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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why does it take 300 hours for Direct Coupling System to break in? Will the performance of my Direct Coupling Systems improve after the 300 hour break in period? Will I hear an immediate improvement when I switch components? How can I tell when components are settled in and equilibrium is achieved? Why do the vast majority of racks and supports degrade an audio system? Do you make custom sized systems?
Why does it take 300 hours for my Direct Coupling System to break in? You will definitely experience wide performance swings during the 300 hour break in period. This is normal. Black Platinum and Black Diamond Filters are complex devices. These filters consist of 29 levels of materials sequenced in a specific order which create and maintain a precise mechanical equilibrium between the component and all sources of vibration in the listening room. In addition, they function in concert with their racks. The filters are assembled just before shipment. During the break in process, pathways are established through which mechanical energy (vibration) passes in multiple directions. These pathways are established as music creates a state of continuous excitation in the listening room. At the outset, vibration (mechanical energy) passes through the filer unregulated. There is no equilibrium. Over the course of 300 hours, the filter respond more aggressively to changes in energy levels in the floor, air, rack and the component(s) inside your listening room. At the same time, the filter “locks in” pathways through which mechanical energy is channeled. The process appears random, but careful listening reveals the system cycles in a sine-wave like pattern. High frequencies settle in last. When multiple systems are simultaneously inserted into a system, each filter breaks in independently and the process can result in remarkable performance swings. This is normal. Below is a link to a thread initiated by a dedicated music lover who purchased 5 Black Platinum PXK systems for his complete system. The description of changes is an interesting read and accurately depicts the break in period: http://audioaficionado.org/mcintosh-audio/3133-racks-important-your-system.html
Will the performance
of my Direct Coupling Systems improve after the 300 hour break in period? Yes, most definitely. Additional performance improvement over extended listening periods is the norm.
Will I
hear an immediate improvement when I switch components onto my filter? This is possible, but not likely. You will likely hear a subtle change that will continue to evolve and shift over 24 to 48 hours of playing time. Never make A/B comparisons between components until the “B” component has settled in for at least 24 to 48 hours with music playing. The reason sonic change is gradual has to do with the filter establishing equilibrium with a new component. Whenever a new component is inserted into a music system, the frequency response of the loudspeakers changes and this creates a different set of energy levels for the filter to adjust to. Patience is a virtue greatly rewarded.
This is possible, but not likely. You will likely hear a subtle change that will continue to evolve and shift over 24 to 48 hours of playing time. Never make A/B comparisons between platforms or shelves until the “B” platform has settled in for at least 24 to 48 hours with music playing. The reason sonic change is gradual has to do with a phenomenon we call "mechanical imprinting". Mechanical imprinting is a way to understand why sonic changes evolve over long periods of time. To be sure, over time equilibrium is established between all the components in an audio system and the different things they are resting on. Equilibrium is the mechanical feedback state established between the component and the object under it. When music is playing, the rack, or table, or cupboard or what have you vibrates and passes vibration into the component which is vibrating too. As all the components and shelves in the listening room vibrate and over time pass vibration between them thereby establishing a state of equilibrium. It may not be a very good state, but it represents the prevailing conditions in the listening room. When the system is shut down and then started back up, the last prevailing state of equilibrium is quickly re-established in all the components and the system sounds very much the same as it did the day before. It is as if the prevailing state of equilibrium is mechanically imprinted into all the components; they start where they stopped. Whenever a new component is inserted into a music system, the frequency response of the loudspeakers changes and this creates a different set of energy levels for the components to adjust to. Equilibrium is re-established, but it takes a long period of time for all the components to re-settle in. Patience is a virtue greatly rewarded.
How can I tell when components are settled in and equilibrium is achieved The sound of your system will remain constant. In other words, random shifts in frequency response will cease.
No, you will not experience break in, but you will experience the normal electrical re-settling process that all high end equipment requires to reach peak performance. Some electronics and cables require days of playing to get back to normal. This is normal.
