˻ PREMIERE ˼

⌈ FRANC AUDIO ACCESSORIES is a Polish company led by PAWEŁ SKULIMOWSKI. It was founded in 2009 with one task: to develop product that help to reduce vibrations in audio equipment. Its first product was the Ceramic Disc anti-vibration feet, today designated as 'Classic'. We are testing its latest product, the 15th ANNIVERSARY CERAMIC DISC HYBRID feet, developed as a part of celebration of brand’s 15th anniversary. ⌋

It is hard to believe but it seems that the first time I saw and tested a product by Franc Audio Accessories was already fifteen years ago. What’s more, it seems that I have been using this company's Ceramic Disc (Classic) anti-vibration feet for fifteen years as well. For a long, long time, these were the primary anti-vibration components for me, when it came to my own components and the products that came for testing.

These feet, although in an improved form with a piece supporting the main ceramic ball made not of aluminum but of braided carbon fiber, are still offered today. It's a classic, but a classic developed and upgraded, thus keeping the form. Something like the F-16 fighter jet, whose roots go back to 1964 (!), and which are only now, slowly, being replaced by the F-35. For it is the initial idea that counts, the rest is simply changes referring to the latest knowledge and needs.

I search my memory one more time only to realize that the last time I tested this company's products happened two years and two weeks ago, on September 1st. 2020. The feet I tested then → CERAMIC DISC TH are still in the Franc Audio Accessories lineup today. This consistency is the hallmark of both Franc Audio Accessories and Paweł Skulimowski, its designer and owner. Which, by the way, he himself talks about in the text below.

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⸜ A few simple words…

PAWEŁ SKULIMOWSKI
Owner, designer

⸜ Designer himself and some shelves for Franc Audio Accessories racks

FRANC AUDIO ACCESSORIES WAS FOUNDED with discerning audiophiles in mind who wanted to improve the sound of their audio systems. My company's products are aimed at audiophiles/music lovers who value sound fidelity and unique design. And nothing has changed in this regard since 2009. Instead, the company's offer has changed and grown a lot. Today, it's a really long list of products, from ceramic feet to several lines of platforms and racks in countless configurations and endless finishing options.

The realities haven't changed either, and more than 98% of my production still flies out into the world, and there's really a lot of it. I'm currently working on a huge order, and to just one distributor - I'm shipping a huge 40-foot container full of platforms, racks and other products in September, including ones from the latest Alu Master anniversary line. Some might say that I'm bragging, that this is a one-time “shot” and that's it. Well, no, because this is the second such order in the last 2-3 years. Yes, I'm bragging, because there is something to brag about, and I'm immensely happy about it. And one who has an open mind should also be aware that “it can be done” if you have persistence, top-level products and that “something” - I am an example of this. Today I also have a real distribution network based on dealer networks, selected over the years.

⸜ Three 15th Anniversary’s color versions

At this point I would like to thank all my customers, including Polish ones, that they are not afraid to buy our products and know that they are often much better than those from abroad. I have been cooperating for many years with companies such as AudioNec , Engstrom, APL and Stenheim and supplying them with my equipment feet. I am glad that Polish companies such as Linear Audio Research or Encore Seven have also contacted me and the topic of cooperation is slowly developing.

This year, the company is celebrating its 15th anniversary and to mark the occasion, some new products have been introduced:

• 15th Anniversary Alu Master Reference Series Rack, that is, the jubilee rack from the top Alu Master series,
• Alu Master Reference Series Platforms – new to the range, uncompromising platforms dedicated to the largest and heaviest power amplifiers,
• 15th Anniversary Ceramic Disc Hybrid – ceramic feet introduced about three years ago, this time in exclusive chrome, black, silver and gold finishes. These feet have been installed as standard on all Wood Block and Alu Masters racks and, more recently, also on Alu Master platforms. They allow very heavy loads - 500 kilograms and more.

