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Setup

For this and the other five footer reviews I will be using my upstairs system. The CD player is a Cambridge Audio D500SE, the amplification a Classe CA-101 power amp with directly mounted EVS Ultimate Attenuators for adjusting volume. The speakers are a pair of Magnepan MMGs and the cabling by Nordost: Red Dawn interconnects and Flatline Gold MkII speaker cables. The CD player and amp are on top of the DIY Rack we built earlier. The rack shelves are pretty good themselves at controlling vibration so in order to have a more representative shelf I placed a standard shelf on top of the DIY rack supported only by the tips of the four rack pillars. A few taps on this shelf nicely confirmed that we now have a sufficiently resonant platform for our tests. Our primary assessment will be based on three footers under the CD player, two in front and one in the back. This arrangement will ensure consistency throughout the footer reviews.

The Vibrapods are easy enough to setup, you will find setup recommendations on their site as well. I would recommend that you place them in direct contact with the equipment by working around the standard feet or by removing the equipment feet altogether.

Performance

As with the other footer reviews we will first gauge what improvements (if any) are brought about by switching from an untreated audio component to one with the footers in place. If appropriate we will draw comparisons with devices we have previously reviewed.

Replacing the standard feet with Vibrapods was an obvious upgrade. Improvements could be heard in dynamics and clarity, imaging, ambiance and spatial resolution. Other devices could claim similar benefits in varying degrees but there was something different and special about the Vibrapods. A certain organic quality to the sound simply draws you into the performance on a more emotional level. I know no other footer or vibration control device in this price range that has this organic quality.

Compared to the Racquetball Halves, the Vibrapods leave them far behind. Compared to the Vibration Isolation Pads the Vibrapods win again. The Vibration Isolation Pads in comparison are edgier and less refined. The Vibrapods had better spatial localization of instruments and better soundstage layering. There was more low-level resolution with better acoustic ambiance. The Vibrapods were better at communicating nuances, they were more natural with that organic quality I talked about above.

Conclusion

I've been using Vibrapods under my budget CD player for almost two years now. I've tried other things in similar price range but the Vibrapods keep ending up under my player. Their organic quality is something I often find missing from other devices. Maybe it has to do with spot on synergy or something else, but I have also tried them under budget integrated amps with similar success. It all comes down to the fact that if you have about $20 or so to spend on a vibration control device then Vibrapods are still the things to get. Highly recommended.

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Comments (add)


G77c	Enhancement: Use upside down sitting on 2" by 2" by 1/4" cork tile. Top cork w/ card stock layer (to keep pod airtight).

Lee	Get some 3/4" washers and some screws, turn Vibrapods over with wide part on top. With washer and screw, attach them to your component or isolation board.