Harmonic Resolution Systems

E1X Isolation Base

AUD $2,500 RRP (as reviewed)

Power supplies and motors generate vibration. It may be a relatively small amount, but it's there all the same. When these noisy items are placed inside a chassis, they spread outwards and can echo inside what is now a chamber—one which also has its own naturally occurring resonances. Let's call that structure-borne vibration. This means that, when combined with external airborne vibrations from the speakers playing the music, any decent hi-fi system won't be able to perform at its best.

The solution is to use well-engineered system supports – such as equipment stands, isolation feet and isolation bases. These are designed to provide a stable platform that minimises structure-borne vibrations of equipment. Harmonic Resolution Systems (or HRS) offers precisely these products, ones that are manufactured in the US to extremely high standards and are specific to the type of equipment and issues that need to be addressed. I have had an HRS E1X isolation base – model E1X-1719-G7-Black – in my system and can vouch for its effectiveness.

The EX1 is HRS's entry-level isolation base range—if it can be called entry-level, as its cost and performance start where some other platforms finish. The range has six models covering various plinth sizes, and the feet have specific load range options. Therefore, it's important to purchase the feet correctly specified for the weight of the component that will be supported. This allows the feet to offer a specific range of frequency isolation for a given load.

The plinth is proprietary to HRS. It has two plates made from custom-pressed HRS resin fabric composite; these are sandwiched together with a constrained layer damping system, which dissipates energy in a controlled manner. A nice cosmetic feature is a billet machined, heat-treated aluminium alloy front trim piece and scratch-resistant plinth coating. My review unit measures 480x430x76mm and weighs 10.2kg. It is fitted with the company's G7 Bi-Directional Noise Reduction Footers, which are not sensitive to component weight or weight distribution, the company claims.

THE LISTENING

As soon as I placed this HRS base under a component, I was surprised by the positive sonic effect. I have used various isolation bases before but was unprepared for how much better the HRS made everything sound. Placed under DACs, CD transports, streamers, amplifiers, turntables, phono stages, power conditioners, and even network switches and their power supplies, repeatable gains can be enjoyed using the HRS isolation base. Insert the platform, and the soundstage grows in every dimension, bass speed and impact improve and the overall noise floor drops. Removing it causes everything to collapse, shrink and sound bland, even at low volume levels.

This effect is noticeable without spending mega bucks on your equipment, although the better your system's resolution, the more significant the improvement. When used under a moderately priced Yamaha R-N2000A integrated amplifier and listening to Kiss The Cloud by Yello, the opening synth tone fills the room with the sensation of great air and space, the vocal lifts up and grows in stature, and the placement of the drum is more specific. There is greater texture, realism, athleticism, impact and depth. Both soundstaging and depth perspective increase, alongside the level of detail. It is a similar story with every other hi-fi component that I tried on top of this isolation platform; at no point did I ever hear a negative impact on the sound.

THE VERDICT

The HRS E1X Isolation Base by Harmonic Resolution Systems is expensive – many people will pay less for a basic DAC or streamer. Yet, it yields a profound improvement in sound quality if you have a middle-to-high-end system. If you doubt the difference a good isolation base can make, hear this and see what you think. It may surprise you…

For more information visit HRS