Equipment support boards from Audio Image

I was in Audio Image over the weekend and saw that they are now selling those equipment boards that forumers like ryder have been raving about some months ago. After some discussion with Adrian, this is what I have found:

1. Originally it was not that he didn't want to sell the boards, just that he has no stock. The boards were so value for money in terms of sound quality for price that all stocks he has were booked full by his regulars. So he didn't want to market it widely because he was afraid of offending potential new customers (as in, 'talk so much but no stock to sell').

2. Apparently he was also in the process of establishing the AIME name brand.

3. In the meantime he was busy manufacturing the boards in order to have sufficient stock.

However in the interim, many of his regulars who are using the board fedback with opinions and suggestions. Apparently after a request by a rather famous local reviewer, Adrian improved the board by adding precision machined metal spikes (Adrian's own design) to the board, four of them, adjustable for height and leveling. In the process the price went up but feedback was that EVERY one of his regulars wants the improvement because apparently the upgrade in sound quality far outweighs the extra cost.

So now AIME equipment support boards are available at Audio Image. The price is less than RM300 for a standard sized board, 30mm thick and with 4 adjustable metal support feets (spiked).

I had a brief listen on saturday with the affore-mentioned local reviewer and a couple of friends. The boards were impressive. For supporting moderate priced equipment - Exposure 2010 with Exposure CD player and Audio Physics speakers, the overall sound quality was very good indeed !! We only tested the board for supporting the 2010 amp. It was of course not as good as those imported amp racks that he seels. But then, those racks are also a lot more expensive.

So anyone who are looking for equipment support racks, perhaps you can check it out. As usual you need to listen and evaluate for yourself.

Hi WongKN,

Thanks for the review. Any pictures to show of the boards with spikes?

I'm using simple MDF platform to support my equipments and I wonder how much improvements these boards can bring?

Mikapoh,

I am not sure how much/whether you will get improvements or not. Those AIME boards are MDF as well though I am not sure of their exact composition. Below is a photo I took :



This is the turntable support board. Please note that this board is a two layer design so it is going to be MORE EXPENSIVE than the standard 1 layer design (which I listened to on saturday) which was used to support the Exposure 2010 int amp on the floor. I think of one of the important elements would be those support feet, they are high grade aluminium and adjustable for height. This is important for turntable support because we need to ensure the board is comletely horizontal.

For equipment support on an equipment rack, we would use only the bottom board, but without the aluminium supports you see in the photo.

WongKN wrote:I was in Audio Image over the weekend and saw that they are now selling those equipment boards that forumers like ryder and MF have been raving about some months ago. After some discussion with Adrian, this is what I have found:

WongKN, please don't misquote me . I did not rave about any such boards and the usage of such boards in general should be out of practicality and safety first (like making sure the Turntable is securely placed and doesn't come tumbling down like Humpty-Dumpty).

To the moderator, may I impart a slight bit of advice such that if forummers are keen, just point them in the right direction and let them discover for themselves. Your eagerness to promote or recommend a particular brand or shop's product could either be construed positively as genuine enthusiasm, or negatively as a strong bias towards a certain brand/shop/group outlet.

On a side note, if you want to promote the MDF boards from Audio Image,
why not just put them in the Mfg / Dealer forum to announce its
availability. That's the proper venue for such announcements right ?

The AIME boards are probably the most value for money product available locally that partly explains a recommendation by the moderator. I am not aware of any product at a similar price level that may offer comparable(or for the worse) performance. Nowadays most tweaks in the market especially those which are exorbitantly priced are often deemed as snake-oils, and the AIME boards are one that do not fall into this group. Good products are certainly worth promoting and ultimately it is up to the individual or buyer to determine for themselves whether they are genuine as everybody's perception is different. We don't want a case whereby someone buys something after reading good reviews and finally end up disappointed when the product does not meet his expectations.

It appears that Adrian has fine-tuned the AIME board's design by incorporating a two-layer board for the turntable. Looks pretty promising but not too sure if there are audible benefits when compared to a one board arrangement which most of his old customers are using.

[quote="mugenfoo"]

WongKN wrote:a strong bias towards a certain brand/shop/group outlet.

I felt the same way as Mugenfoo.