⸜ Color versions of the basic Hybrid feet

I put the above-mentioned feet in the hands of Wojtek for testing. By the way, I would like to mention that since the beginning of my activity I have been constantly developing the concept of feet based on ceramic balls and accompanying materials with different properties and structures, chosen years ago. As an owner of a master's degree in mechanical engineering, I stick consistently to the chosen path and from the beginning I rely on knowledge, and today due to a lot more experience, and nothing in my company happens by accident or “inspired” by the products of the competition :)

I have had the same products on offer since the beginning, and I design and add a new one as needed, namely the fixed and self-aligning bearing-based Ceramic Disc Classic, further Ceramic Disc Fat Foot, Ceramic Disc Slim Foot, Ceramic Disc TH and Ceramic Disc Hybrid. Each of the feet produces certain effects, and I am not in the habit of releasing every year two or three new “feet” that is better than the previous ones. Because that, let me say it plainly, is not something a manufacturer should do, because what is a customer who bought an earlier version supposed to say?

⸜ All the FAA feet offered currently in various color versions

Besides, anyone familiar with the matter of such anti-vibration products should also be aware that there is no single best footer for everything. There are no perfect and versatile products, and each gives a different effect in different systems and under different components. It is an art and quite arduous work to choose the right one(s) for one's own system, and here customers can fortunately choose among the offerings of many companies. I mention it this because I have never been and am not afraid of competition and consider it very healthy and giving a kick to self-development and improvement. Only the weak are afraid of competition. PS

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FRANC AUDIO ACCESSORIES is one of the few Polish companies specializing in anti-vibration products that I know well and which have perfected their own technologies, developments and solutions over the years. And it is it, the way I see it, that has been the company blazing the trail in our country for manufacturers of this type, which no one will take away from it anymore. Although all the other Polish specialty companies, such as Rogoz Audio, Pro Audio Bono, Stacore and Divine Acoustics have also contributed something to this pool, on the world market THE Polish company offering anti-vibration feet is FAA.

Each of the mentioned manufacturers, in addition to anti-vibration feet, offers complete racks as well, that benefit from their basic solutions. In Franc Audio Accessories' lineup you will also find them, as well as platforms in several different series. I know them both organoleptically and from photos, and I think they are some of the best-made, nicest products of their kind on the market. And the fact that they are Polish products is a nice, but only bonus.

Paweł company's basic technology was based on rigid decoupling using roller bearings, based on a combination of one and three ceramic sintered balls. This is a proven method, propagated by German manufacturer Finite Elemente; more → HERE. Ceramic Disc Hybrid feet, as the name suggests, are different. Their bodies are made of aluminum and steel, machined in CNC machines, but in addition to the rigid connection, soft polymers are used here to minimize vibration, I assume. And that brings to mind, if I'm not mistaken of course, to yet another company, an American manufacturer called Carbide Audio.

As we wrote in the their review, in their design the head of the company, Mr. Jeffrey Jenkins, uses rigid decoupling with the help of a ball bearing, in which he used a carbide ball. But that's not the only thing that has so far set it apart from perhaps all other mature manufacturers on the market. In order to further separate the base and support area of the audio product, a soft lossy element was used in its design. Mr. Jenkins said at the time:

The lower stainless steel portion houses ball bearings which roll in hardened steel bearing raceways to provide horizontal isolation. Above it in a machined aluminum housing sits a large viscoelastic ring called the ViscoRing which is used to provide vertical isolation.

⸜ JEFFREY JENKINS, A few simple words… in: WOJCIECH PACUŁA, Carbide Audio Carbide Base anti-vibration feet, „High Fidelity” № 239, 1 April 2024, → HIGHFIDELITY.pl , accessed: 2.09.2024.

It seems that the 15th Anniversary Ceramic Disc Hybrid feet use a similar solution, although there is no certainty, as the manufacturer does not want to reveal details. I found the information in one of the Asian stores, but I have no way to verify it. What is known, however, is that the vibration-absorbing structure is the same as in the base version, that is, the body is made of CNC-cut stainless steel and multi-layer aluminum alloy, with spacers separated by ultra-hard ceramic balls. The special 15th anniversary version features a chrome plating on the stainless steel. As I read on some blog from Taiwan, the materials used in the 15th anniversary version were, compared to the basic feet, improved.

