Why do system supports work?

Posted by: Bruce Woodhouse on 22 June 2001

A persisting theme in this forum is system supports and the large differences they make, especially Mana.

I can understand the importance of isolating turntables from vibration and movement-and at a pinch can assume that protecting CD players from the same is of value.

What I cannot understand is why supporting non-moving part components such as amps and power supplies on similar high tec platforms should matter one jot, and yet I read that it does.

Can somebody explain this to me in relatively simple terms?

Regards

Bruce

Posted on: 22 June 2001 by Andrew L. Weekes

I read a number of years ago, in an electronics trade journal, about the suspension that had been added to the electronics of one of Naim's CD players.

Apparently there was a significant and measurable drop in noise on the suspended version - both sitting on the same bench.

In simple terms it would appear that electronics is just as sensitive to microphony as mechanical components.

It makes sense if one considers that many items when vibrated or flexed can produce an output. The obvious example would be of the piezo-electric effect used both in inexpensive microphones and certain other transducers. one is flexing a crystal and producing an output voltage.

I guess any component could produce this to a greater or lesser extent. Consider the magnitude of some of the signals concerned and it is easy to suggest that these tiny effects are audible, possibly even measurable.

Andy.

Andrew L. Weekes