Ochrana osobných údajov     © 2024 Zalan Schuster

Stands, mats, accessories:

Ceramic isolation platform

HiFi board, Vibration Isolation Platform for speakers, components.

Anti-vibration ceramic composite with double vibration absorption technology using the weight itself

and with an anti-vibration insert between the ceramic plates and under the ceramic isolation platform. We recommend using Soundcare, ISO Acoustic or other feets under the speakers, audio components and placing a HiFi board under them. The ceramic isolation platform is sliding and therefore it is easy to move the speakers to a suitable place while listening and move them back to the wall to keep them out of the way.

Luxurious appearance, different color design and motif. The HiFi board can also carry very heavy components or speakers. The standard load capacity is 50 kg, but you can order with load capacity 50-100kg and 100-150 kg as well. The ceramic isolation platform weighs approx. 20 Kg.

It will reduce unwanted sound resonances in the auditorium, furniture and other objects. The use of a HiFi board under the audio components can reduce or completely eliminate these resonances at higher volumes. In addition, it will improve the dynamics in the music and improve the soundstage of the sound. The sound perception is more balanced. You will have a better perception of deep tones.

width 45 cm x length 45 cm x 4.5 cm thickness and height 5.5 cm without wooden frame

width 49cm x length 49cm x 4.5cm thickness and height 5.5cm with wooden frame

On request, it is possible to produce another dimension.

249€/piece Price of version: Metro Basalto (grey) and Cozy Dark Brown (brown) without wood

399 €/piece Version price: Metro Basalto (grey), Cozy Dark Brown (brown), Concept black, Extra black in concrete design with wooden frame

Wooden frames can be black, ebony, gray or beech.

warranty: 2 years

Watch the video about the Ceramic Isolation Platform with English subtitles

Watch the video about the test with Charles Holub

The first video text:

Hello, I would like to introduce to you the ZS Acoustics Isolation Platform for speakers and audio components. It provides a solid foundation for your speakers, reducing unwanted sound resonances from the listening room, furniture, and other objects. Using this HiFi boards under audio components can reduce or completely eliminate these resonances, improving music dynamics and soundstage. You'll have a better sense of deep tones, and the sound perception will be more balanced. The anti-vibration ceramic composite utilizes a dual technology, absorbing vibrations through its own weight and with anti-vibration inserts between ceramic plates and beneath the ceramic isolation platform.

Another advantage of these isolation ceramic platforms is their versatility. You can easily adjust the speaker placement for optimal listening. When you're not listening to music, you can easily move them closer to the wall to keep them out of the way.

The ceramic isolation platform has two significant benefits. Firstly, it provides a solid foundation under the speakers and the second is that it insulates from the floor.

A solid base is therefore necessary because the speaker moves back and forth due to the diaphragm moving back and forth. So he can't swing like that. Because when he does it, we will hear it in the sound that he is not playing well, he is not playing cleanly. That's why a solid foundation is important.

Secondly, it isolates the speakers from the floor, preventing vibrations from being transmitted into audio components, where they could affect the signal. Vibrations can also transfer into furniture and resonate within the room. I've experienced situations where furniture resonated at specific frequencies, producing unwanted noises.

Do vibrations not transfer through those feet? In my experience, they only help about 50% of the time. The floor still affects the sound. The best results I achieved were with ZS Acoustics ceramic isolation platforms, even though cheaper Soundcare spike feet also improved the sound. When I experimented with various feet for my speakers, I found that even high-quality, expensive spikes performed differently depending on the type of floor they were on. They didn't always reach their full potential. I even managed to worsen the sound with high-quality spikes when I placed them on a chipboard. This is why you'll find varying experiences with the same feets among HiFi enthusiasts. With ZS Acoustics Ceramic Isolation Platforms, I consistently achieved similar or very similar improvements, regardless of the type of floor.

In the apartment you see in the video, we were listening to music late at night. Our neighbor, who lives two rooms away, came to complain that our music was disturbing his sleep. After the installation of these isolation pads, our music no longer disturbed him. The sound had transferred to the neighboring apartment through the iron-concrete floor.

Now, I'll show you how the ceramic pad isolates. (Show the video)

You can rent and try the isolation platform at your home to experience the subjective improvements it brings to your audio setup. You'll learn more about the subjective impression in the next video. For now, goodbye.