The tested feet seem quite massive and are heavy - they weigh 1.3 kg each, making 5.2 kg per box of four. They are 45 mm high and 78 mm wide, and the contact surface between them and the device is again 45 mm. They are cylindrical in shape, which at its top turns into a truncated cone. From the top, there is a damping material, which also prevents the devices from sliding, familiar from the first feet of this manufacturer. The hole drilled from the top is plugged with a threaded M8 pin, which we may or may not screw into the device.

The whole stands on aluminum discs, which are not fixed rigidly, but move slightly. It is impossible to change the height of the foot, except by screwing it into the unit and adjusting it with the aforementioned pin. The maximum load capacity of three units is 450 kg, while the load capacity of four units is 600 kg, and the average load capacity of one unit is 150 kg, the same as for the basic Hybrid version.

The feet in the basic version of the Ceramic Disc Hybrid are available in two finishes, lacquered black and natural silver. The 15th Anniversary version adds a gold, high-gloss silver and exclusive black versions. They are available in sets of three or four. The classic feet cost 945 euros for three pieces and 1260 for four, while the “Anniversary” ones cost 1080 and 1440 euros, respectively. The outer box is made of black six-sided cardboard with a magnetic lid, and the box's surface is hot-stamped with a gold-colored description and logo.

▌ SOUND

HOW WE LISTENED • The anti-vibration feet from Franc Audio Accessories were tested in the “High Fidelity” reference system. I always test anti-vibration feet in my system in the same way - using them under the signal source, sometimes also with other devices. This time I tested them under the Ayon Audio CD-35 HF SACD player.

I'm moving the player during the test, so its connections have to allow it. I used Crystal Cable Absolute Dream interconnects in this role, and the player was powered by Harmonix X-DC350M2R Improved-Version cable.

This time, one more thing has been added to this comparison. For some time now, I have been using the Carbide Audio Carbide Base feet under the Ayon Audio Spheris III preamplifier and its power supply. So I thought a comparison with them as well would give me an even broader picture of what the Franc Audio Accessories feet can and can't do. To make life easier for myself, I tested them only under the preamplifier module.

The comparison consisted of listening to the same piece of music (1-2 minutes long) with the reference feet and moving the latter onto the tested feet. The player and the test feet stood on the top of a Finite Elemente Pagode Edition Mk II carbon rack top, and the preamplifier stood on wooden shelves in the middle of the rack.

» ALBUMS USED FOR THE TEST ⸜ a selection

⸜ CANNONBAL ADDERLEY QUINTET, Cannonbal Adderley Quintet in Chicago, Verve | Mercury Records/UMG Recordings UCGQ-9056, „Acoustic Sounds SACD Series”, SHM-SACD (1960/2024).
⸜ ZDZISŁAWA SOŚNICKA, Aleja gwiazd, Polskie Nagrania „Muza”/Warner Music Poland 50541 9 79791 1 8, „Polskie Nagrania Catalogue Selections”, SACD/CD (1987/2024).
⸜ THE POLICE, Synchronicity, A&M Records/Polydor UICY-16234, „40th Anniversary”, 2 x SHM-CD (1981/2024).
⸜ JARRE, Geometry of Love, EastWest | Aero Productions 2564 60693-2, CD (2003).
⸜ MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO, No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin, Blue Note UCCQ-1205, „Jazz The New Chapter”, SHM-CD (2024).

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ABOVE, in the “How We Listened” section, I wrote that I did the main listening by comparing the 15th Anniversary Ceramic Disc Hybrid feet to the Carbide Audio Carbide Base. This is true. But, in fact, I was curious about something else, and that's the thing that brought me the most satisfaction - comparing the new feet with the company's first products, the Ceramic Base. Admittedly in white lacquer and bolted to an Ayon Audio player, but nevertheless having almost identical construction to the first ones I saw in 2009. This is because I wanted to hear what progress this company has made.

