SAM’S STEREO STAND – #CS-003-24
The ‘ASK’
Sam had heard of Tough Nut through a friend, who said that we might be able to support him resolving a specific challenge that he was having with vibration effecting the system in his home.
Sam has a pair of vintage Thorens turntables and the TD 160 was hypersensitive to foot fall in the room. Since he lives in an older home where the floors tend to have a lot of bounce, he had the unit mounted on a wall bracket, but the condition persisted & it only helped a little.
Initially, Sam reached out to us to inquire about building him a custom stand that would address this challenge. We were happy to assist but noted that we couldn’t start his project for a month. To hold him over we asked if he would like to borrow a GP3 Isolation Platform. Sam agreed and a couple of days later, we got a call from one very excited audiophile stating that he was blown away by the platform’s ability to minimize the vibration transference to the Thorens.
The next visit to Sam’s was to focus on the increased quality of sound with the GP3 isolation platform and during the review he turned to Derrick and said, “Do you hear this ?“. This is always a favourite moment, when the customer hears the difference ‘effective isolation’ can make for their system!
Sam was very excited to move forward with the isolated stereo stand. We included the 3 beautiful black walnut slabs that Sam provided, roasted maple gables, brushed aluminum hardware and IsoAcoustic Feet. Sam was very involved with the design and evolution of this stand. The unit looks really great in his home and there is now a nice visual connection to his speakers, and it looks tidy & unified. Walnut has such beautiful grain, and the oil finish highlights that so perfectly.
The results have been rewarding for both of us.
THE WALNUT SLABS
DRESSING THE MATERIAL
FINISHED SURFACE WITH A BEVELED EDGE
The ‘PROCESS’
We designed the unit to use as much of the 3 black walnut slabs as possible to create the 3 shelves. These would be mounted off the roasted maple side gables and isolated with rubber bushings.
Sam had originally wanted the stand to be on castors, and we had some good ones from Lee Valley that were able to handle not only the weight of the unit…those walnut slabs are heavy! … but also all the equipment that would be added on top. We eventually landed on the IsoAcoustic Gaia-Titan Rhea feet instead, and the unit looks sharp with them.
The walnut slabs needed lots of sanding to level them out, and we added a small bevel to soften the edges and help minimize damage. Several coats of danish oil enhanced the grain and gave the wood a rich satin finish.
The side gables are made of roasted maple, and also finished with danish oil, which gives them a distinctly walnut look. We use Canadian maple hardwood for the diffuse porous structure that absorbs less vibration.
We also fabricated the aluminum brackets, and gave them a brushed finish and a sealant.
We installed a cross brace on the back of the unit with a clevis and spherical rod ends to enhance the structural integrity . The brace was painted a satin black to reduce it’s visibility.
FABRICATION
ROASTED MAPLE GABLES WITH ISO ACOUSTIC FEET & VIBRATION DAMPENING BUSHINGS ON BRUSHED ALUMINUM BRACKETS
STRUCTURAL CROSS BRACE
The ‘RESULT’
The final unit is 59” wide, 22” deep and 36” high. It can accommodate 6 regular sized audio equipment units.
The unit took about 4 weeks to make and deliver. It came together really well and besides needing to upgrade some of the rubber bushings…did we mention the weight of solid walnut slabs?…it’s turned out really well!
Sam also liked our GP3 Isolation Platforms so much that he bought 2 of our custom units with roasted maple accents.
We are happy to share that this custom solution has solved Sam’s vibration challenges, effectively manages his components and has significantly improved his system’s overall performance and sound.
Thank you for the business Sam!
FINISHED PRODUCT
CLIENT SET-UP
BEFORE
INSTALLATION
COMPLETED PROJECT