It seems that this particular moderator favours a certain outlet/friend and that all items from this particular outlet are well promoted by him.

Moderators shd be neutral.

Any product introduction shd be in the correct forum.

Moderators shd be moderated too.

Mikapoh wrote:Hi WongKN,

Thanks for the review. Any pictures to show of the boards with spikes?

I'm using simple MDF platform to support my equipments and I wonder how much improvements these boards can bring?

So fast itchy hands kah?
Seems like you can reload your bullets at light speed What a coincidence that this thread popped up. I was given cengal wood to support my power amp by a generous avid audiophile. Too bad that it is a little short for my power amp.

Since the individual expressed some concern with me quoting him, it would seem to be due to my misunderstanding of his position, therefore the original post has been edited to remove the offending portion. No issues, hope no damage done. I shall keep this in mind for future posts.

About my 'status' as a moderator. I accept the viewpoints but I will have to state again that the viewpoint is something that I have found - and still find - somewhat amusing and also unacceptable. The premise seems to be that as a moderator, I am somewhat of a 'unusual' (best word I can find) individual in this forum, not allowed to have an opinion or allowed to say anything much. So I suppose I am only to slave away at the browser just observing and moderating, not allowed to share or to say my own preferences or experiences. Unfortunately for those who disagree (respectfully done I might add, which I am grateful for), this is something I don't/won't do.

I have always pointed out that my being a moderator doesn't bring me up up a level or anything. If there is an impression that being a moderator, any recommendations I made is especially accurate, then I will feel honoured and thank those who afford me that respect. But the truth is, as a moderator, and even if I am a reviewer, I still feel that it doesn't make one any different from others. I.e. it doesn't suddenly make me a 'golden ear'. If I am to evaluate a system or component differently from others, then it would be because of my (very basic) music training, not because I was asked to be a moderator in this forum. Consequently, I would hope that forumers would have noticed by now that whenever I feel the need to moderate, it is because of very fundamental reasons, like an unfair viewpoint being forced upon others, or something of that nature, never because someone favours something which is different from me.

Another interesting aspect that I will never adopt is that of a moderator being completely 'unbiased'. In terms of moderation, yes I have to try my best to be completely unbiased, within the best of my human ability. But from the viewpoint of a hifi, A/V and music lover, I have always made it clear my preferences and where my loyalty lies. In my auto website work, this has been my approach and I continue to adopt the same approach here as well.

I have always stated that all of us here are matured adults able to make our own judgement and this is what I will continue to adopt. This simply means that we should all be fully aware that EVERYONE is biased. It's the adage of one wearing rose-tinted glasses, EVERYONE has his/her own preferences and prejudice, we will not be a normal human being if we don't. Consequently I have openly stated that my usual hangout for hifi is Audio Image, for A/V I prefer HiWay Laser in SS2, for music (buying new LPs) I prefer NOVA Hifi in JayaOne and so forth. I like the euphonic sound of valves but for the most accurate music reproduction, I like solid-states more. I prefer the accuracy of ribbons and upgrade from the superb midrange accuracy of BBC monitors (the Spendor SP2 and SP2/2) to Apogee ribbons. And so forth. These are all my personal preferences, opinions, prejudices, etc. The world is a free place, everyone is entitled to his or her own set as well.

The truth is the most important aspect to being a human is to be honest with one's preferences and prejudices. And being the matured human we all are, when someone raves about something here, be it Harbeth, or SET with sensitive speakers, or the latest gizmo in high-resolution digital, we must read with an open mind and then apply INTELLIGENT judgement. Understand, analyze and evaluate its suitability to our OWN individual set of preferences and prejudice and then make a decision -if we are interested in the topic- whether to persue further or to ignore or to KIV for future reference. That is the basis for an intelligent forum participation.

So with regards to this, it is not important if anyone might feel my ulterior motive is to promote something a friend sells. In any case, should I be promoting something an enemy sells especially if I don't think it is a good product, all in the name of 'fairness' and 'openness' befitting a 'privileged' moderator ? So, the fact is there was a thread about equipment support boards and I remember clearly there were some good words said about this product and then about how the product is not available for sale. So now that it is available, and I find it amazingly good, I recommend people to check it out. If anyone finds this unacceptable it is simply too bad. But I would think it would be wise, if anyone is indeed looking for equipment support boards, to keep an open mind and go check it out. On the other hand, if one has a preference for something/somewhere else, there is no issue there as well.

