Dark Star 50 isolation feet – Carbon fibre and Blackwood Hifi suspension

Description

Dark Star 50 isolation feet

At Solidair Audio we are very impressed with the performance of our Gyrodec Pylons and have had great feedback on them. We therefore decided to have a look at developing the concept to produce some new versatile isolation feet. After much experimentation and many prototypes, we came up with a range of Dark Star HiFi isolation feet. The current model can be used directly under HiFi components or under spikes. It has cork pads to stop sliding occurring once in place under a component. The cork will be supplied ready to stick on with it’s self adhesive layer, though we can put them on here if you prefer. The feet can also go directly under spikes as they have a cup built into the centre of the foot.

If preferred we can provide the with an M6 stud on the top to screw into a platform or component. This thread format has some flexibility if different treads are needed (1/4″UNC is popular in the USA for example). The feet can be used either way up, so there is a lot of flexibility for specific applications.

The Dark Star 50 isolation feet have a wide weight capacity range and lend themselves to most HiFi isolation situations. We primarily developed them to carry more load and be more stable under speakers than magnetic levitation feet. They have excellent weight carrying capacity, so lend themselves well to this application. They can be used in sets of three for most applications. Visually two feet at the front usually looks best. It may be better to use four feet on heavy amps due to weight distribution and on speakers for stability. For simplicity the feet are sold individually so you only need to order as many as you need, but you will need at least three.

They give a clearer sound to HiFi components, with better instrument separation. Some feedback suggests that these feet give a better dynamic response than their magnetic cousins. If your system is bright or hard sounding, the magnetic option may be better as they tend to give a warmer sound, though these would also help mellow this. (Transistor based components tend to be harder sounding , so magnetic levitation is usually better under them. Individual makes and individual’s ears vary considerably, so this is ultimately a very subjective decision.)

We ran some tests under speakers and the results were quite superb. “Where has the speaker gone?” and “It’s just a wall of sound” were two of the feedback comments. It was like the sound was just in the air and not coming out of the speakers at all once the Dark Star feet were underneath. We were very pleased with the results to say the least. The speakers and turntable used were high quality, but the amp was a very modest transistor amp which made it even more impressive. There was also a considerable reduction in noise transmission to the floor, with less than half the volume in the room below the music room with the DS feet in place. So very neighbour friendly too!

The overall diameter of the Dark Star feet is 52mm (2 inches) and height around 30mm (1.2 inches). They weigh around 55 grams (2oz). Their load capacity has been tested up to 50Kg (110lb) for a single foot, but they look like they could take more. The main body is made from a carbon fibre tube which holds an ebony foot on a braided high performance thread web. They are very strong and do look rather splendid. They can be used as they are on a hard flat surface (use the cork facing), or on a soft surface like carpet (don’t use the cork on the base).

The Dark Star 50 feet and other String Theory HiFi isolation feet have less movement in them than our magnetic range, so lend themselves well to speaker isolation. We also have them on a new suspension bridge.

Some nice customer feedback, “But when it comes to the Dark Star they are great, the speakers are faster, it improves the bass (is deeper) the midrange and even tweeter performance in my Sonus Faber Amati Futura – Wow! These feets significantly improved the speakers performance, the scene is wider with better resolution, deeper and the virtual sources are more appearing and appealing – if I may say that in English :)” BK

Please note :

All our wood is obtained through sustainable Cites certified suppliers.

The price is for a single Dark Star foot.