good vibes
shelf

Sometimes things can start out simply enough, and then as if by a will of their own, take a turn and become something else altogether. Do you know what I mean? This project was one of those things. The basic idea? A shelf designed to transfer vibrations to the floor… Why? Well… read on.

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Let’s back up just a bit, a good sturdy shelf to put quality audio gear on seemed like a straightforward proposition. A bit of light research later and it seemed as if, generally speaking, all shelves resonate, and not just a little bit, but most… quite a lot. And these resonances aren’t likely to be good for the electronic music signal making its way through the component’s circuitry.

Okay then, time to do some hands-on experimenting! It turns out one effective way to deal with resonant energy is to drain it off or give it a mechanical path to ground. Roller bearings have been used in taller buildings for this kind of protection in earthquake-prone areas. High-rises in places like Los Angeles or Tokyo, where seismic activity is a regular occurrence, are often decoupled from the quaking ground in order to isolate and protect them from destructive resonances. Could a similar approach work on a smaller scale? Well, as it turns out, scaled-down approaches have been developed for laboratory use, in isolating electron microscopes and other delicate optical instruments used to magnify at extremes; and image resolution is reported to improve dramatically, demonstrating their effectiveness.

Perhaps we could build something similar into a modular shelving system for audio equipment? What we’re talking about then, becomes a shelf that avoids affixing one level to the next, and uses only gravity and a self-leveling bearing set to remain stable and horizontal. Each shelf then is free to resonate independently and transfer that resonance to ground. And the results prove to be quite convincing! The contrasts between music and background are increased, and the sense of space around musical instruments and performers is enhanced. In short, an improved image of the original recorded musical event results.