And the differences are huge. Not small, not “some,” but fundamental. With the new feet, the sound is much deeper and more massive. And, again, not by a little margine, there is no “maybe”, but clearly, and the changes are of a large scale. What can be heard at every level of the tracks listened to. This recognition accompanies us throughout the listening and is intensified with each successive disc. And so it stays with us.

For example, the opening sequence of the CANNONBAL ADDERLEY QUINTET album titled Cannonbal Adderley Quintet in Chicago, in the magnificent SHM-SACD release from this year, in Ryan Smith's DSD remastering at Sterling Sound, contains low notes that could be interpreted as distortion, or the sound of musicians stomping on the floor. Whichever version of the sound we accept as true, with the new feet it was stronger, deeper and more massive. Interestingly, this did not make it more blunt at all in the sense that I still accepted it as an integral part of the recording, probably similarly, I think, to Smith, who did not filter it out. What's more, it was a clearer and more unambiguous sound, indicating that it was stomping, not distortion.

Historically, the first Franc Audio Accessories feet are also very cool, to be sure. However, the hybrid model is so clearly superior that appreciating the former, comparing them with the latter starts to make us drool. And that's because the presentation with them is not only lower, deeper and more massive, but above all more resolving. I don't know if you are already after reading the test of the Lektor Joy CD player from Ancient Audio, in the same issue of “High Fidelity”, but if not, I will repeat: audio companies developing and offering better and better products are moving from detailed to dark sound.

Buyers of audio products make their choices based on their preferences. Ultimately they are the ones who pay. That's why the honest manufacturer faces a challenge: the truth he seeks - musical truth - has one direction, which I just pointed out. And yet, so many novice music lovers in its full sense, that is, played on high-end equipment, tend to look for details. And thus a predilection to extract clarity and detail from the system.

However, I think there is no turning back from this - the higher we are in the audio world, the less important these elements are. And the ones I mentioned, with resolution at the forefront, start to weigh the most. But resolution and the resulting darkness do not mean closing the sound in, let alone “dulling,” to refer to one of the oldest Polish terms in the business. It is exactly the opposite. Because when we put the devices on the new FAA feet we hear a much better balanced sound.

The feet of this company installed in the Ayon Audio player sound more contoured with them, with a more strongly marked band’s extremes. When one of the best Polish songs of the 1980s begins, ZDZISŁAWA SOSNICKA’S ˻ 6 ˺ Aleja gwiazd, the bass is denser with the tested feet on the one hand, but less closed in on the other. That is, it is different than the aforementioned stereotype would suggest. There is a lot of it, Damian Lipinski brought it out in a wonderful way, and yet it doesn't dominate or smother the whole. Sośnicka's vocal, subjected to several treatments, such as cutting the band, adding a long delay and a phase-shifting effect, is clearer, and at the same time “sits” better in the mix.

The Divine Acoustics Galileo feet sounded even different in this comparison. They rendered the front of the attack faster, making the opening electronic drums of this track sound clearer. Also in the vocals, the brighter reverb component could be heard more strongly. The overall sound was set a bit higher with them, and the bass was not as saturated on the bottom end. In this respect, the two Franc Audio Accessories feet behave differently, tightening, saturating and making the bass bit more „prominent”.

The 15th ANNIVERSARY CERAMIC DISC HYBRID therefore gives us something special. And this is a focus of sound, which I haven't mentioned yet, combined with a stronger exposure of the bottom end. I don't know which version is the correct one, it will depend on your system and taste. However, I liked both of them very much, because they realized the clear vision of the designer in the whole band, not in parts of it. It was well thought out, it was good.

Paweł Skulimowski's new product also presents stereophony somewhat differently. While Divine Acoustics cast a wide panorama in front of us, the hybrid feet focus it more on axis, while slightly extending the perspective backward. This gives the impression of greater depth. This worked out great, for example, with ˻ 9 ˺ Wrapped Around Your Finger, a track from the Synchronicity album by THE POLICE, the last of the group's career.

