Thread: Where is mach2music?

Originally Posted by Julf

Stockholm Syndrome?

Julf, you're not right! I laughed so hard, I almost scratched the new Mac platform I'm installing right now. Saved only by the protective paper, as I set it aside to log on to CA first, then resume installation. :- )

Sitting back and taking it in for a few hours. Friday evening will start diggin'... paying closer attention.

Originally Posted by Atomic Audio Labs

Driven By Sound,
Thank you for purchasing the Mac Platform. I believe that you will enjoy the improvement, that the Mac Platform will add to your music. I am very humbled that you are going to give one of my platforms a try in your system.

Regards,
George

Unfortunately, I will not be reporting my initial impressions tonight or over the weekend. Last night, I discovered the tuning washers were inadvertently excluded from the packaging. And that you immediately dispatched them earlier today. I'll likely get them Monday.

Things happen and I'll simply pick up where I left off.

Kindly,

- Just a perfection seeking bat in sonar and sensors

Originally Posted by Soundpressure

I like it better without the washers I tried it both ways. I spoke with George over at Atomic Audio Labs and he felt it is better with out the washers, and I agree with his assessment. He said that in all the various systems he has never liked the washers but that some individuals who own and are dealers for the Mac Platforms like the washers.

Stephen A

Currently, now running the platform without washers. Could you briefly describe what you're hearing with & without the washers? Or point out the difference in the presentation? Thanks.

My initial impressions from three hours last night, and four hours today are mixed. I believe it does what it is said it will do. Rather than gain anything over my previous config, it is merely different. And represents a sideways move.

My current setup, well, before the new Mac platform, uses 1.5" Dayton speaker spikes onto a 15"x12"x4" Maple platform with 2" Isoblocks underneath. The two systems achieve pretty much the same thing but there are differences. I can only speak to using the Mac platform at this writing sans washers.

As things stand, I prefer the previous configuration over the Mac platform. All of this is about tuning, really. To my ears, I do hear a positive part of the signature that stands out in the mid-range with vocals. Smoother and of a different tone with a nice extension - not better or worse but different.

However, with the mini sitting on the 1.5" spikes and then onto the big Maple platform, the sound returned is bigger and wider as a whole. Sounds more open - not by a large amount but noticeable. The Bass/Sub Bass and percussion having more texture, notes sounding fuller downstairs.

The Mac platform as configured sounds refined and focused. The previous config a bit more so. Which also sounds more alive than the Mac platform. This is especially noticeable for me which I perceive to be decay - notes decay differently between the two, with my previous setup having a nicer finish to the notes while decaying.

The Mac platform sounds nice, I just prefer the different sound of what I have now better. If I were starting from scratch with the mini simply sitting on the shelf, this ready-to-go platform for the mini would be my tea. Maybe the washers will return a better presentation for me.

But right now, I find myself in the corner with duplicate tweaks... and less cash. Will likely list the platform rather than return it, as restocking + shipping amounts to 30% of total. I've an open mind and look forward to trying the washers.

Originally Posted by Atomic Audio Labs

Driven by Sound,
Have you tried it on a regular shelf and not on the 4" thick Mapleshades block? It may be over damping the Mac Mini being on both the Mapleshades block & Mac Platform.

Thanks,
George

Thanks for your reply. I have not tried it without the 4" Maple platform, though it was something I did consider. Will try it on the shelf by itself later Sunday evening... good observation!

Originally Posted by Atomic Audio Labs

It may be over damping the Mac Mini being on both the Mapleshades block & Mac Platform.

"Over damping"? As in not able to vibrate enough?

[QUOTE=goldsdad;161603]Could be over dampening if the washing machine is leaking.[/QUOTE


Or, if the drum is overloaded with dampening, creating an uneven "Spin cycle." Resulting in undesired sonics. I could actually try removing the Maple platform now and test but it's mid-afternoon. I find the noise floor inside the listening room, home and neighborhood to be higher than I'd like right now.

This evening...

Nylon/metals washers are in! Thanks, George. After sunset and dinner, let the testing begin!!!


HUMOR! - www.atomicaudiolabs.com

I would suspect they are "out of business" temporarily or completely. If I had a business model that involved the "re-fashioning" of an Apple Mac Mini, this would be the first site that I'd poll on a daily basis.
WDW

driven-by-sound

now you have the washers...thank god,...we're on our seats...wassup?

