Pangea "Mega feet"

[emaidel]

I've been using a combination of Vibracones and Vibrapods under most of my equipment now for a few years, and have been very satisfied with the sonic improvements. The Vibrapods continue to receive accolades every year in the "recommended components" issues of Stereophile and The Absolute Sound, and for $6 apiece, they're an out and out steal.

Unfortunately, they're unsuitable for my power amp (an Adcom GFA-5800) which weighs 65 pounds. The pods collapse completely, and the stainless steel ball of the cones collapse into the rest of the Vibracones, rendering them useless as well. There are plenty of preposterously priced acoustic isolators available (many for far more than I paid for the amplifier!), but Pangea, whose power cords are outstanding, and relatively inexpensive, makes "Mega Feet" for heavy equipment, and I just received a set for Father's Day.

Do they work? Yes they do, and much the same as did the Vibrapods and Vibracones when they could be utilized. Everything sounds just a little bit better: smoother highs; better imaging and depth; a mellower, "throatier" sound to horns and woodwinds: and better defined bass. All of these improvements are subtle, but audible, and for $49.95 for a set, I can't think of a better bargain in the world of tweaks.

Now, I'm going to try out one of the lesser Pangea feet for lighter equipment (at only $24 for a set of four) to see if they best the Vibracone/ Vibrapod combos. We'll see...

[Hyfi]

Instead of spending ridiculous amounts on molded sorbothane, look into a McMaster-Carr catalog for sheets of sorbothane.

I purchase 1' squares of 1/2 inch thick and slice into 2" x 2" squares for everything.

McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/#ultra-soft-polyurethane/=i14xsy)

[JohnMichael]

Good tweakin' luck! Tweaking is fun and can improve the sound for not much $'s. I have played around with various supports and have neglected that concept of late. I think the Pangea feet might be something I need to try. I like the tall supports that can bypass the original feet and make contact with the base of the unit.

[Hyfi]

Good tweakin' luck! Tweaking is fun and can improve the sound for not much $'s. I have played around with various supports and have neglected that concept of late. I think the Pangea feet might be something I need to try. I like the tall supports that can bypass the original feet and make contact with the base of the unit.

I take off the stock feet and place the sorbothane pads directly between bottom of component and shelf.

[LeRoy]

$49.95 ain't bad for a tweak. I too have been utilizing the Vibrapod Cones & Feet under the Stello DAC units and with the same kind of improvements you mentioned you audio system delivered with the Vibrapods in use.

I was looking at other possibilites, Gingko Audio Mini Clouds (http://www.gingkoaudio.com/minicloud.html) , but did not want to spend big bucks for a tweak. I think I might have to look into the Pangea feet. Thanks emaidel.

[emaidel]

The video on the Audio Advisors page for the Pangea "mega feet" states that Pangea's engineers worked with the manufacturer of sorbithane to develop the specific size, shape and density of the feet. Whether this is pure BS, or true, I don't think $50 is a "ridiculous" amount of money for such a dramatic improvement in sound.

A quick scan through any audio catalog, whether mailed or online shows absorbing feet for truly ridiculous prices (many hundreds of dollars each!), and so, as with the Pangea power cords, these feet represent genuine bargains.

The acoustic benefits of the combinations of Vibracones and Vibrapods are well known, but come with an annoying side-effect: as the piece of equipment is now sitting atop a tiny section of a stainless steel ball, the slightest touch causes the item to move around, which is annoying. The Pangea feet allow the unit(s) to wiggle, but not to move an inch from where they've been placed, and that's a good thing.

I spent some more time listening yesterday, and continue to hear dramatic, noticeable improvements. To me, this was $50 very well spent.

[Hyfi]

All you really get from these are the look compared to buying it in a sheet. For $70, you can have 36 - 2" square feet.

Come on, where is that DIY attitude?

[JohnMichael]

Emaidel, I have similar issues with the RDC cones I use under the Planar 2. I use 2 one by motor to drain vibrations and one under the left corner since it is ever so slightly taller and levels the table. I recently dug out my old AT isolation feet. I bought them in the 80's and I have never tried them with the Planar 2. Now that you have me thinking about isolation I am going to check them out.

I am going to order the Pangea and try them under the Krell. I will also try them under the Marantz SA8001. I am curious what benefits I will hear. When I bought my maple stand I was impressed by the increase in clarity from the weight and solid build. I am interested in any further improvements I might experience.

[Feanor]

I like the tall profile of the Pangea pads which would usually mean that you don't have to remove the factory provide feet.

There are cheaper, non-audiophile sources for Sorbothane pads however, e.g. these Isolate It! available from Amazon, HERE (http://www.amazon.com/Sorbothane-Hemisphere-Rubber-Non-skid-Adhesive/dp/B005JRMUDE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_2) -- twice the feet for half the money.