The second video text:

ZS Acoustics Ceramic Isolation Platform Test with Charles Holub

Watch the video to learn why it's important to place these ceramic isolation platforms under speakers and audio components, and what sound differences you can expect when using them.

In the video, you can hear for yourself the impact of vibrations on audio components - this short practical test demonstrates the transmission of vibrations into audio signals from the vacuum tube preamplifier all the way to the speaker output.

You will also find out the weight capacity of the ceramic isolation platforms and whether they can be modified in case you upgrade to heavier speakers or components in the future.

The video provides answers to questions like "Should I buy better speaker feets or opt for ceramic isolation platforms first and later purchase better feets?" and whether there is an acoustic connection in the wooden frame versions between the ceramic sheets, as well as whether isolation platforms make sense based on the type of flooring in your home.

Hello, Hi-Fi enthusiasts!

We tested the Ceramic Isolation Platform from ZS Acoustics and listened to various music. For example, Madonna's "This Used to Be My Playground," then "Espana" by producer Mike and Françoise Valentine, Chasing the Dragon label. The song "Bizet's Carmen, the Gypsy Song, Habanera."

Well, we started by not listening without them, but first with them. The sound was very nice, the space in different songs had a very distinct depth, as for the right-left space, it was very interesting, plastic. I'll start at the end. Then we took it out the platforms, and then we could hear what those platforms brought to the sound. Suddenly we noticed that Madonna was shouting, the bass was spread out, but very spread out, and the plasticity of the keyboard instrument, which starts at the beginning, and which basically, I thought, I've heard this song many times, why is it so good? So suddenly it wasn't there after removing these platforms. Even a detail like the drummer's stick hitting, it didn't have that beautiful wooden sound, it was just dry. It really brings an interesting effect. Also, with classical music, all the plasticity (spatiality of the soundstage) disappeared. If the instruments had slackened, they lost their color. It's hard to explain, we did many such comparisons with different components, cable comparisons, components and various other things. I must say that the difference we perceived when we put the platforms back was the most significant I remember from our previous various sessions. It's really hard for me to remember where we could make such a noticeable difference, not only with cables, such a significant difference when using these platforms, not to mention that shortly before ten, we had to check the time because the platforms insulate it from the floor, and thus it does not transmit to the neighbors, in case someone comes to knock on our door. That's a practical result of these platforms. Not only for the listener alone but also less burdensome for the environment.

That's why I mentioned that this ceramic isolation platform belongs to the basics, as long as the acoustics are relatively good. We're not in a listening room, but in a living room where the acoustics are also treated partly, what you don't see on the back wall are the GIK Acoustics Monsters panels with scatter plate installed, on the left side there are two more panels on my side, on the other side is the kitchen, so there is a certain asymmetry, and many books also help, as you can see behind us, but it's not a listening room. The acoustics here are better than in a typical living room.

Yes, but such acoustic conditions have many listeners who listen to their equipment in such living conditions, they don't have the opportunity for special rooms, listening rooms, which they fine-tune to detail and make a perfect listening room, so it's clear that first, the perception of this difference is possible even in ordinary conditions. That's quite crucial, it's not just in the conditions of a perfect listening room, which is already tuned and fine-tuned to detail 99%. Even in these ordinary conditions, it is significantly audible, which makes it even more interesting for many people, as it can move them significantly forward in their listening experience.

Many Hi-Fi enthusiasts think it's nonsense or that it's not so important, it's secondary. Many Hi-Fi enthusiasts are skeptical. That's why I called other people to have their own experiences with it and talk about their experiences to pass on that information.

I don't know how the others who were here before and those who will come after me reacted, but for me, it was undoubtedly one of the most surprising results because we rarely recorded such a significant difference. I can't remember repeating myself that we recorded such a significant difference with some components. Just the possibility that it is audible in normal conditions with minimal, well-tuned acoustic panels, we have three panels here and two on the side and the bookshelf. Those books do their job, but many people have books at home.

But most of the time, they're hidden. That's the problem. In this room, they're not hidden. The sound is reflected, it actually dampens it because it's more about dampening and partially diffusion because there is furniture here, but it helps a lot. They're not behind glass because that would make a fundamental difference, it used to be behind glass, but we removed it. Also, during the listening, we opened the cabinets that were closed to allow the books in them to complement the room's acoustics.