So my ADVICE to everyone is to just keep an open mind and to share openly and honestly. After all if we are to, as the chinese saying goes "scared of the thief at the front of the boat and scared of ghost at the rear", then my advice is also to STOP 'playing' hifi. Because the enjoyment of music by itself will ALWAYS be a subjective, very personal, and very biased thing. And this I actually learned from my Music Basic (101) course back in university.

HTkaki, for a wood-like material that is widely accepted to have a clearly audible influence in sound, EBONY wood is usually the one. Also, have you tried those 'chopping boards' from IKEA ? Or the crystal tiles someone here mentioned a while ago ?

ZeeBee,Wow, the ugly looking finger tainting black board + 4 screws i gave you has market value of RM300 ? I think you owe me 1 good lunch.

WongKN wrote:HTkaki, for a wood-like material that is widely accepted to have a clearly audible influence in sound, EBONY wood is usually the one. Also, have you tried those 'chopping boards' from IKEA ? Or the crystal tiles someone here mentioned a while ago ?

I have a customer who is an international wood merchant. I was at his home on weekend as he returned for a short holiday. He showed me some of the precious woods including 'ji tang' wood. I do not know what it is called in English. The 'black tang' .... if you have to ask.

I have something in mind now.

If it is indeed the same thing, then RM300 can buy a lot of lunches. So maybe ZB can buy everyone here lunch. Kenduri la......

Why don't you have him make you a few samples, each of different wood material and then you can test it out and find one which matches your preferences the best ? Just bear in mind that sometimes it can also be a case of what complements the strengths/weaknesses of your components (CDP, amp, etc) the best.

WongKN wrote:If it is indeed the same thing, then RM300 can buy a lot of lunches. So maybe ZB can buy everyone here lunch. Kenduri la......

How abt this weekend?

Why don't you have him make you a few samples, each of different wood
material and then you can test it out and find one which matches your
preferences the best ? Just bear in mind that sometimes it can also be a
case of what complements the strengths/weaknesses of your components
(CDP, amp, etc) the best.

I will ask him about the price 1st. Btw, Ebony is what wood in Chinese?

I would like to say being a moderator is a thankless job. Want to promote cannot, want to be bias cannot where everyone else can, need to promote healthy way and make sure no one electrocute themselves and at the end always been seen as a nice person....

Maybe our fellow moderator can register another nick for themselves where they can rant without being judged upon. Look like need to have split personality.

I do understand your pain as I been in your shoe in other forums and discussion boards. Now I restrain from accepting moderating status and try to avoid it at all cost and "its not that fun"

I hope Wong Suk won't end up like Cath Zeta Jones.

WongKN n htkaki,I totaly agreed with u guys. Heard ZB is having a 'sub' kenduri this Sat. Wanna join also.Moderator,Why is text while typing is black on grey background? Cannot see clearly. I prefer the black text on white background.

Moderator,Why no line spacing? My post all join together. BUG?

Thanks for the kind words JSoo.

Htkaki, I think one of the collodial term used for ebony wood is 'shun mook' (join the words and you will see where one very famous tweak company got their brand name from. Actually there is a proper chinese name for it but I can't recall at the spur of the moment. Maybe some other forumers can. Besides all kind of wood, you should also try glass panes of various thickness, marble and concrete as well.

Chang, I am not sure la. Bear in mind this forum is a paid forum (from the pockets of the admin) but in terms of the forum engine itself, I believe he doesn't have any leeway to change the codes. So the control panel allows a degree of customization as to looks, organisation, structure, etc, but I think certain 'idiosynchracies' cannot be controlled. Others I think the admin just left it like that. So far not a lot of complains, actually yours are probably the first two of its kind (I think).

HTkaki, don't understand the reference to Catherine Zeta Jones. When I think about her, I can only think about her body only so I can't really imagine where the similarities are !!

Actually maybe JSoo is right. Come to think about it, maybe it is time for me to do a "Jekyll and Hyde", and I don't mean singing Once Upon a Dream !!

Wong Suk, poor Catherine ZJ is suffering from bipolar disorder.

Anyway, talking about Cengal, the kind audiophile called me today. He will give me another piece for my power amp.

Ebony... hmmm. Perhaps I should ask my cousin who is into wood furniture industry. Maybe he can help me out. In the meantime, will clear all ears' wax first.

Ah CZJ, now that you mention it, I remember reading about it recently. Sad..... In theory, if you use cengal wood, it would be similar to putting your equipment on a wooden floor because the high-end wooden floors tends to use cengal wood strips (supposedly termite resistant). About ebony, do be aware many have tried it and found it too 'colored'. But you try it and tell us how it sounds la. Maybe you might end up selling equipment support boards of your own ?? Uh... hang-on, you are my friend too so I can't recommend your stuff as well !! (jjk only !).

htkaki wrote:

WongKN wrote:If it is indeed the same thing, then RM300 can buy a lot of lunches. So maybe ZB can buy everyone here lunch. Kenduri la......

How abt this weekend?

Why don't you have him make you a few samples, each of different wood
material and then you can test it out and find one which matches your
preferences the best ? Just bear in mind that sometimes it can also be a
case of what complements the strengths/weaknesses of your components
(CDP, amp, etc) the best.

I will ask him about the price 1st. Btw, Ebony is what wood in Chinese?

KN,

What menu do hav in mind for the kenduri

HT,
The weekend is still on ... Bring the wires I suppose..

Chang,

Mayb trade d board with a Diana Krall LP, still couldn't find the elusive Celine Dion LP..


See u guys ..

WongKN,
Not an complain but to highlight bugs.
ZB,
I am not a jazzman. Will take Celine Dion LP any time. Hope to have some nice food this sat.

Actually I was joking with regards to the kenduri. This sat I have to attend a wedding dinner anyway so even if got terror kenduri also I won't be able to attend.

Chang, I know you are just giving feedback. Don't worry. But unfortunately in a forum like this, often we cannot control many of the idiosynchracies of the forum engine.

Celine Dion has many fans worldwide and she is popular smack in the periods where the music labels are fully convinced by the superiority of CD and that LP as a music medium is dead (as in no sales). So a Celine Dion LP is extremely rare. If you guys have found one at a sane price, then I salute your ability and congratulate you. But the last Celine Dion LP I found on eBay went for a shitload of money......

chang wrote:ZeeBee,Wow, the ugly looking finger tainting black board + 4 screws i gave you has market value of RM300 ? I think you owe me 1 good lunch.

I'm using it under the Rega P7, still not properly set up; Sujesh still owes me a proper setting/matching up with the Aime Phono amp from Audio Image, so can't really tell u whether working it's 'magic' or not. BTw, he took off the IKEA chopping board I was using earlier underneath the Aime Board with Vibrapods in between, something akin to the sandwich arrangement in KN's photo.

Since it is a subject of this thread, may try to put the board under the Marantz CDP to try out.. unfortunately my fried SA60 is still in ICU at Dr Oh's specialist hospital, it would have been a better choice to evaluate any diff

Zeebee, first we need to sort out the overall sound ... Ok, the speakers ...

Eh ? What about the speakers ? Those are good speakers man. If anything, ZB can probably do with a pair of monoblocs, very powerful ones, as in the one this fella I know has just bought.....

Wong Suk, the FM kah?

SJ, would you like to join Zeebee's 'kenduri' on this weekend?

Wah the FMs. Those are damn good but damn expensive amps lar. Not something normal mortals like us would be able to consider. Not to look down on ZB of course, he might well be able to afford them. But I am actually referring to another fellow..... if he's willing to own up la. Of course he might prefer to remain anonymous for now..... Silence on occasions can be very golden, that I agree.....

WAH !!! Someone just only put up a Krell KAV-300i for sale......

WongKN wrote:Eh ? What about the speakers ? Those are good speakers man. If anything, ZB can probably do with a pair of monoblocs, very powerful ones, as in the one this fella I know has just bought.....

Sorry to say this, and zee bee knows it as well ...but I have yet to be convinced about the 1.7. I will only state my opinions in full after I have the chance to listen to them in my room. Or in another environment other than where I've already heard them so far.

Will you be getting a pair for review anytime soon ? It would be interesting to compare the 1.6 vs the 1.7 side by side.....

Absolute won't send anything for review ...but someone says he will leave a pair with me next month for a week...let's hope it happens.

Good stuff man !! I feel the Maggies really needs some power to get the best out of them.

chang wrote:Moderator,Why no line spacing? My post all join together. BUG?

Could either be a browser error or... go to:

http://www.hifi4sale.net/profile?mode=editprofile&page_profil=preferences

Select 'Yes' for 'Always allow HTML'.

WongKN wrote:Good stuff man !! I feel the Maggies really needs some power to get the best out of them.

I've been using 110wpc amp on them the past year. Beats the crapola - in terms of dynamics, pace and resolution - out of 200wpc and 400wpc amps in I drove them with previously ... maybe it's also a matter of room interaction that reflects upon the results?

[quote="Glassaudio"]

mugenfoo wrote:

WongKN wrote:a strong bias towards a certain brand/shop/group outlet.

I felt the same way as Mugenfoo.

It seems that this particular moderator favours a certain outlet/friend and that all items from this particular outlet are well promoted by him.

Moderators shd be neutral.

Any product introduction shd be in the correct forum.

Moderators shd be moderated too.

I cannot agree with you more. It is pretty obvious

bassraptor wrote:

WongKN wrote:Good stuff man !! I feel the Maggies really needs some power to get the best out of them.

I've been using 110wpc amp on them the past year. Beats the crapola - in terms of dynamics, pace and resolution - out of 200wpc and 400wpc amps in I drove them with previously ... maybe it's also a matter of room interaction that reflects upon the results?

Probably room interaction or the matching of the amp itself. I have a similar case whereby a 200wpc Class AB int amp drives better than the Class A power amp. It is more balanced with the int amp. That is only for that particular speakers. But, when I tried out the other speakers that I have, the power amp consistently performed better than the int amp.

I am going to improve further on the room acoustic since it is the cheaper alternative yet rewarding if done right

Spot on, Max ...

WongKN wrote:Ah CZJ, now that you mention it, I remember reading about it recently. Sad..... In theory, if you use cengal wood, it would be similar to putting your equipment on a wooden floor because the high-end wooden floors tends to use cengal wood strips (supposedly termite resistant). About ebony, do be aware many have tried it and found it too 'colored'. But you try it and tell us how it sounds la. Maybe you might end up selling equipment support boards of your own ?? Uh... hang-on, you are my friend too so I can't recommend your stuff as well !! (jjk only !).

About the ebony wood, I knew what it is called already. The AP Cardeas that we auditioned is in ebony finish.

Own equipment support boards? Not now lah as need to experiment more and I think I have too many things to do for now.

Thanks WongKN for the pic. This is a very informative thread. A value for money products deserve to be mentioned & promoted here. In the end it is up to individual to make the decision.

I shall pay Audio Image a visit in near future. Not only the boards but the PowerTrans, distribution block etc seem interesting.

Having said that, I agreed with Htkaki room acoustic is one of the most important *component* in our system chain. The accessories are secondary. After recent re-arranging of my room treatments and more importantly installed a pair of 1.6' x 4' wood diffusor at side early reflection point to replace absorption, I've experienced revelation in areas of soundstage, holographic imaging. This one example proves that effort put into room acoustic can yield far greater satisfying result than changing our equipments, filters, cables to fine-tune the soundstaging for instance. One good thing is no-ending improvement for our room. Never ever assumed your current room is perfect. Its learning curve is a steep and complex one. Remember indirect or reflective sound will interact with every single object in your room which can distort the pure direct sound that we want to hear from the speakers.

Just sharing. Cheers.

htkaki wrote:Wong Suk, the FM kah?

SJ, would you like to join Zeebee's 'kenduri' on this weekend?

SJ, it goes without saying, if u r free, why not... anyway, as u said, has to sort out the M1.7 bottom end first b4 sorting out d P7 hope to c u.

ZB, he is not free this weekend. I'll go to his pad to get the 'baby'. Then, to your pad to test out both 'babies'.

Hopefully, we can sort out that out.

chenht wrote:
I cannot agree with you more. It is pretty obvious

Of course it is obvious, I clearly told everyone many times already. If you find it not to your liking, I am afraid its too bad for you....

