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Before we deployed the Level Audio products we played the set without any footers for the plane Jane picture. Compared to that impression the use of the bamboo goodies resulted in more control in the lower frequencies as bass tightened up; and an overall greater quiescence. A proper A/B comparison was easier to conduct with the puck. The tall Grande had to face the screw-on Feickert version.
Where the Feickert uses the spindle’s rifling to lock record to platter, the Level uses friction between the puck’s nylon bushings and spindle. Further differences were the puck diameters and building material. As anticipated, the bamboo puck resulted in a gentler more forgiving presentation versus the harder more forward presentation of the German plastic screw-on.
Due to the onset of the heating season during the review period, our home’s air was on the dry side resulting in frequent zaps when wearing wool and touching various objects. Our current digital setup seemed suddenly sensitive to static such that computer playback would completely stop after any such zap. Hence discharging ourselves before touching any equipment became the new rule. That worked until one day it was freezing outside to have us increase the heating and make the air drier yet. Now we learnt that the lacquer on our wooden floor was perfectly capable of conducting high voltages from static discharges through our feet sitting meters removed into an interconnect cable that touched the floor. This killed off playback once more.
To remedy the situation involved suspending a long USB cable between PC and DAC that had touched the floor at just one point. Lifting up said cable with the elevator didn't prevent us from still getting zapped but now playback continued without interruption. We have to conclude that elevating cables from wooden floors is just as efficacious as doing the same for carpeted floors.
In the digital system the Level Audio add-ons were as sensible as they'd been in the analog system. Mechanical vibrations influence even digital equipment like DACs. Because here we are dealing with resonance tuning, the precise location of the footers with regard to the equipment supported becomes crucial. A large percentage of a footer’s influence is in the tuning of the equipment’s casing so some trial and error are mandatory.
In conclusion, the Level Audio accessories are a welcome alternative to many existing boards and footers. They cleverly exploit the traditionally treasured properties of bamboo, then add superb finishing to make for an attractive and affordable solution for common audiophile challenges.
Condition of component received: More than excellent. Reusability of packing: In many ways. The packaging is so beautiful that it begs to be ‘recycled’ for other uses. Website comments: Sufficient information on products plus pricing. Completeness of delivery: Nothing amiss. Pricing: Very competitive on fit and finish. Human interactions: Kind and responsive. Final remarks: What we missed with the tuning boards is an option to level the boards. Attaching the footers to the board via a conventional nut and bolt connection would allow for some leveling. Level Audio can create boards and footers to order so a complete bamboo support system perfectly matched to an existing audio system can be acquired.
