The Aurios Media Isolation Bearings 1.2

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Introduction   I picked up a set of Aurios 1.2's at the Montreal Audio Show that was held back in March of this year. I have never tried the original versions, so these were my first taste of what Vistek Inc. and their Media Isolation Bearings have to offer. I have read good stuff about the 1.0's but also heard that they where a bit of a pain to set up. The new 1.2's promise easier setup and better performance so they seemed like the right thing to get. A quick splash of cash did the trick and I had a set of my own to audition and ultimately feature in this review. At $399 for a set of three these are quite expensive. A set of three optional Tungsten Carbide Balls will set you back a further $50 or so. Judging based on materials alone it is hard to justify the asking price, having said that - this world of audio equipment and audio accessories rarely abides by the standard rules of product pricing. It turns out that an audio manufacturer will often price a given product or accessory based on how well it performs rather than what it's really worth (material wise and after all the expenses and the standard profit margins). It also turns out that I don't have a problem with this pricing strategy, provided (and this is a big one) that that same product or accessory brings about a noticeable and justifiable sonic worth and value to my ears. After all I'm not just buying an ordered collection of metal and plastic pieces, but a product that hopefully brings me closer to audio nirvana. So the real question is: Is the consumer's perception of the product's sonic value lower, equal or higher than that of the manufacturer's. If it turns out to be the latter two then the manufacturer is in business and will do just fine. If it turns out to be the former, then it is going to be a hard sale. So, are the Aurios 1.2's, at $400 a set, sonically worth it? Let's see…   If you haven't read our Perspective segment, you may want to do so now as a prelude to this and all other tweaks we review. Construction and Appearance   These are some tough cookies! The build is excellent; the Aurios are very strong and appear indestructible (considering normal use). Basically you have a metal cylinder on the top equipped with a threaded hole, a plastic ring in the middle, and a metal cylinder on the bottom. There's a screw on the bottom cylinder, which I presume was used for final assembly of the unit, but one that can not easily be removed. I restrained myself from disassembling one of my Aurios; perhaps once I finish this review I'll give it a try. Within, and in the middle of, the entire assembly are bearings that "float" the top cylinder off the bottom one. I have recently read a comment referring to an earlier version stating that they are like Jello - true enough these are a bit like Jello when held in your hand; the top part wobbling to-and-fro in all directions. This Jello like behavior only confirms that the bearings are doing "their thing". next page: