⌈ The Japanese company TiGLON was founded in 2008. Initially named Kryna Pro, it changed its name to TiGLON in 2010 and its founder and chief designer is Mr KENTARO OKINO. We are testing the tuning spacers, D-Ren Pro. ⌋

IN THE TIGLON PORTFOLIO you will find several different types of anti-vibration products. These are: racks, platforms, speaker stands including ones for Harbeth-type. There are also accessories that the manufacturer refers to as 'tuning' ones, i.e. anti-vibration platforms (→ TMB-DR20), feet (→ MZX-4) and, fulfilling a similar role, spacers. The D-Ren Pro spacers we test can be found in the "Tuning Accessories" section with the subtitle "Hybrid Spacer".

▌ D-Ren Pro

THE NAME OF THE TESTED SPACERS suggests the objectives being pursued: "dren" (drain) in this meaning is intended to disperse vibrations to the outside and to discharge static electricity. Tiglon also applies it to other products, such as the soon-to-be-released D-Ren Sheet mat or components of anti-vibration products, such as the vibration-damping ring in the MZX-4 feet. The manufacturer describes this product category as DRS (D-Ren Series).

The material used by this Japanese manufacturer is not ordinary rubber, although at first glance it gives that impression. It was patented by Tiglon back in 2019. Its composition, with the obligatory presence of magnesium, was developed in collaboration with musicians in recording studios. The company materials even talk about 'tuning'. My understanding of this is that spacers with different admixtures were used for trials and those that gave the best results were selected.

Originally the components were black in colour, and from 2020 a newer version is available in blue. That’s what manufacturer says about the D-Ren Pro spacers:

It is the tuning spacer that suppresses the complex resonance that occurs in the installation environment of audio equipment and amplifiers for musical instruments, and brings out the original performance of the equipment. In order to improve the sound quality and durability of the old model (D-REN black), it was manufactured by repeating the test under the supervision of professional musicians and recording engineers in the recording studio.
It is the universal spacer that offers both high electromagnetic wave shielding performance and vibration absorption performance with the expertise of our patented technology “Magnesium shield”.

⸜ Tuning Spacer D-REN Pro, → TIGLON.co.jp, accessed: 5.05.2024.

The spacers are octagonal in shape and quite large - 70 mm in diameter and 3 mm thick. Since almost all other washers of this type that I know of are round, I asked Mr Okino-san why this shape and not the other one:

As for the shape of the D-REN PRO, this shape proved to be the most effective in dissipating vibrations applied to them from above. We experimented with different shapes and thicknesses of internal magnesium and different types of rubber, but found that neither round nor square shapes were able to replicate the same effect as octagonal shapes.

The maximum load they will work properly with is as much as 30 kg per spacer, which is a lot. Inside the rubber with admixtures, there is a foil with infused magnesium, which has a variable thickness - from 0.1 to 0.2 mm - to improve shielding against electromagnetic radiation. The outer shell is made of synthetic rubber that is resistant to heat, but with admixtures that harden its surface and protect it from damage.

The spacers are available in sets of three or four.

▌ SOUND

HOW WE LISTENED • Tiglon's anti-vibration spacers have been tested in the "High Fidelity" reference system. I always test products of this type in my system in the same way - used under the signal source, sometimes assisted by other devices. This time, however, I tested them under the Leben C-600X integrated amplifier, as they seemed more suitable in this role.

The test consisted of comparing the sound of the amp standing on its feet and on the Tiglon spacers. Separately, I compared their performance to the Acoustic Revive RKI-5005 spacers, which I use every day. This was an AA/BB/A and BB/AA/B comparison with listening to the same section of a track (2 min.) on the feet and after moving the amp onto the test spacers.

» RECORDINGS USED FOR THE TEST ⸜ a selection

⸜ MILT JACKSON SEXTET, Invitation, Riverside/Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab UDSACD 2031, Limited Edition No. 1828/2500, SACD/CD (2007).
⸜ ELVIS PRESLEY, Elvis is Back!, RCA/BMG Japan BVCM-37088, „Elvis Paper Sleeve Collection”, CD (1960/2000).
⸜ PAUL SIMON, Graceland, Warner Bros. Records/Warner Music Japan WPCR-12417, „Paul Simon Paper Sleeve Collection, vol. 6”, CD (1986/2006).
⸜ DIANA KRALL, The Girl In The Other Room, Verve Records 0602498620465, SACD/CD (2004).
⸜ COUNT BASIE, Count Basie and the Kansas City 7, Impulse!/Esoteric ESSI-90137, SACD/CD (1962/2015) w: Impulse! 6 Great Jazz, Impulse!/Esoteric ESSI-9013/8, 6 x SACD/CD (2015).

The recordings used in the test can be found in the HIGH FIDELITY: TiGLON D-Ren Pro playlist, available on Tidal → HERE

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I HAVE TO CONFESS THAT I APPROACH tests of products that are not main components of an audio system with caution. Maybe it doesn't look like that, because I test them a lot and my system is "loaded" with them, but that's how it is. I even sometimes delay listening to them, either by searching for something to do that "must" be done here and now, or by testing something first.

It seems to me that this is because testing these types of products requires much more focus and commitment than with loudspeakers or amplifiers. The differences 'with' and 'without' are much smaller with them, and therefore more difficult to describe. But on the other hand, because there is also the other side, once heard they cannot be forgotten and if they fit into a given system, if they serve the sound aesthetic I care about, I cannot imagine life (musical) without them.

Tiglon's D-Ren Pro is one such product. The spacers look inconspicuous, as if cut from a strip of rubber, and yet they change the sound in some of its primal layers. For years I have been using spacers from another Japanese manufacturer, Acoustic Revive's CP-4, whose appearance is even less suggestive of their usefulness, and I know that appearances are deceiving. In the case of the blue octagons they are particularly deceiving.

Placing the Leben CS-600X amplifier on them changed the balance of the sound. Above all, it raised the mid-bass and gently, but noticeably, withdrew the treble. Ron Carter's double bass in ˻ 1 ˺ Invitation, the opening track on the MILT JACKSON SEXTET album of the same title, was clearer and more powerful with it. Apparently the change was not great, yet the selectivity of this range, and therefore of the instrument itself, increased. Interesting, but not by emphasizing the attack, but by rounding out the sounds. It was as if with the spacers they had a more three-dimensional 'body', and the 'halo' around them defined their shapes more clearly.

The cymbals, the vibraphone beats, and the trumpet, all had a clearer timbre too, although the treble, as such, seemed softer. I'm not sure why this was the case, but the effect was that the presentation with the spacers from Japan seemed more relaxed, although I had absolutely no complaints about this aspect before, but also more accurate. When you think about it, it turns out that the D-Ren Pro improve the resolution.

The change is not a big one, it's more of a shift in emphasis, but it's a change that entails other adjustments, like a better perception of colors, shapes and place on stage. That is, from something small it becomes big. Oh, how perfectly this worked out with the ˻ 2 ˺ Fever sung by ELVIS PRESLEY on the Elvis is Back!. Yes, by the way, although the title might suggest his constant presence and confirm reports like: "I've seen Presley!", what it really meant was that this was his first album after returning to civilian life from the military service he had served in Germany.

But to the point. This is a rather quiet recording on the surface, but with a dense and tense atmosphere underneath. It was recorded on 4th April 1960 at Nashville Studios, a complex owned by the RCA label. In it, the vocals are shown in a dark, low and dense way, in a long reverb that reaches far into the stage. With the Tiglon spacers under the amplifier's feet, the reverb was deeper and longer and Presley's vocals were clearer, even though they were shown a little further away. The whole seemed more refined to me, and this was due to a better rendering of dynamic and tonal contrasts.

Pulling back the attack, as I think that's the point here, resulted in a better picture of the bodies themselves. The monophonic reverb on the vocals and the stereo drums, spread across the channels, were now better fitting together. This album bears the logo of Living Stereo, an RCA series in which an effort was made to emphasize the feeling of spatiality in the recordings. This intention was clearer with the spacers in place than without them.

PAUL SIMON's album entitled Graceland also sounded very interesting. Very nicely recorded in its own right, it has a slight flaw in that the higher notes in the vocals are slightly emphasized. With the Tiglon this was apparent to me as the delivery seemed better balanced. The bass was clearer, had more weight, and the highs were more pleasing. There was not less detail in the presentation, but - I would say - more. It was as if removing the spacers from underneath the amplifier raised its tonal balance, but also blurred the bodies of sounds slightly. These were not big changes, but - again - important for my comfort.

After Graceland this was already clear to me, but I was still somewhat surprised to hear very similar changes when listening to DIANA KRALL's The Girl In The Other Room album. The bass in ˻ 3 ˺ Temptation, a track written by Tom Waits, was clearer and had more mass with Tiglon. As with Paul Simon's voice, Krall's higher vocal components were better integrated into the fundamental band. Not that there was noticeably less of them, although there was probably some loss there, but that they had a better connectivity with the rest of the sound, not appearing 'separate'.

▌ Summary

CHANGE, CHANGE, CHANGE... Audio is one big change. Whether it is for the better is up to us. With Tiglon, however, it is impossible to go wrong. This is a product that for a penny changes the character of the sound, giving stronger bass and a more pleasant treble. But it's not the change in timbre that it's mainly about, it's the improvement in resolution and thus the legibility of the presentation. And also about its greater refinement.

It's also a cool way of making sure that the devices don't slip on our countertops. Even if you don't believe they 'work', try them out for this purpose and you will see that after a while, when you take them off, you will hear what I heard too. They are a very cool addition to any audio system. ●

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THIS TEST HAS BEEN DESIGNED ACCORDING TO THE GUIDELINES adopted by the Association of International Audiophile Publications, an international audio press association concerned with ethical and professional standards in our industry, of which HIGH FIDELITY is a founding member. More about the association and its constituent titles → HERE.

→ www.AIAP-online.org