CD to witness the change. Before we started, he was asking me what the hell can a HK$20,000 set of feet do? He'd really interest to know.
Keith, you may want to share your impression here.
I never consider myself as "Feet" manic. My experiences are definitely much more limited than most other people. Frankly speaking, I don't believe in feet ever since the advance in mechanical vibration sciences put forth by SRA. My view is thus biased obviously. In my own system philosophy, the role of "feet" is worthwhile in the last stage of "system tuning", assuming the objective attributes such as imaging and sound-staging are delivered with reasonably finesse. When one's system reaches certain level of neutrality, it is however true that a set of feet can tilt the balance completely, often in the area of tonality.
In my own journey of feet, the best feet pertaining to my own advancement in this hobby are the following:
1. Reference Feet by Frank Tchang (Acoustic System Int'l)
2. TU-666 Maestro feet by Harmonix in Japan
3. A10-U8 feet by Wave Kinetics in the US.
(1) and (2) are not represented by AE but I still regard them highly. In fact, I went to buy a set of TU-666 from the local dealer to understand why some of my customers would buy as much as 10 sets after trying a single set. Because the application of feet is largely an exercise of system matching, I attempt not to label what is the champion. At most, what I can do is an control experiment.
Characteristics:
Reference feet by ASI - fast, natural harmonic development especially in the upper mid range/lower trebe area. No faults unless one plays extremely loud that one may begin feeling some image weaving.
Harmonix TU-666M - basically I agree all the reviews out there about this feet. It is even faster than ASI, more stability at loud volume. Very balanced from "speed" and "tonality" point of view. Really no complaints and understand why people buy one after another.
Wave Kinetic A10-U8: They are very different from the (1) and (2). A mechanical veil is removed after the application of them. The top end is softened somewhat and the energy balance shifts downward a little bit in exchange for more lower mid bass energy. Agility of lower mid bass, however, is on the timid side with some degree of energy storage. Yet, you feel the musical landscape is cleansed.
Mr Fire4, We are not intended to audition the DAD feet. It was only a coincidence that the feet has just arrived AE. Brothers should know the outstanding performance of Wave Kinetic feet. However I was firstly impressed by the new transparent diffusers, of which the outlook is so stylish, but sadly I did not AB tested its effect.
Go back to the DAD feet, I think no body will adversely comment the audio performance of AE1. The performance was great. We used a classical - Track 1 of 2002 Vienna New Year's concert.
We first set the Wave Kinetic feet under the Tidal LPX crossover, the usual position. After the first track, we placed DAD feet under the crossover and played the first track again. Shortly after the music came, PT shouted "the speed increased without changing the tonality" I sit at the sweat spot and was also aware of PT's finding. However, I was amazed by the change of sound image, which became denser, more coherent, wider......(to be continued) zzzz...zzZZZ
A feet fight is set up for next week sometime. Like everyone else, I have a set of 666 Maestro by Harmonix. The venue is yet to be determined. But the level of setup at AE1 should be definitive for test. Nothing can escape the neutrality of Tidal Sunray.
Between this ebony feet and the carbon fibre one that PT has posted previously, I am more seduced by the wooden one which as an oversized footprint which I have never used in the past. Sonically I am curious if there is any major difference between the two which I would count on PT to give us a full review after getting the carbon fibre one shortly.
As far as I know, the first batch of the ebony one has all been sold out...when will the next batch come? After using the dedicated SRA boards and stands, my most recent encounter of 'feet' is the WaveKinetic which I find extremely cost effective, I am still using them on K10 and Zanden phono both of which are using the kind of plastic feet which I am not particularly impressed with. May be it is part of the tuning trick but I need some more technology on the feet in order to convince myself that mechanical vibration induced from inside and outside to the circuit of the component has been properly dealt with. This Dalby feet may be the ultimate answer to solve the problem....question is there are more problems out there than the number of answers available. Luckily I have been able to grasp 'one answer'just on time before the first batch has been 'cannibalised'.
This few days, I have been thinking the more suitable way to describe the improvement of using the Dalby feet to AE's system. Because I found using a single word like "denser" or "coherence" can't express my mind exactly.
What I mean "denser" is...... Let me use an example, the little girl living next to me plays piano every day. One day, I paid her a visit and listened to her playing. Then I returned home and listened to my piano CD. The real piano sounds "denser". Even though the little girl played her piano in low volume, its sound was so actual (雖然細聲，但琴聲仍很實在）. This kind of "denser" sound cannot be produced by simply increasing the vol of a hifi system. Dalby feet produced such kind of "denser" music.