First of all, I noticed that they are framed in wood. Isn't there any connection between them? Is there no acoustic connection between the ceramics panels?

There is a separation. If you look closely at the ceramic isolation platform, there is a gap, there is no acoustic connection between the panels, and I paid attention to that. It would be a shame if there were an acoustic connection.

I noticed that when we removed the platform from under the speaker, it could easily be moved.

Yes, I intentionally made it like this so that it could be done this way, because many people have speakers in the corner or close to the wall to not interfere. When listening to music, you need to be able to easily move the speaker to the right place where the speaker sounds best.

Could you give us some technical information about how these feet and platform work?

They work best when there is a ceramic isolation platform underneath, because it separates the speaker from the floor, which can be any type of surface. I tested it on a floating floor, marmoleum, linoleum, all the way to a solid floor, including tiles and concrete. You could still hear the difference because the floor, in combination with the speaker, plays a role in the music. The platform separates it from the floor. Yes, it separates it, but not only that, it ensures that the speaker stands on solid footing. But where there were tiles, it was mechanically very solid, but you could still hear a difference, as the foundation was solid. But that's just part of making the speakers sound better.

Alright. I noticed that when you take them out, it's not necessarily the easiest components. Could you tell us how heavy it is, and what weight range it is designed for?

It weighs around 20 kg, but it can be made larger upon request. There's also a 60 centimeter version plus with a frame for larger speakers. Regarding weight capacity, the standard version is designed for up to 50 kg, which is sufficient for most cases. Above 50 kg, there is a second version, and the feet under the platform need to be adjusted. There are versions for 50-100 kg, 100-150 kg. However, it's quite rare to need 200 kg, but it can be customized if the customer specifies the weight. What might interest Hi-Fi enthusiasts is that if you have lighter speakers now and plan to upgrade to heavier ones in the future, you don't need to sell or replace the platform; it can be upgraded to handle a higher weight.

Can it be updated in a way?

Yes, it's as simple as the customer getting in touch and requesting an upgrade to a higher weight capacity. This is interesting because if you have 20 kg speakers now and plan to move up to 60 kg or 100 kg speakers, you don't need to replace the platform. It depends on the size of the speaker's base, the weight is not an issue.

Could you tell us something about the prices of the platforms so that audiophiles would know?

Of course, it costs €299 without a wooden frame, and with a wooden frame, it's €399 each. That's an interesting price. There is insulation on the wooden frame so as not to short-circuit acoustically, and in addition, there are various color options.

Can you tell us about the interaction with the feets?

The greatest potential of those feets can be achieved when the ceramic isolation platform is under it, because when I tested it and took those stands with me to the listener, I always got different results, and depending on what the floor was like, the speakers and circumstances, sometimes very high-quality feets  made a bigger difference, but sometimes those differences were minimal. They were not big enough to justify buying them, but this is the best way, along with the ceramic isolation platform.

Yes, that means it can be improved step by step, first cheaper feeds, then the platform, then more expensive feets, and that mutual combination is then optimal.

Exactly as you say. According to my experience, it is better to buy Soundcare feets, which are a few euros, buy a ceramic isolation platform, and if I want something better, buy better feets. That's the way it is. It's a better way than if I buy better, more expensive feets now and skip the ceramic isolation platform.

Yes, that was audible. That ceramic platform made a quite significant difference. I believe that. We haven't tested that now, but is there a version for components too?

Up to 50 kg, as I mentioned, the standard version is suitable for components. I also tested it, even though it doesn't make as big a difference as under the speakers, it still improves the sound quality in that direction. We also did tests with sensitive amplifiers, phono preamplifiers, or tube amplifiers. We did such a test that we shouted into those tubes, and you could hear the cry through the speaker as it transmitted. And into those transistors when you bang, it transmits the impact into the sound. That's also something people think isn't possible, the selection of those components, only for a turntable, at most for a CD player, but not for the amplifier and preamplifier.

The feedback interaction certainly exists.

It's important there, and even though, as I said, it improves less than under the speakers, the change is also audible there. The best thing is to put those components on the isolation platform and then on the floor. So thank you for coming, and see you for now. Goodbye!