![[Ocean Audio] Vibration Control](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W69c!,w_80,h_80,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c5aa4a9-fe23-49b8-9360-4d2016a834ac_1280x1280.png)
Learnings 1
Over the last ten months, I’ve learned that Australian defense industries temporarily broke the Les Davis supply chain by grabbing almost all AU machine shop time. Making 50 mm x 50 mm Al square blocks with 1 mm thick walls requires tech. Happily, issues have been resolved, and Entropic vibration control blocks in black, not just gray, should arrive on our shores in a few weeks.
In the meantime, Les Davis experimented by doubling the thickness of his 1 mm, seven-layer LP Mat to the 2 mm, 14-layer Soul Mat. While initially done to allow the easy swapping of LP Mats with 2 mm felt or rubber mats, the further sound enhancement was extraordinary. Our customers have responded with words like "the greatest invention since sliced bread," but I prefer the following restrained quote:
The 2 mm LDA Soul Mat isn't just as good as the XXX but sounds cleaner if that makes sense. Both are much better than the YYY, and they don't catch loose particles.
Axpona beckons, but sometimes, a small, regional show creates profound knowledge. Southern California's THE Show in 2023 allowed a long listen to Songer S2 field coil speakers, with piano decay times seemingly lasting forever. In a nearby room, Man in the Moon demonstrated its speaker (20 k$) with field coils and without (6 k$). For this experience alone, my attendance was well worth the time. Learning that sticks.
Schiit Audio recognized the future. A "budget" 5.1 system, using five $130 JBL self-powered speakers and a $630 Rhythmik subwoofer, was controlled by a $400 Syn 6-channel DAC fed by a two-channel signal. The Syn can keep the signal stereo or, through its magic, convert it to Immersive/Spatial/Surround Sound. You may laugh, but Apple's Spatial Audio (initially an ATMOS license) is usually automatically generated. Listening to Syn’s effects, I accepted that I was a dinosaur. If I were 20 again, I may have found it more enticing than two-channel. As a bonus, it discards the need to cope with the endless variations of Dolby and AV pre-processors. Schiit adapts to the future exceptionally well—more learning.
The elaborate Gryphon room played LPs, CDs, and streams. All were excellent, and I could not discern the differences in sources. While somewhat esoteric, High End by Oz and Cake Audio played music through plasma tweeters by Lansche. A little glow with a lot of sound, and I have no idea how they work. Surprising learning from both rooms.
PBN introduced me to Kirsten Edkins and her all-tube Cohearent Recording by Kevin Gray. This treat was diminished by Peter B. Noerbaek's acknowledgment that the Russian-Ukraine war had devastated his export business—bittersweet learning.
Audiophile knowledge keeps growing from supply chains to Surround Sound while remaining anchored to past milestones. Audiophiles are not lost and adrift in a world that frequently forgets the past. We learn. Enjoy Axpona. Go to shows.