I'm listening to it right now from the latest release, the Miles Showell remaster (at Abbey Road Studios), which was released in Japan on SHM-CD. And you can hear that the modern idiom of remastering older rock material is changing. Like Damian Lipinski, Showell led the sound down the band, saturated the bass and opened up its midrange. But he opened it up not by making it lighter, as it is - in general - darker, but by higher resolution.

The feet prepared by Paweł demonstrated these treatments perfectly, playing in a dense, saturated manner, with a brilliantly differentiated midrange. Set far in the mix, Sting's vocals were therefore clear and corresponded well with the guitar, given with a phase shift, and with the synthesizer, winning a distinctive phrase underneath. The reverb was shorter than with the Divine Acoustics feet, but that's what they differ in the first place - perspective.

Which brings us to the last comparison of this test, the Carbide Audio feet. Immediately you can hear that these represent a similar idea of sound. They were timbrally closer to each other than the Ceramic Disc Classic and 15th Anniversary feet. That is, there was depth, there was plasticity, there was low bass. The Polish feet, however, show slightly different elements in all this as the more important ones. For them, fluidity seems to be the priority, while the American product defines the shapes of instruments more clearly, separating them more strongly from the reverberations.

FAA's feet are also smoother. Something I've pointed out before, that is depth and plasticity, are evident and in this comparison. But it is also here that one can hear that the Polish feet treat the sound in a more delicate way, as if they were trying harder to connect all the sounds together. The “sea” sound achieved by the recording of the moving foil that opens ˻ 1 ˺ Pleasure Principle, a track from JARRE's album Geometry of Love were thus more believable, less “made.” The American alloys showed the mechanics of this sound more clearly, which gave a more precise picture, but it was the 15th Anniversary Ceramic Disc Hybrid that made them an integral part of the recording, not something separate.

Also, the bass in Wrapped Around Your Finger by The Police seemed more vivid to me with the Polish feet. It was not deeper, but it had a very nice timbre and was, let me repeat that, fluid. And I guess this feature, that is, fluidity, would be the most important in this comparison. These are designs that bring a kind of “thrust” to the sound. What I mean is that any, any song, whether recorded well or not quite, as long as it's good music and good production, sounds good with them.

It's not about making things more similar, as Franc Audio Accessories' feet are very resolving. It's about bringing out from the music that, which connects all sounds, from the very bottom, and it is strong and saturated with them, to the high top, “golden” rather than “iron”. If the snare strikes emphatically, and this is how it was recorded on this album, it will strike emphatically when played. But it will not be something unpleasant, or - even less so - detached from the rest of the music.

▌ Summary

FRANC AUDIO ACCESSORIES' ANNIVERSARY FEET are, in my opinion, its best product of its kind. Not “a little better,” but simply - better. They are also among the best feet I have heard so far. The sound you get with them will be saturated and have low, meaty bass. Their timbre is dark, as it is in high-end products, while being very resolving. There is room for both details and subtleties, but only in the context of the whole, not for separate entities. So they won't appeal to those looking for these qualities in sound.

Instead, they will appeal to anyone for whom music is a kind of celebration, a unique event in time. They have a warm tone, but the midrange and treble are saturated with lots of information, so you don't get the impression of a stifled or closed in sound. They offer an excellent tonal balance both with recordings of the kind that Damian Lipinski is currently remastering for the “Polskie Nagrania Catalogue Selections” series, and with more recent recordings, such as - cited above - the excellent MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO disc, No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin.

These are feet that will enrich any, any system. You will find the differences between them and others I use above, I will not repeat them. It's amazing that we put products from Poland and the world at the same level, with the native ones being even better in many respects. A fantastic product from a man who knows what he is doing, does it well and, in addition, what he does well - loves it. From us a well-deserved ˻ RED FINGERPRINT. ●

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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