Originally Posted by wdw

driven-by-sound

now you have the washers...thank god,...we're on our seats...wassup?

NBA & NHL action cut into my listening sessions the past 48 hours. Will catch up tonight and share impressions.

Atomic Audio Labs Mac mini platform--

A couple of things. I'm returning with brief impressions for now. But will follow up on these impressions in a dedicated thread for the platform later. Perhaps, one started by Soundpressure or by any other members. If none exist by the weekend, I will start one.

I understand some of us are interested in the story and status of Mach2Music. It remains my hope we learn more in time...

Back to the Mac mini platform by Atomic Audio Labs. Never got into the listening room tonight as planned, so will go on brief notes. Will this new platform make and serve me tea (ASIMO)? No. Or park my car (Lexus)? No. And would prefer to have my hand in these tasks anyway. But does the platform perform as advertised? A resounding yes!

I got off to a bit of a rough start in evaluating this thing. Credit George though, he rightfully observed the platform might be experiencing over damping, as he saw one platform atop another. The 4" Maple platform is from my previous tweak. Without the washers, when sitting on the Maple block, the Mac platform had a deadening sound to it. Notes that would normally decay in time and space were suddenly dropping at my feet a premature death, if you would.

Also, Bass and Percussion had a thud-ish sound to it. Here too, notes were short and slightly off tone. Ah, but the gorgeous Maple taketh & giveth. What it did do for the Mac platform is lend a sweet and liquid tone to vocals... female especially.

While waiting for the washers to drop on the porch (shipment), I took George's advice and set the Mac platform on the coffee table.

(Cont'd) I would have eventually done this, as I love to experiment when I get new stuff. But, it's a coffee table! Someday I'll have a dedicated audio rack, but we're gonna make the coffee table do what it do, baby!

This config did not last but a hot minute. Decay, Bass, Percussion and the likes resolved themselves but the middle (mid-range) sounded a bit less clear and focused. But the presentation did sound more whole, just lacking a bit of definition. Details remained however...

Ok, let's get to the dirt! The washers arrival changed a lot in the presentation. Up to this point, I thought the Mac platform sounded merely ok, but not worthy of my new found investment. I was intent on keeping an open mind until getting all of the parts and allowing adequate time for tuning over a few weeks time. Any indictments handed down from me would come then.

After trying combinations of washers 1-2-3 of them, ignoring all recommendations from the manual 'cause I like to play around and discover, I finally heard the platform do what its designer had claimed. Previously, I learned that both Soundpressure and George preferred the Platform sans washers. I contacted him and asked him to explain his preference. After playing around and testing the piece on my coffee table, wooden dinner TV tray, folding table, each of these different surfaces changed the presentation, causing me to adjust by ear using different configs of washers/no washers.

I'd like to also point out as a formality I also returned to listening to the Mac mini without either system - on its belly on the coffee table. Both tweaks easily kicked this arrangement to the curb! The Mac platform opened up the mid-range with more clarity and focus than stock. And even a bit more than my previous setup. Though, I'll point out that the tweak with the 4" Maple blocks is not complete. The Dayton speaker spikes are just a trial/stop gap measure until I can afford Brass footers. This is important to note because I have observed the spikes benefit the mini the most. Spikes under the tube amp sounds better than stock footers as well. But the DAC is just the opposite. Has not responded well to the Dayton spikes at all!

Experimenting with the DAC - stock footers vs Tri-Absorbers vs spikes - each of the three has something about it I like and something I don't. Kind of like a three way tie but with different sound. Still have to resolve that.

Anyway, the Mac platform sounds refreshingly open in the middle and has a bit more focus. Bass, Percussion, tone, clarity, definition, dimension, detail, decay, depth (what's with all these "D's?")... this package does exactly what's expected of it. I think the adjustable, tuning design is brilliant! 'Cause though it was designed to simply be placed on a shelf or a rack, I found that different surfaces can affect the presentation.

In summary, it's a keeper! And I thank Soundpressure for sharing his purchase. When I posted my Mach2Music experience, I hadn't yet decided on how to spend my refund. I will say that while the Mac platform has a somewhat cleaner middle, there's something wonderfully magic about all that Maple. The previous config still sounds clean but the overall tone is a bit darker. Decay is a bit better and there's just this sweetness that makes it easy to listen to. Can't seem to put a finger on the sweetness of Maple. All-in-all, both of my tweaks achieve their objectives though in slightly different ways and sound a bit different.

