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Setup: The manual is detailed but not difficult. There are obvious things you must know like the weight of each component you wish to support. If the manufacturer has given you that information, that’s easy. Otherwise you will have to measure on a scale with good accuracy. If the weight distribution of your component is even, divide the weight by the number of feet (3 or 4 in normal use). That will be the amount of weight each foot must support. Calculate how many pellets you’ll need in each foot given the parts’ max weight rating of 3lbs. No major math is involved. (In practice I would recommend a minimum of 3 pellets per foot for stability reasons. If your component is lighter, add mass to bring it into the weight range.)


If the component has uneven distribution of weight (for example, your amplifier has a heavy power supply on one side) there’s an added step. You’ll have to weigh that side of the amplifier to see how much weight the feet under that section will have to support. The difference between total weight and the number you’ve just calculated will be the weight that the opposite set of feet have to support. Again, not difficult and if you think in terms of spring suspension, logical. The manual covers this in detail with helpful information and diagrams.


Assembly. Find a smooth clean work surface to put the alignment sleeve on. Place the base unit holes up in the alignment sleeve. Place your calculated number of pellets into the holes according to the supplied diagrams. Press the top plate—viscoelastic side up—into the sleeve. Push down on the assembled footer sandwich and slide your alignment sleeve up. Ready for use.



Examine the surface of the underside of the component. If that surface is smooth, be aware that the viscoelastic coupler may stick, making it more difficult to place the feet into final position. Mr. Ciulla recommends the use of two parallel strips of 3M transparent tape on the coupler to eliminate the potential problem.



When placing the feet underneath the component, bear in mind that the viscoelastic pellets can be dislodged. Be careful. Be gentle. If you’re dealing with a heavy item, placing a temporary shim makes life fast, easy and uneventful. This allows you to maneuver the feet into position and afterwards gently remove the shim without problems. My setup tool of preference were a few blocks of 1½ inch x 1½ inch scrap cedar wood strong enough for support, soft enough to not harm delicate paint or metal.


I prepared the system with the EquaRack MF-1 footers underneath my modified Luxman CD player and retained the Weizhi Precision Gold Glory Feet underneath the Bel Canto amplifier as a reference point. The subwoofer remained in the system to test low-bass isolation. I allowed a short period of settling time for the viscoelastic and selected a few recordings.


• "El Choclo" from Sera una Noche La Segunda [M.A recordings M062A].  A superb minimalist high sampling-rate recording in a cavernous acoustic space. Warmth, delicacy, natural instrumental timbres and an energetic interplay of percussion, clarinet and guitar.
• "Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dance #1 (Excerpt)" from This is K2 HD Sound  [FIM K2 HD 078]. Recording Engineer Keith O. Johnson demonstrates his mastery of capturing instruments in real space. He captures the sweetness and presence in the violin true to life. Abundance of dynamics on the piano, weight and detail on the drums.
• "Pachelbel/ Canon in D" from the same CD. An unusual percussion interpretation of the music which challenges a system’s ability to retain the character of the instruments and their natural attack and decay. Excellent sound staging and dynamics.
• "Enescu: Romanian Rhapsody #1" from the 30 Anniversary Sampler [Reference Recordings RR-908]. A treasure trove of wide dynamics, natural bass, delicacy, texture and well-recorded hall acoustics. A marvelous separation of delicate information. Instrumental detail and space. Wonderfully nuanced bow information on the string bass.
• "Goldrush" from Essential Yello [Vertigo 314 512 390-2] Ambitious offbeat bouncy pop music with dense vocal textures combined with the group’s sense of playfulness.
• "Shirley Bassey: The Rhythm Divine" from the same CD. Powerful voice and deep driving bass with a musical piece that would be at home as a James Bond title song.
• Knut Avenstroup Haugen:  From the Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures Soundtrack [Eidos Interactive Ltd. MAGECPUS74  ] Here we have a video game soundtrack! It is an auspicious offering which features remarkably good vocal and instrumental performances. The music offers quality composition and engineering and is a mixture of real and (surprise!) sampled orchestra. Challenging to find where reality ends and sample begins. Strong enough work that the studio has given the nod for full orchestra on this composer-conductor’s next outing. A little gem of a bonus CD that is probably residing in your child’s video game box unopened.
• "Dire Straits: Your Latest Trick" from Sultans of Swing [Vertigo 314 558 658-2-2]  Remarkably warm three-dimensional image and placement for a live concert recording with well captured crowd sounds that sound like real people rather than background noise. Convincing soundstage.
• "Yerba Buena Bounce: Stardust" from The Hot Club of San Francisco  [Reference recordings RR-109] The string bass is recorded with weight and dimensionality. There is detailed,emotional plucking and remarkable hall ambiance.
• "John Williams: Olympic Fanfare" from the CD Centre Stage [Wilson Audio WCD-8824]. A powerful visceral rendering of this piece. Fast detailed textured bass with very fast decay and if reproduced properly, no overhang.