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Penning my observations with certain components placed on the Pro Audio Bono Acrylic AP instead of the granite shelf of my Base rack, I wanted to investigate how each of the shelves modified the sound. That any such element would change the sound regardless of whether for better or worse was clear to me going in. At the same time I knew how many music lovers negate this correlation between what a disc will sound like and what the player which plays it sits on. I respect this point of view. Still, for me it's hard not to think that based on personal experiences spreading such an opinion among others expresses a lack of knowledge and in graver cases utter ignorance. It’s a lack of knowledge when somebody does not know that such methods for isolating electronic devices exist to improve their audible performance. It becomes ignorance when we know that something like this exists and simply refuse to investigate it, claiming a priori that it couldn't or wouldn't make any difference. There is one final group of people who say 'no' because they don’t hear much. They also deserve the best possible sound. They will have to take what I am about to say at face value.
I really wrote this review for the first two groups. I encourage you warmly to make personal choices purely based on your own auditions. That said, I assure you that either immediately or after some time exercising your ears you will hear what I heard during this test. And if not? For those who still insist this is voodoo there is also aesthetics. Components placed on Pro Audio Bono platforms including today’s acrylic version look much better and more serious on them than not.
Sonic changes brought about by the Polish platform are not as prominent as for example swapping electronics or loudspeakers. At first glance. Timbre does not change by much, everything sounds almost as it did before and nothing gets turned inside out. But the fact remains that things do change. This influence is simply less than superficial and hence does not lend itself to quick observations. This is more about how we perceive music, how we live the experience. By italicising this statement I’m shouting a bit but these are key phrases underlying this particular assignment upon which everything else was built.
Simply put, the sound with the platform was richer in emotions. What does that mean? We more easily enter the recording and something within us is moved more strongly. Why? The sound is more refined, richer in differentiation of multiple planes or layers within a musical piece. In the end we simply hear more of what is on a disc.
The sound with electronics placed directly on my granite shelf seemed more detailed. This ultimately proved a false assessment but that conclusion had to be reached over time. It was enough to listen to a few pieces to get there but the first impression was plainly that without the platform there were more details. The recognition that music with the Pro Audio Bono spoke to deeper layers required some exposure. I’ll put the eventual conclusion plain. Without the Acrylic AP the music was far more ‘dead’ regardless of how silly it reads to say that.
