Adding glass and ball bearings to Isoblue - how?

Hi,

if it can be of any help, this is how I added glass and ball bearings to my Guizu rack, for the upper shelf where my CDS3 is.

First I took eight floor protectors - I use some that a friend, also forum member, has hand made for me, in inox steel, really beautiful and masterly crafted; placed four on the shelf and inserted a 3 mm ball in each one:

Then carefully placed four more floor protectors face down on the balls, and placed the glass upon them:

and this is how it is:

I am sorry for the lousy quality of the pics, but I think it gives an idea. For sure, my CDS3 sounds ok.

Hope it helps,

Max

Mike - when I had a CDS2 and Isoblue, I added a Fraim glass and balls. Basically you just place the balls as they would be placed were you to be using Fraim, and line up the front of the box with the front of the glass. It cleaned up the sound considerably, and was well worthwhile. 

Max - I'd suggest that you try dispensing with the second set of protectors - just place the glass on the balls. I'd also try using just three of the balls (two at the front, one at the back) as that should ensure perfect contact between the shelf and the glass: the shelf is unlikely to be dead flat. 

I had to find the picture on the web, but this is the one I was thinking of.

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

I already use glass support in the form of Sainsbury's' place mats! Rubber spacers not BBs, though.

Off shortly but will try to photograph...

M

Mike, Can you Taste The Difference?!

Thanks for posting pic, Nigel. You reminded me that Fraim glass and balls could improve my CDS3.

C.

You don't need the Naim bits, just use a suitable-size metal nut with the appropriate size of ball-bearings. "Ball Nutters" I believe they're called!

Nigel,

if I manage to win my deep repulsion for unplugging and moving gear, I'll try it. I am using the same protectors under the SBLs, and if I didn't know that it's only self delusion I'd swear they too have contributed to the good sound. 

Just lift the glass shelf and rearrange your balls. Then put it down again. No need to switch off. And if you don't like the effect, you can replace the balls in their original locations. 

Ball Nutters, yes. Vuk, who no longer posts, invented the system and never got any acknowledgement from naim who "idependently "developed the same system for the fraim.

I do find that a bit worrying to be honest..... Having ones balls rearranged while holding expensive Naim equipment on a thin plate of glass. Having them restored to original locations sounds reassuring though.

Tell me Mr Halibut, have you read "Justine - or The Misfortunes of Virtue" ?

Justine was of course the daughter of M. de Bertole, which is rather worrying. 

Mike,

I used Fraim spec glass with Naim cups and balls very successfully with the Isoblue. TBH the improvement when I substituted Fraim was not as great as you would expect. I would recommend the upgrade unreservedly.

Mike 

I did the same as Steve J, but with Hutter - very effective indeed. 

I needed to buy extended supports to widen the gap between each shelf sufficiently - whch for me gave the added advantage of making the top shelf higher and more easily accessible.

Nice looking system, but it's crying out for one obvious thing.

The whole lot placed on a large piece of 25mm laminated floor glass/oversized ball and nuts.

I take it you don't hold bankers in high esteem?

Just so. Simples. Tony beat me to it.

I hope all is well with your world Mike.

John.

I'm in the process of adding a piece of to all intents and purposes Fraim glass to the top shelf of my Isoblue. I notice the Naim balls and cup allow the ball to move in all directions. They are also 60 notes for three. Is there much to be gained over cheapskating it with 3  1/2 inch s/s bearings and 3 M10, say, s/s nuts? Has anyone made the change? Thanks. (and yes, I've used the 'search').

Chris

I know you're all on tenterhooks so I thought it best to publicly announce that I've gone with Naim balls and cups. Rest easy, they weren't sixty sobs though.

C.

When I got mine Naim cups and balls recently they were around that figure for three

As foretold by others, my Fraim glass copy with Naim balls and cups on Isoblue is a wonderful support for my CDS3. In a late night experiment last night, I put my Nat03 on it instead. B*ggeration! I'm now going to have to order glass, balls and cups all over again.

Happy chap Chris

Always surprised when I read the virtues of the Fraim 'Glass and ball' support, in most reviews I've ever seen on other equipment stands 'Glass' usually gets a bad bit of press due to the ringing effect it can introduce? Have Naim done something to negate this?

Is it the thickness of the glass used perhaps? 

It's not just one particular material in isolation, it's a combination of materials and design elements. While refining the design of the Fraim, Naim tried lots of different materials instead of glass.  In the end this particular Pilkington glass was only narrowly beaten by one other, special aluminium sheet like that used for the interface plates in the SL2 speakers.  Unfortunately this is prohibitively costly stuff and would have made the Fraim way more expensive. The glass was a surprise, but it worked very nearly as well for a much lower cost.

The obvious Q... which Pilkington glass? 

Mike, ask Steve Hopkins at Naim. I believe it's not a secret as Naim give the spec and type out so dealers and owners can get larger pieces of glass cut should they need it for turntables etc..

Hello Richard

Was that an aerolam type board?