And this kind of denser sound was found in the whole frequency spectrum of sound. The Dalby feet was not only improve the treble or bass, but the whole freq. range. That's what I mean coherent.
Comments
Keith, you may want to share your impression here.
I never consider myself as "Feet" manic. My experiences are definitely much more limited than most other people. Frankly speaking, I don't believe in feet ever since the advance in mechanical vibration sciences put forth by SRA. My view is thus biased obviously. In my own system philosophy, the role of "feet" is worthwhile in the last stage of "system tuning", assuming the objective attributes such as imaging and sound-staging are delivered with reasonably finesse. When one's system reaches certain level of neutrality, it is however true that a set of feet can tilt the balance completely, often in the area of tonality.
In my own journey of feet, the best feet pertaining to my own advancement in this hobby are the following:
1. Reference Feet by Frank Tchang (Acoustic System Int'l)
2. TU-666 Maestro feet by Harmonix in Japan
3. A10-U8 feet by Wave Kinetics in the US.
(1) and (2) are not represented by AE but I still regard them highly. In fact, I went to buy a set of TU-666 from the local dealer to understand why some of my customers would buy as much as 10 sets after trying a single set. Because the application of feet is largely an exercise of system matching, I attempt not to label what is the champion. At most, what I can do is an control experiment.
Characteristics:
Reference feet by ASI - fast, natural harmonic development especially in the upper mid range/lower trebe area. No faults unless one plays extremely loud that one may begin feeling some image weaving.
Harmonix TU-666M - basically I agree all the reviews out there about this feet. It is even faster than ASI, more stability at loud volume. Very balanced from "speed" and "tonality" point of view. Really no complaints and understand why people buy one after another.
Wave Kinetic A10-U8: They are very different from the (1) and (2). A mechanical veil is removed after the application of them. The top end is softened somewhat and the energy balance shifts downward a little bit in exchange for more lower mid bass energy. Agility of lower mid bass, however, is on the timid side with some degree of energy storage. Yet, you feel the musical landscape is cleansed.
To be continued....
Go back to the DAD feet, I think no body will adversely comment the audio performance of AE1. The performance was great. We used a classical - Track 1 of 2002 Vienna New Year's concert.
As far as I know, the first batch of the ebony one has all been sold out...when will the next batch come? After using the dedicated SRA boards and stands, my most recent encounter of 'feet' is the WaveKinetic which I find extremely cost effective, I am still using them on K10 and Zanden phono both of which are using the kind of plastic feet which I am not particularly impressed with. May be it is part of the tuning trick but I need some more technology on the feet in order to convince myself that mechanical vibration induced from inside and outside to the circuit of the component has been properly dealt with. This Dalby feet may be the ultimate answer to solve the problem....question is there are more problems out there than the number of answers available. Luckily I have been able to grasp 'one answer'just on time before the first batch has been 'cannibalised'.
Marvel
What I mean "denser" is...... Let me use an example, the little girl living next to me plays piano every day. One day, I paid her a visit and listened to her playing. Then I returned home and listened to my piano CD. The real piano sounds "denser". Even though the little girl played her piano in low volume, its sound was so actual (雖然細聲，但琴聲仍很實在）. This kind of "denser" sound cannot be produced by simply increasing the vol of a hifi system. Dalby feet produced such kind of "denser" music.
And this kind of denser sound was found in the whole frequency spectrum of sound. The Dalby feet was not only improve the treble or bass, but the whole freq. range. That's what I mean coherent.
比賽前, 大家看看台風先:
待續.....
由於AE1在用上了Analog Domain百萬級別的功放後, 把張學友把聲播到只有張先生自己才能驗證還有什麼不足的境界, 我和麥sir也帶了學友的CD到AE2作為揪腳的test CD.
首先666先上, 學友音色冇變, 呼吸聲更明顯, 撥結他線的微微手指勾線十分清楚, 背景十分寧靜, 有一種淸爽活生感的總體感覺, 果然是現今腳皇. 我地再播Sarah CHANG拉BRAHAMS的小提琴協奏曲, 琴音清析, 高音伸延更多,諧波細膩, 樂團各組樂器分隔度清楚, 絕無投訴.
我友那時說, 不用再測試666, 快些上DALBY腳, 因為他趕時間.....