Reviewer: Srajan Ebaen
Financial interests: click here
Sources: 2TB iMac 27" quad-core w. 16GB RAM running OWS 10.8.2, PureMusic 2.02, Audirvana 1.5.10, COS Engineering D1, Metrum Hex, AURALiC Vega, Aqua Hifi La Voce S2, SOtM dX-USB HD w. super-clock upgrade & mBPS-d2s, Apple iPod Classic 160GB (AIFF), Astell& Kern AK100 modified by Red Wine Audio, Cambridge Audio iD100, Pro-Ject Dock Box S Digital, Pure i20
Preamplifier: Nagra Jazz, Esoteric C-03, Bent Audio Tap-X, COS Engineering D1
Power & integrated amplifiers: Pass Labs XA-30.8; FirstWatt S1, F6; Crayon Audio CFA-1.2; Goldmund Job 225; Gato Audio DIA-250; Aura Note Premier; Wyred4Sound mINT; AURALiC Merak [on loan]; Job Sys 250 monos [on review]
Loudspeakers: Albedo Audio Aptica; soundkaos Wave 40; Boenicke Audio W5se; Zu Audio Submission; German Physiks HRS-120, Gallo Strada II w. TR-3D subwoofer
Cables: Complete loom of Zu Event; KingRex uArt, Zu and LightHarmonic LightSpeed double-header USB cables; Tombo Trøn S/PDIF; van den Hul AES/EBU; AudioQuest Diamond glass-fibre Toslink; Arkana Research XLR/RCA and speaker cables [on loan]
Power delivery: Vibex Granada/Alhambra on all components, GigaWatt PF-2 on amps
Equipment rack: Artesania Audio Exoteryc double-wide 3-tier with optional glass shelves, Rajasthani hardwood rack for amps
Sundry accessories: Acoustic System resonators
Room: Irregularly shaped 9.5 x 10m open floor plan with additional 2nd-floor loft; wood-paneled sloping ceiling; parquet flooring; lots of non-parallel surfaces (pictorial tour here)
Review component retail: $95/ea. large, $79/ea. small


The emailer was DC Son from South Korea's Nasotec. "I would like to introduce our Gyrotension Vega vibration isolators. This awesome product is made by HifiStay in Korea but our company Highendcity distributes it worldwide. I've attached photos and product descriptions."


The Vega is described as a two-stage floating isolator. The base holds three ceramic ball decouplers. Beneath the height-adjustable top plate with central dimple to receive a spike sit 12 bolts in a circle. Affixed to them are stacked silicon rings. Those float the central shaft which supports the top plate. Each footer's max weight rating is 12kg for the small version, 18kg for the large. That means 36/54kg for a 3-point support respectively, with 4 points adding capacity. To match a footer's suspension compliance to a component's mass, one adds or removes string layers (four or six max for the small/large versions). Each silicon ring is ideally loaded at 250g or 0.55lb. The footer body is constructed of duralumin with hard-anodized top plate. It measures 6cm Ø and 4cm tall for the small version, 7.9cm Ø and 4.7cm tall for the large. Using a weight chart and assuming a 3-point support using the larger 6-layer Vega, one would set it to one layer for 1-9kg, add a layer for the next 9 kilos and so forth until maxing out at 54kg.

 
Given my shelf-less Spanish Artesania Audio Exoteryc rack which eliminates traditional footers, I told DC that I'd be limited to my desktop's Eximus DP1 DAC/pre/headfi 3-in-1 driving Goldmund's Job 225. Alternately, I could use his snazzy footers beneath my 19kg Albedo Audio Aptica floorstanding speakers. Or under the very heavy Pass Labs XA-30.8 amp which sits between the speakers on our Rajasthani hardwood rack.