We have great news for you. Critical Mass Systems are patent protected. Our patented technology ensures that Critical Mass Systems Filtered Direct Coupling Systems work at peak performance under any component weighing up to 180 lbs. (81 Kilos). Our largest filters can accommodate loads up to 280 lbs. (127 kilos). By special order, heavier loads can be accommodated. This means you can change components, or upgrade components, or modify components without buying new parts or sending the system back to the factory for modification. Our only restriction is that the perimeter of the component must weigh less than 180 lbs. and fit within the perimeter of the Filter. Our standard filter has a 19” by 19” resting area and a perimeter measurement of 21.5” by 21.5”. Larger and custom sized systems are available. Larger filters with greater load limits have identical limitations relative to their size and maximum load rating.
First of all, there is no way to achieve “isolation” in a listening room. Loudspeakers fill the air with vibration and vibration transfers directly to the component through the air. This simple, incontrovertible fact of physics renders isolation systems ineffective in a listening room. Well-executed isolation systems and isolating racks utilize a rigid plate or rigid material that reflects vibration back into components. The component stores energy and performance of the component is degraded. To the ear, most racks and other devices that claim to be isolation systems degrade the performance of components by 20% to 50%+. Critical Mass Systems Filtered Direct Coupling Systems open up a pathway which pulls vibration downward from the component at an optimum rate. The rate of transfer is regulated by the filter. Our systems pass energy without excessive energy storage in the filter, rack or component. Components drained of stored energy reproduce recorded events that sound startlingly similar in musicality and detail to the original –mic feed. Second, our systems allow components to produce images that are farther apart and larger in place. Larger images in a wider, deeper soundstage can reveal more inner detail and musical nuance. Deeply hidden spatial cues normally obscured in bloat and grain come to the fore to create images that appear more life-like. The added musical nuance is gorgeous.
No. Filtered Direct Coupling technology elevates the performance of components; it does something that helps components create a sense of reality in your audio system. Placing components on any other rack degrades the performance of the component regardless the location of the rack.
Why do the vast majority of racks and supports degrade an audio system? The floor vibrates, the rack vibrates, the air vibrates, the component vibrates; all because sound is vibration. When racks, supports and shelves vibrate they push even more vibration into components that are already vibrating. The poor design characteristics of the vast majority of racks and supports ensure components have no likelihood of performing to the specification of the manufacturer.
This is not likely. Critical Mass Systems supplies interfaces at no additional charge that couple the component to the filter. They come with the system. The interface was developed over a 2 year period of extensive research involving a wide variety of materials and configurations. Having said this, we do not discourage experimentation. We just want you to know that additional expenditures are not required with our systems. If you decide to experiment, always allow 24 to 48 hours with music playing before you make any judgment. We also recommend performing A/B comparisons more than one time to make sure the results are understood and confirmed.
Do you make custom sized systems? Yes, we do. The cost is quite reasonable. Please ask us.
This is possible, but not likely. You will likely hear a subtle change that will continue to evolve and shift over 24 to 48 hours of playing time. Never make A/B comparisons between components until the “B” component has settled in for at least 24 to 48 hours with music playing. The reason sonic change is gradual has to do with the filter establishing equilibrium with the changed frequency response of the loudspeakers. Change creates a different set of energy levels for the filter to adjust to. Patience is a virtue greatly rewarded.
Can you provide a sample calculation for sequential frequency filtering?
Pictured: left to right, Steve Hoffman, mastering legend, Nathan Glaser Ph. D., Clinical Psychologist (retired) and Advisor Emeritus to Critical Mass Systems and Howard Sosna after Steve's terrific presentation of original master tapes recorded to disc. Venue: CES 2007, 34th floor Venetian Hotel, January 10th 2007.
What level of performance can I expect from a Critical Mass System isolation
platform?
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custom-made racks? |
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