Wah, htkaki, you are now playing 'babies' with ZB already...

SJ, of course you are right about the room interaction. Room interaction is almost always one of the biggest determinant in the final sound quality of our system. In your case, it could be the bass nodes of your room somehow are not in sympathy when the speakers are driven by very powerful amps. Also amps cannot be measured just by power rating alone. Its current rating and other specifications are also important. The only issue is I know which 200wpc amp you are referring to and that amp is well known to be able to drive anything. Anyway, its your job to find out things like this so I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Nevertheless, I still have high regards for the potential of the Maggie 1.7 and from the experience from ZB's place I continue to feel that it requires a very shall we say 'strong' (rather than simply 'powerful') amp.

WongKN wrote:Wah, htkaki, you are now playing 'babies' with ZB already...

KN,

What to do my friend, this hobby can lead to many unexplored stuff..

WongKN wrote:..

SJ, of course you are right about the room interaction. Room interaction is almost always one of the biggest determinant in the final sound quality of our system. In your case, it could be the bass nodes of your room somehow are not in sympathy when the speakers are driven by very powerful amps. Also amps cannot be measured just by power rating alone. Its current rating and other specifications are also important. The only issue is I know which 200wpc amp you are referring to and that amp is well known to be able to drive anything. Anyway, its your job to find out things like this so I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Nevertheless, I still have high regards for the potential of the Maggie 1.7 and from the experience from ZB's place I continue to feel that it requires a very shall we say 'strong' (rather than simply 'powerful') amp.

SJ and I went through the caboodle with the Maggie; changed amps (well, with what's available), changed the position of the amp (heaved the Pass onto the floor) and of course, the reposition the planars themselves and adding a sub to the set up. Let's just say that we have yet to try in another location, i,e to check out room interaction, which I believe plays a big role here..

Well, I'll put these down to 'Driving Miss Maggie Part 2'

Back to the thread; just placed my CDP on the Aime Board atop 3 black diamond racing cones and plugged up the set up (had to unplug the whole rig as there was a very nasty thunderstorm earlier).. see if any magic tomorrow

Eh ? You said you plugged up the set-up already what. Why have to wait until tomorrow. The night is still young man. Listen and tell us your impressions la.

But somehow I can see this Ms Maggie is not an easy gal to take care of !! The Apogees, when they were available were damn tough customers as well. I guess we have to be prepared to work hard if we want good returns !!

WongKN wrote:Eh ? You said you plugged up the set-up already what. Why have to wait until tomorrow. The night is still young man. Listen and tell us your impressions la.

But somehow I can see this Ms Maggie is not an easy gal to take care of !! The Apogees, when they were available were damn tough customers as well. I guess we have to be prepared to work hard if we want good returns !!

Those Ms Apogees ain't easy to please either!! They are quite fussy with positioning and really need to put in efforts to experiment different positioning. My room is one of the unfriendliest in terms of dimensions.

It's kinda hard to imagine how Ms Maggie behaves in ZB's place by reading the posts here. I also have experienced lack of bass with Ms Apogee. A change of position has brought an improvement but still has to trade-off the good from other areas.

After few times, I decided just to stick to one position and listen for some time. And then, when I have time, I will move on to test other positions.

WongKN wrote:Wah, htkaki, you are now playing 'babies' with ZB already...

SJ, of course you are right about the room interaction. Room interaction is almost always one of the biggest determinant in the final sound quality of our system. In your case, it could be the bass nodes of your room somehow are not in sympathy when the speakers are driven by very powerful amps. Also amps cannot be measured just by power rating alone. Its current rating and other specifications are also important. The only issue is I know which 200wpc amp you are referring to and that amp is well known to be able to drive anything. Anyway, its your job to find out things like this so I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Nevertheless, I still have high regards for the potential of the Maggie 1.7 and from the experience from ZB's place I continue to feel that it requires a very shall we say 'strong' (rather than simply 'powerful') amp.

Playing 'babies' is still acceptable

Now, it makes my 200wpc amp sounds a bit like a puny

ZB, I might bring my XTZ Room Analyzer to check out the room acoustics of yours.