Symposium Acoustics Segue ISO Stealth Isolation Platform

This is a lightly used Segue ISO isolation platform. Custom made in square configuration, perfect for 3 point turntables or other components. Measures 18" x 18". Black stealth version (upgrade charge.) Medium duty for components up to 80lbs. Please add 2.9% for paypal. Introduction The Segue ISO takes up where the standard Segue leaves off - by adding a special, newly designed 5-footer isolation system that isolates difficult vertical waves that plague turntables without the colorations, distortions and compromise of previous vertical isolation systems. Placed under turntables, and especially suspensionless, solid-plinth turntables, the Segue ISO provides a new dimension of musical transparency without adding the resonances, colorations, and unwanted artifacts that are the bane of conventional isolation platforms using rubber balls, polymer layers, magnets, cones or air bags. The Technology The Segue ISO combines Symposium damped-layer technology with a breakthrough in footer isolation to provide both low frequency isolation AND audible spectrum damping. Usually, isolation platforms may provide one or the other function, but not both at once. The Segue ISO is the first platform to provide both functions at an affordable price, and will match or exceed the performance of most isolation platforms at up to triple its price, or more. The LDSS Foot Isolator - Simple, yet advanced We searched and experimented for years to find an affordable, effective method to isolate difficult vertical waves. We discovered and rejected rubber balls in cups in the late 1990s when listening tests revealed the damage this method of isolation did to what we considered to be essential aspects of sound quality (bass overhang, transients, etc.). Similarly, sorbothane rubber pads, polymer layers and bumpers, while inexpensive and widely used in competing products, were found to cause the same old familiar problems, as did inflatable air bags. We also experimented extensively with magnetic suspension, and while magnetic techniques have their uses (Symposium has been awarded two U.S. patents that involve magnetic inventions), we also rejected these, since opposing-magnet suspensions exhibit markedly non-linear displacement. That is, as the distance between magnets decreases (as in an isolation application), the repulsion force of the magnets does not remain constant, but instead increases at an exponential, non-linear rate. This problem of non-linearity is shared by nearly all of the above systems, and damages sonics - especially those characteristics having to do with the sense of dynamic range or "liveness" of music - when used with critical components. After more than a decade of work to find a solution to low frequency vertical isolation that would not compromise sonics, the breakthrough came when we developed a precision, conical spring design internally damped with aircell foam. While the initial idea of a spring didn't seem very glamorous or "high tech," this is a special spring design with a superior pedigree. Precision conical stainless steel springs nest within themselves, and as they do so, exhibit linear displacement characteristics over their entire compression range - meaning that as displacement occurs in response to wave vibration, the amount of resistance or opposing force remains constant. This factor dramatically improves the sense of dynamics in the affected component, and preserves bass integrity and transient accuracy. In addition, special internal damping material eliminates any resonances which may be caused by the metal material of the spring footer itself, and further damps isolation response to eliminate "ringing" or overhang. Further, the footer's conical shape terminates to a point, emulating the drainage and damping characteristics of cones, points, and spikes. Taken all together, the Linear Displacement Suspension System is a deceptively simple yet very effective method of releasing the sonic performance that remains untapped in nearly all turntables, regardless of price; but it is also effective for ANY source or active component, such as digital source players, preamplifiers, amplifiers, and more. Component Load Matching for Low Frequency Isolation Matching the weight of the component to the ISO suspension is important for best results. An ISO platform can be tailor-made for virtually any weight load upon special order, but is commonly made available in two versions, "LD" (Light Duty), and "MD" (Medium Duty); see table below. Best low frequency isolation effectiveness will occur with weights that are as close to, but not greater than these limits. If you have a special weight range in mind, please contact your dealer or Symposium direct. Setup Recommendations for Proper Results All Symposium platforms will work best if rubber or sorbothane feet or footers are bypassed or omitted altogether. While these types of feet are often supplied, especially by turntable manufacturers, as a "minimum" approach to providing some kind of isolation, rubber and sorbothane block the ability of the platform itself to absorb and dissipate vibratory energy from the component's chassis. Energy drainage or resonance damping is a vital aspect of vibration control, and rubber feet usually cause unwanted, non-linear resonances which negatively affect bass and midbass definition and quality. Further, very soft "ball type" feet represent a non-linear suspension, and the secondary suspension resonance caused by these soft rubber footers will usually interact unfavorably with the ISO's suspension system, and can cause even greater problems with footfall and feedback. Further, when placed on a Segue ISO platform, such footer suspension systems become superfluous, since the idea of a Symposium platform is for it to essentially be an extension of the component's chassis, so that internal resonances and generated mechanical energy can be absorbed and neutrally dissipated. Therefore, for best sonic results, always couple components (and turntables) to the top of the Segue ISO through hard footers (such as metallic points, cones, Symposium Couplers, SuperCouplers, Fat Padz or Rollerblocks), and not a soft or compliant one, because hard footers provide good mechanical throughput, necessary for an effective mechanical ground circuit. It is not usually necessary to remove the existing feet, as long as the rigid footer device contacts the chassis or plinth directly. Bypassing or getting rid of rubber footers altogether can often be the single most beneficial and affordable improvement one can make to realize better sound and accounts for the success of the basic metal equipment cone, which first appeared on the hi-fi horizon 40 years ago. Going Further: Achieving 6 Degrees of Isolation Used by itself, the ISO reduces or eliminates floor-borne disturbances as well as bass feedback, but very difficult installations may benefit from more comprehensive low frequency isolation. By adding a set of Rollerblock Jr., HDSE, or Series 2+, Rollerblocks, 6 degrees of freedom isolation can be achieved. The Rollerblock® system provides nearly perfect X-Y axis or lateral wave isolation, while the Segue ISO provides Z-axis or vertical wave isolation. This combination provides a "6 degrees of freedom" true isolation system, otherwise only available in systems costing many thousands of dollars, and at its very affordable price, represents a cost breakthrough in effective isolation/damping performance. Further, dedicated active isolation platforms are not made for audio component but for scientific instruments such as electron microscopes, etc., and have no audible frequency damping, because resonance neutrality through the upper nine octaves of the audio spectrum is irrelevant to technical instrument applications. Weight Capacity The Segue ISO is currently available in two versions, LD and MD. LD or Light Duty: For turntables and components up to 40 pounds (about 18 kG) MD or Medium Duty: For turntables and components up to 80 pounds (about 36 kG) Higher (or lower) weight range optimizations are available on special order. Dimensions and Weight The Segue ISO is 2.25" (2 1/4") or approximately 5.7 cm height with no load, and 1.75" (1 3/4") or approximately 4.4 cm height with maximum weight load. A standard 19x14 (48cm x 35.5cm) platform weighs approximately 8 lbs (approximately 3.6 kG). While our popular size roster for platforms (see below) is still in effect, the Segue ISO can be ordered in virtually any size.