My latest effort...

[Vintage Pete]

Good evening all....

Hope everyone had a nice thanksgiving! My "latest effort" could almost in some ways be considered a continuation of my last major effort, which you may recall, was the addition of my VPI Prime signature Rosewood turntable, Ortofon Cadenza black cartridge, and McIntosh MP100 phono preamp. Last but not least there was the new Turntable platform I designed and had crafted by a local woodworker, mainly from materials I ordered from a Hardwood company in Ohio.

My latest efforts have been largely inspired by the success of the last effort.

First, a bit of background. My system has evolved from the days when "stacking" gear was pretty common. Today, many of us simply make or buy a straightforward rack (I've made a few of these) and are "done with it". But there were a few factors with my primary setup that precluded my going that route. One was the pretty good sized record cabinet that I made in high school. This is still with me today, and is probably the only recognizable feature remaining from my 70's era system. At one time, I had this cabinet sitting on a desk, with the rest of my electronics on a wooden stand next to it, basically set up in two stacks. Between the desk and stands, we took up considerable space, and the speakers on either side. For many years, I badly wanted a JBL B460 subwoofer, which is large, and the best place to situate it would be centrally. So, I designed a large, sort of bench-style structure for the entire system, which would feature a large opening in the center, shelves for gear on either side, and a large table top for my turntable setup (record cabinet) and electronics. When the day finally arrived, in 2002, that I acquired the long-awaited JBL B460, I set about building the system center I'd had on paper for close to 20 years. From that point, I was pretty much committed to "stacking" much of my gear in this system. This was all fine until I made the move from my McIntosh MC300 amp (which had several pieces on top of it) to my MC501 monoblocks. These amps do not lend themselves well to stacking. So when I purchased the 501's in 2008, I knew I would need to make some sort of platform that would allow me to setup gear above the new amps. What I came up with was a sort of upside down "U", wide enough and deep enough to support much of my gear, and under which my new MC501's could reside. I also allowed for platforms under the amps, and if I ever for some reason had the coin to move into the really huge monoblocks (ala 1201, 1.2kw, etc) I still could, just by removing the smaller platforms. And so, this is how my system had been set up for the last 13 years:



The problems

This arrangement, basically worked out okay, for that time. But in 2008, isolation devices such as Stillpoints were not nearly as prevalent as they are today. At least, I had never even heard of them in 2008. Since then, I've heard much about the benefits of the devices, and heard for myself (I purchased 2 sets of ultra minis for my McIntosh MCD1000 CD transport, and for my McIntosh MDA1000 DAC). Being quite impressed with the results, I became interested in the Ultra SS footers for my MC501 amps (at least for my left and right amps, as I have three. The third MC501 powers my JBL B460 subwoofer). The problem was, my upper electronics platform did not have quite enough vertical clearance inside to install them on the amps and still keep the amp platforms that I like. I really only needed half an inch more clearance! Another issue I had, although fairly minor, was a slight downward "bow" in the platform that can be seen in the above photo if you look carefully. So, for quite a while, I knew in the back of my mind I would one day want to design and build a new platform. But, I wasn't exactly sure how I would go about it.

The Turntable project

Then came the addition of my VPI Prime signature turntable, which by virtue of its size, would require a larger platform. So, I designed a concept, ordered a piece of solid walnut edge grain butcher block material, and set about finding a crafter who could do the work. I wanted it to be elevated enough to slip my McIntosh MP100 phono pre under it. So, I would need a crafter who was experienced with joining techniques. The crafters I had used in the past for small projects were no longer available. By luck mostly, I found a fully staffed shop about a half a mile from my house, and the fellow who crafted my turntable project did a superb job. As I looked at this platform, and looked at my upper electronics platform, I now knew that I'd want to design something along the same lines as the turntable platform, except taller, and with solid, rather than open sides. I decided on the same material for the top, walnut edge grain butcher block. The corner "legs" would be fabricated with walnut procured by my crafter. The solid sides would be walnut, wide plank face grain butcher block. I felt that edge grain butcher block on the sides would make the piece look "too busy". I went over my design with the crafter (the same fellow) and ordered the materials, which took about 7 weeks to arrive. Meanwhile, I ordered 8 Stillpoint Ultra SS's from Ivan, one longer Wireworld Silver Eclipse 8 interconnect (to replace a cable that was already too short, but the additional height of the new structure would kill me). Also ordered were 12 Dayton Audio Isolation spikes. These would go under the amplifier platforms, and at the bottom of the new upper electronics platform. This raised things even a bit further, contributing to my cabling problem.

After a seemingly endless wait, my materials arrived, which I had shipped directly to my wood crafter.

Arrival day

After about a week and a half, my crafter had the project completed, and I picked it up day before Thanksgiving. As I did with the turntable project, I had him just build the project, sand it, and I would do the finishing. When I got my first look at it, I was delighted, but not surprised to see that he had done a superb job once again:








The finishing

My favorite finishing flavor for walnut is Watco Danish oil natural. The piece was already sanded so smooth, all I had to do was start with the oil application, and I do apply many coats until the finish sheen is uniform.



Satisfied with the finish, I installed the Dayton Audio Isolation spikes on the bottom.







At this point, I believe we are ready....




The big day

The day had arrived (Saturday). We will disassemble the main part of the system, install the Dayton Audio Isolation spikes, install the Stillpoint Ultra SS's on the MC501 amps, and put it all back together with the new upper electronics platform. The entire process would take 8 hours, with no break.

Here's our first glimpse of the new platform in place, with the Stillpoints installed on the MC501 amplifiers, and the Dayton Audio Isolation spikes installed on the amplifier platforms.

I was excited already to see what kind of visual impact it would all have:






The finished setup














The Stillpoints Ultra SS's...a mini review

I was both surprised, and not surprised (if that makes sense) to find that the Stillpoints Ultra SS's had elevated my system's performance even further. You may recall recently I added an Add-Powr Wizard to my system and I was floored by it (and still am). I really didn't think these footers were going to be able to improve things beyond that, but they have. I can't go into as much detail or articulate as completely as Dan did in his review of the product, but I can offer this from my own perspective: What I am hearing is an even wider soundstage, more micro details, a smoother and more open presentation. (I suppose more "open" and "wider soundstage may go hand in hand, or be one in the same). On the other hand, I'm not surprised, based on my own prior experience and the experience of many others here (and elsewhere). I am, in a word, thrilled. And they look really, really nice too!

I don't think I could be much happier with the results of this effort. It was well worth the time, energy, and expense.

As our old friend Dan used to say...."color me happy".

Thanks for looking guys!

[80B]

Pete - do be careful of your ears! Seriously, that looks great, a real audiophile's audiophile setup. Terrific how it all came together both aesthetically and the sound. Enjoy!

[Vintage Pete]

Originally Posted by 80B

Pete - do be careful of your ears! Seriously, that looks great, a real audiophile's audiophile setup. Terrific how it all came together both aesthetically and the sound. Enjoy!

Paul.....thanks!

[US Blues]

Beautiful! Great wood work, and a nice review.

[Audioraven]

[joel_hifi]

Pete, looks absolutely great [emoji106]

[JemHadar]

Thanks for sharing Pete. Very nice how it blends with the room.

[clpetersen]

Beautiful set-up and cabinetry - well-done!

[W9TR]

Really nice cabinet work - beautifully crafted.

[Still-One]

Pete
I agree with the others here, that really looks great.