Vibration is both a blessing and a curse in the high-end audio world. While vibration is the main reason we can enjoy this hobby of ours (it is, after all, through vibrations that we can hear!), it is also one of the most notorious culprits of sound degradation. Adverse effects of vibration on an audio system include confusion of imagery, timing errors and musical distortion. There are three increasingly popular methods of dealing with harmful vibrations: isolation, coupling, and resonance control. 

Isolation devices are de-coupling devices, meaning that their objective is to separate (or isolate) the component from its surface. When employing a de-coupling device, one must assume that all of the harmful vibrations are coming from the outside. These products absorb external energy before it can get into the product.

Coupling devices, on the other hand, merge the component to the surface it rests on. If you are using a coupling device, you adhere to the belief that the most powerful and damaging vibrations that occur are generated from the components themselves, which vibrate as they operate.

Resonance control addresses both the internal and external vibration at the same time. Resonance control devices act as a mechanical diode—allowing a one-way escape route for the extraneous energy produced from electronics. The construction of resonance control devices, like Nordost’s Sort Kone and Sort Füt, simultaneously prevents any external vibrations from traveling back into the component being protected.

Once the vibrations are eliminated from your audio components (amps, DACs, CD players, loudspeakers, etc), a whole new layer of tonal and textural details will be unveiled to you, as well as a transformed soundstage.  

For more information on vibration control, including purchase-free tips on how to reduce harmful vibrations from your own home system, see our NEW download: The Importance of Vibration Control.