Personally I don't seem to have vibration problems probably because of the character of my shelving.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41A19nzDy-L._SL500_SS100_.jpg

[frenchmon]

Feanor ....My rig is in the basement, on concrete floors which has carpet on top of that. So I don't have problems with footfalls, vibrations or anything like that. But about three years ago, I put some home made risers under my XRAY, TT and SACDP, lifted it up for kicks too see if it had any effect, and I instantly heard a great improvement. So just the mere lift gets better performance in stageing, better seperation, better highs , mids, and low's.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7539/pict0081w.jpg

[Feanor]

Feanor ....My rig is in the basement, on concrete floors which has carpet on top of that. So I don't have problems with footfalls, vibrations or anything like that. But about three years ago, I put some home made risers under my XRAY, TT and SACDP, lifted it up for kicks too see if it had any effect, and I instantly heard a great improvement. So just the mere lift gets better performance in stageing, better seperation, better highs , mids, and low's.

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/7539/pict0081w.jpg
Impressive, frenchmon. :13:

I did try isolation pad with my tube preamp but found they had no discernible effect. FWIW, what I used were Bright Star IsoNodes, HERE (http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BSISO), from Audio Advisor.

[emaidel]

Emaidel, . I recently dug out my old AT isolation feet. I bought them in the 80's
I am going to order the Pangea and try them under the Krell. I will also try them under the Marantz SA8001. I am curious what benefits I will hear. I am interested in any further improvements I might experience.

I also have AT feet I got in the 80's (they have a white stipe along the sides, and are about 1/4" thick) and felt that they never did much of anything.

Having placed the Vibracone/Vibrapod combo under my Marantz SA-8001, I noticed an improvement across the board. I too am going to try the Pangea feet under it, since I'm tired of it moving all over the place sitting atop the Vibracones, and am curious as to whether the Pangea feet yield better sonic improvments.

I'd be curious to see what imrpovements you experience both with the feet for the amp (likely the "Mega Feet" for $49.95) and the smaller variety, for only $24.95 for four under your SACD player. My guess is that you're going to be very pleased and feel that your money was well spent. It's highly likely you've spent more on something in the past with lesser results.

[emaidel]

I don't normally change my opinion on something I've posted, but in the case of these "Mega" feet, I've been left with no choice: while four of them are supposedly designed to be used with comonents weighing up to 80 pounds, the 65 pounds of my Adcom amp have proven too much for these feet. They collapsed completely, resulting in the amp's stock rubber feet supporting the amp. The Pangea feet look like squashed, black mushrooms, stuck to the bottom of the amp.

The Vibracones I had been using worked, but the stainless steel balls collapsed inside the cones, though not completely, and so I've resumed using them until I find an alternative. In the meantime, I'd strongly suggest against using these feet under anything weighing much more than 40 pounds.

I've had the mega feet since Father's Day, and only recently noticed that the amp was no longer being supported by them. I've had the Vibracones under the amp now for about six days, and the mega feet, which are still stuck to the bottom of the amp, haven't yet resumed their original shape.

Too bad.

[E-Stat]

They collapsed completely, resulting in the amp's stock rubber feet supporting the amp. The Pangea feet look like squashed, black mushrooms, stuck to the bottom of the amp.
Try using squash balls cut in half. They provide some isolation and cost about ten bucks for three which provides six footers.

[bfalls]

I purchased a four pack of "Big Feet" to go under my Legacy Silver Screen center channel. The Silver Screen is flat on the bottom, so placing directly on the shelf wasn't an option. They come with plastic discs to put between them and the shelf. The Silver Screen is pretty heavy at 42lbs (same as the reated capacity of the Big Feet).

After about a year I noticed they had flattened substantially and started to break apart. The edges spread past the plastic discs and started to dissolve the varnish on the shelf. I tossed them and used the black with metal band sorbothane feet (sorry can't think of the brand name, but believe they are also made by audioquest) which were much better.

I also use Vibrabods for all sources. Racquetballs cut in half also work well. They can be a little difficult cutting and getting a flat surface. They're readily available since my wife and I play racquetball twice a week.

[emaidel]

After receiving an email from Audio Advisor asking me how satisfied I've been with my purchases from them, I responded explaining the collapse of the Pangea Mega Feet.

I received a response I never expected: they hadn't experienced this problem before, and discussed the matter with the folks at Pangea and felt it may be a result of my amp getting too hot (it does get very hot) for them to function properly.

As a result, even though I didn't request it, they are refunding my money! That's good business, and I commend them.

[Hyfi]

Ultra-Soft Polyurethane

Color: Black
Temperature Range: -20° to +160° F
Use indoors and outdoors

McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/#ultra-soft-polyurethane/=jzk9yw)

This will not melt. I cut 12" square sheets into 2" x 2" squares and use under everything.