My current dilemma now is what to do with two similar tweaks (purchases)? Since I need money to purchase Brass footers, my first thoughts were to sell the new Mac platform. That shifted to selling the Maple platform, then I wouldn't need to buy additional footers. Neither of these thoughts survived the two minute mark!

I instantly recalled evaluating the Mac platform, while sitting atop the Maple platform long before the washers arrived. This configuration killed my decay, Bass and Percussion. But it was this very configuration that lent itself to the most lush and liquid vocals even over the proper configuration. I am stumped yet intrigued. How can I incorporate the two and resolve the imbalances caused? Obviously tuning will be the answer if it is to work at all. But trade-offs abound, I guess I'll keep listening to different surfaces (can't afford an audio rack yet). Try different audio players and stuff. And communicate with the designer 'cause I may be on to something.

driven by sound - I must admit I don't fully get your Maple Isolation Platform setup and would love to be educated by you and others here.

I would like to hear a more technical explanation of how vibration can affect a digital component's fidelity.

Separating (via spikes) the component itself from heavy, low resonance blocks is fine if the component then doesn't resonate 'on its own' as a result of, for example, the sound coming from your speakers. A solid, weighty, low resonance component itself is presumably necessary for optimum results. Presumably big blocks of maple help when components are positioned on lightweight platforms/racks prone to resonance or transmission of vibration - in lieu of a better rack, I guess they have their place - but they don't help reduce the resonance of the unit itself.

As far as I can see, the Atomic Audio Labs platform adds (hopefully low resonance) weight in a sexy form factor (the latter being perhaps its best selling point). The spikes limit transmission of vibration from rack to the base, the lead adds mass/interia to the unit itself. Presumably it would perform better if the platform were very solidly attached to the Mini in order to dampen the entire package.

Anyway, I guess I'd like to hear an explanation of what forces we think are at work on this stuff and exactly what's trying to be prevented and how each - maple or a lead and acrylic combination - get that job done. I would have thought that managing electrical interference within the Mini much more (by leagues) important.

PS: with respect to maple, I'd also like to understand how a highly resonant would such as this helps reduce vibration...it is after-all chosen for instruments because of its high resonance.

As I research my own question, I found some interesting stuff here:

Symposium Acoustics: Technology

Note the discussion on cones/spikes.

More on this from Nordost here:

Nordost : Products : Sort Kone

What these guys, Symposium and Nordost, are saying makes intuitive sense to me. The goal is to drain resonance from the unit.

While I think the maple blocks look very cool, you are adding a block of wood known and liked for it's high resonance to your setup. The equipment is set on spikes which are poor drainers of resonance. I think people would be much better setting their Mac Mini down on a couple of Symposium Fat Padz than any of the products mentioned in this thread.


Now, I am keen to hear more about PSU solutions...

(BTW, in the PS above, "would" should have been "wood" obviously)

Originally Posted by JJJ

The goal is to drain resonance from the unit.

Not sure what you mean by "draining resonance". You can affect the frequency by changing either the resonating mass or the compliance of the suspension, and dampen the resonance you need to dissipate the energy by converting it to thermal through friction in a damping material. So the two ways of dealing with a resonance are either to shift the resonance to a frequency where it is less harmful or less likely to get excited, or dampen out the resonance to make it less pronounced. Of course this will only affect the resonance of the main enclosure - individual components and subassemblies will still have their own resonant behaviour that remains unaffected. There is no general way to "drain" resonance from all parts (apart from filling the enclosure with epoxy).

Raining on the parade again? I have always enjoyed the romantic image of resonances slowly leaking down the magic path of mixed material to the universal resonance eater at the center of the earth. Unfortunately useless for real engineering.

Originally Posted by 1audio

Raining on the parade again?

Umh, yes. Sorry. I guess I just don't do parades very well.

I have always enjoyed the romantic image of resonances slowly leaking down the magic path of mixed material to the universal resonance eater at the center of the earth. Unfortunately useless for real engineering.

But good for cosmic quantum physics. Just waiting for the Large Hadron Collider to detect the Audiotron...

I take it Ulf, that you think the Symposium products are just bollocks?

Originally Posted by JJJ

I take it Ulf, that you think the Symposium products are just bollocks?

Jj, I don't think "bollocks" is the term I would use. I just think their explanations of how the stuff works doesn't stand critical scrutiny. But their products are like expensive bottled waters - if it makes the buyer feel good, it works...