Do Aurios Isolation Bearings improve sound?

[gary cornell]

I have a ProJect Perspective turntable, it was suggested to me that the Aurios would improve my sound - would the Aurios really improve the sound and be a worthwhile tweak?

[DaveUpton]

Most of that is subjective - are you able to demo a with/without setup?

[gary cornell]

No, put them which would take a minute or so, no quick A/B.

[CharlesJ]

Originally Posted by gary cornell

No, put them which would take a minute or so, no quick A/B.

That is long enough for memory to fade about small differences.

[gary cornell]

I would listen to the opening of the same lp, track 1 several times before adding the Aurios to be more attuned to whatever change there may be.

[Tong Chia]

Originally Posted by gary cornell

I have a ProJect Perspective turntable, it was suggested to me that the Aurios would improve my sound - would the Aurios really improve the sound and be a worthwhile tweak?

Aurios are isolation bearings and they work well where you need to isolate
an object from vibration. I use the Aurios Pro on my amps which are
placed about 6in from the speaker it is driving. Before the Aurios
the amps were vibrating to an unacceptable degree. I used the frequency
sweep from REW and measured the results.

If you dont have a vibration problem they are of limited use. Given the
cost of these things I suggest getting it from a vendor that accepts returns
if it does not work out.

Subjectively it cleaned up my top and bottom end.

[tvrgeek]

At least there is physics why this may in some situations help. Tables are sensitive to transmission through their base as well as pickup acoustically directly to the base and arm. So, it depends on what problem you need to deal with.

Back in the day, I loaded the base of my table with ponds of plumbers putty and placed in ton Sorbonne feet. ( cut disks out of used insoles) This seemed to resolve any through base vibration transmission. Vote for lowering the resonance and for feet. But direct feedback was still a problem. So I eventually built a big hinged box that would sit over the entire table. The most extreem setup I saw, and it worked very well, was about a 3 foot cube with the table suspended on damped springs. The lid was like a chest freezer. On the other hand, a friend with a SOTA kept laughing telling me to buy a "real" table.

This was an old Thorens. I also had a mission mat, clamp, and a variable frequency power supply. Grace F9L. I built the amp into the base to make the load on the cartridge easier and cables shorter. I was working on a headshell buffer when CD's came out so I quit.

[dookie1]

a friend has a very effective DIY table for his phono...

a high-mass slab (he uses a marble pastry board from a kitchen store...~18"x24"x0.75") set on an inflated bicycle inner tube (from a small kids' bike...under 20" diameter).

total expenditure was well under $50.

[gary cornell]

My turntable is on the top shelf of a Sanus rack. The preamp on the shelf below with 8" rod spacing and very heavy amps on the 2 lowest shelves with 12" rods. The shelves are 3/4" thick and rack is on casters and on carpet.
In this arrangement, what is the likely amout of vibration getting to the turntable?

[Tong Chia]

If you have a PC or Mac you could try to measure the vibration coming into
your turntable. REW is available here http://www.hometheatershack.com/roomeq/

It plays a set of test tones and measures the results using the computer's
soundcard. For this application the the output goes into the amp/preamp
and the input comes from your turntable after the phono stage.

REW has a spectrum analyzer which will show the amount of sound present
in the various frequency bands. A setup like this can be used to baseline the
amount vibration transmission and can help determine if the tweaks are working.

The turntable motor must not be moving, that is measure with a record
on the mat with the cartridge down.

[gary cornell]

Aside from measuring, does my set-up lead you to think i have miniscule vibration or a bit more where the Aurios make an audible improvement?

[CharlesJ]

Originally Posted by Tong Chia

.... I use the Aurios Pro on my amps which are
placed about 6in from the speaker it is driving. Before the Aurios
the amps were vibrating to an unacceptable degree. I used the frequency
sweep from REW and measured the results.
....

Is that an SS amp?
Ken Pohlmann did a very interesting experiment with a CD player a few years ago. He placed on on a speaker system, or could have been a sub, playing at over 100dB spl and measure the output signal from the CD player. No changes

Pohlmann, Ken C., "CD Magic" Stereo Review, July 91, pg 39-42.

I seriously doubt an SS amp will respond differently.

[tvrgeek]

In theory, transistors are subject to vibration. In practice, have not seen evidence of it being audible. Isolating the table is the important first step. No magic fix. Not always matching the decor. A massive plate sitting on compliant feet will help with vibrations through the base, but it is the direct feedback I remember having issues with.

If you want to test it, send the output of your preamp into a PC based spectrum analyzer and run some sweeps at different levels.

[Veda]

Before spending so much you should try a cheaper similar tweak. Cut two squash balls in half, you should have one for each foot of the component. Listen and note if you can hear a difference. If not, don't bother spending on the Aurios.

[gary cornell]

Tryed the Aurios and my sense is the sound is a little smoother. Anybody else using them here?

[penngray]

Originally Posted by gary cornell

Tryed the Aurios and my sense is the sound is a little smoother. Anybody else using them here?

If you really think they make a difference why not buy some $8 hockey pucks (or cut tennis balls in half) instead of something that is $200+ ...Also is that $800+ because you need 4 ?

I keep thinking I should start an audiophile "gadget" company....its amazing the money people spend on the silliest things

[gary cornell]

They're $200 for 3 and if you haven't tryed them, well...

[penngray]

Originally Posted by gary cornell

They're $200 for 3 and if you haven't tryed them, well...

Thanks, $200 for 3 or 4? Don't you need 4, 1 in each corner?

Only equipment that has "floating" or "moving" parts may require vibration isolation, if you think it improves an amp....sorry about your experience (I guess that was someone else's post)

Anyways, I actually do not even care to debate it because if you actually think it does so why not just by rubber isolation products that exist locally in any hardware store or buy rubber sporting products that can be easily modified to do the vibration isolation job.

In the end the $20 isolation solution is 100% the same as the $200 isolation solution but if $200 convinces you they work more power to the company that makes a HUGE markup on this

btw, you posted a thread on it asking questions then you post that you think it improves things.....why even start a thread if you are already convinced?

[gary cornell]

1. I said i have a ProJect turntable, it has 3 feet, thus 3 Aurios.
2. It was after solicting opinions that i decided to audition them. Cheaper solutions perhaps but the Aurios are black, match the black cone feet of the turntable and they blend in just right in what i consider a really cool looking turntable.

[K Shep]

Originally Posted by penngray

I keep thinking I should start an audiophile "gadget" company....its amazing the money people spend on the silliest things

I borrowed a pair of Bybee speaker cables to try. I was told they are "the best cables I have ever heard". I disagree they sound the same to my ear as my $40 used Audioquest I bought from Agon.

I had never heard of Bybee before so, I googled Bybee to find this:

Jack Bybee considers the Golden Goddess 'Super Effect' Speaker Bullets the ultimate audio improvement component for very high-resolution audio systems. They deliver stunning improvements in detail retrieval, ambience and spatial presentation, vocal and instrumental color, transient and dynamic impact, and harmonic completeness. With a simple plug-in connection, the GG SE Speaker Bullets surpass even the benefits of all but the most extensive system-wide internal Bybee modification upgrades to amplifiers, preamplifiers, loudspeakers, cables, etc.
GSB 001 Golden Goddess 'Super Effect' Speaker Bullets (set) $4200

I have stuck around this site to gain perspective from the objective side of the fence. It has worked I have tried a few things with my system that don't make an audible difference and I have become a better listener. I have become much more cynical about tweaks and what truly makes an audible difference in my/our equipment. But Speaker Bullets are you f*#^@#ng kidding me?

penn, I have a few great ideas for our penn-shep audio gadget company...I need to work on the name.

[gary cornell]

I tryed expensive Nordost Heimdall speaker cables and the did not sound any better than my 12 gauge from Home Depot. Also tryed the expensive Nordost Thor and to my surprise, it made a noticeable improvement. As long as you can get your money back, nothing to lose. Remember the plastic sheet you put in front of a black and white tv to make it a color tv? It made the picture look green!

[Veda]

IMO (before someone blast me for stating facts), cables do sound different to my ears (or mind) but the differences don't mean one is better than another.