⌈ AUDIO STABILITY is a Polish company, founded in 2018, run by Mr. GRZEGORZ ŁABA. It specializes in anti-vibration products. Its offer includes anti-vibration feet and platforms. We test two products from the basic offer - anti-vibration feet, The One, on which one places devices, as well as X Disc, designed for loudspeakers. ⌋

t the beginning there were ... anti-vibration feet. Although the goal of Mr. Grzegorz Łaba was to prepare an anti-vibration rack, the first product of Audio Stability were anti-vibration feet - The One and X Disc. As he said in an interview that you will find in the Spider platform test, the point was to use them to test ideas that he had. In a word, these were products designed to prove the validity of the assumptions, and the test result was to determine whether it is worth going in this direction. It turned out it was.

Technology | The key element of Audio Stability products is a ball bearing. This solution has been known in audio for years, and we have written many times about companies that use it. Let me recall companies such as: Finite Elemente, Franc Audio Accessories, Symposium Acoustics, Pro Audio Bono, Avatar Audio and Stacore.

The attractiveness of this solution lies on the one hand on solid engineering foundations, and on the other on the unambiguous changes that products with ball bearings introduce to the sound. So it's sort of an ideal situation: a harmonious combination of theoretical assumptions and the results of practical applications. In the case of Mr. Łaba, it was easy because he is an engineer specializing in bridge design. As he says:

Since I designed bridge bearings, the main idea behind our solution is similar to solutions found in engineering, in particular when it comes to transferring loads and limiting or ensuring freedom of movement.

Grzegorz Łaba, A few simple words…, „High Fidelity”, № 187, December 2019, see HERE

The One | X-Disc

The One and X-Disc are anti-vibration feet. The One are intended for use with electronic devices, power distributors, etc., and the X-Disc was conceived as the basis for the speakers. However, nothing prevents one from using them also under heavy amplifiers. Both use the same decoupling ball. It's a ceramic silicon nitride ball made with accuracy of class G5. Its sphericity and diameter tolerance is at the level of 0.13 μm, which is - as Mr. Łaba said, "very precise". Its surface looks like it was covered with oil. Its bed is made of selected and properly processed plastic with graphite additions.

The feet differ in shape of the upper and lower bowls. In The One, it has the shape of a bell, and in the X-Disc both elements are flat. The "bell" in The One is elongated, which moves the support point quite high. The upper bowl is screwed down so that the feet do not “fall apart”. In the X-Disc, on the other hand, there are two flat, steel elements that are not joined with each other - first we put the bottom part, than the ball into the bowl and finally we place the second, upper part on top. These are feet in which the top and bottom are not permanently joined. One can screw a pin into the upper part, which can be used to connect the foot and a speaker stand or speakers itself.

| HOW WE TESTED

AUDIO STABILITY feet have been tested in the "High Fidelity" reference system. The One model was listened to used with the Ayon Audio CD-35 Hf Edition (№ 1/50) and was compared to the FRANC AUDIO ACCESSORIES CERAMIC DISC CLASSIC feet. These are the reference feet that I have been using for years, modified by replacing the aluminum top plate with RIQ-5010W quartz. The player features the same feet, but four not three of them. For the purpose of this comparison I disassembled the feet from the Player and instead placed it on three Ceramic Disc Classic - one in the front and two in the back.

I compared the X-Disc model with the Acoustic Revive RIQ-5010W quartz pads, which are placed under the Harbeth M40.1 speakers and separate them from the Acoustic Revive stands, that were made for me by Mr. Ken Ishiguro. You can find more about their design HERE.

For the comparison I listened to a two-minute long musical pieces and moved the player between the two models of feet. It was an A / B / A comparison, where A = Franc Audio Accessories Ceramic Disc Classic, and B = Audio Stability, and in the second part A = Acoustic Revive, and B = Audio Stability..

| The One

In the first part of this test, I listed several companies using the same solution of decoupling audio products as the Audio Stability. Although their solutions are quite similar, maybe except for Pro Audio Bono, the results obtained when using them in an audio system are quite different. They share a refinement and great resolution of sound, but differ significantly in other respects.

It is no different with The One feet. Compared to Franc Audio Accessories Ceramic Disc Classic feet, they showed a different tonal balance. I could hear already after I listened to a few tracks from The Dialogue by Japanese drummer Takeshi Inomata, but it was even more evident with the Tijuana Moods by Charles Mingus.

The Audio Stability feet are focused on precision. The treble is very clear with them, very clean and well differentiated. The upper midrange is shown just as precisely. Despite such characteristics, neither midrange nor the treble are emphasized. By the way, I have not heard such effect with any of the feet tested by me featuring the ball as an intermediary. I have one the other hand heard this type of tonal shaping before.

The One excellently present the upper part of the band. It is not intrusive or "attacking" and yet it is obvious that there is a lot of information there. In fact, there is more of it than with Ceramic Disc Classic feet. In direct comparison, they seem a bit hazy. To make sure it is not really the case one can compare them with any other feet, but the impression remains. Drum cymbals, trumpet's higher harmonic - all such elements were clearer, more "vivid" with The One. I have no doubt that these are feet that show a lot of information.

Although they have a different sound tuning. The Franc Audio Accessories feet offer a much lower bass and lower timbre. In which they resemble one of the classics of this solution, the Finite Elemente feet. However, they are closer to Avatar Audio and pro Audio Bono products. Because in both cases, it is a lighter sound and a little more distant than with the reference feet. When at the beginning of the Mingus album in a unison, in the left and right channel, the trumpet and trombone play, with my feet reference, they are bigger, stronger, deeper. The Audio Stability feet have pushed them apart and distanced them.

It's just that it doesn't mean that they did something wrong, and Franc Audio Accessories ones did something better - it was just a different interpretation, of the same class, but different. The more so that I still heard what I talked about at the beginning, that The One presented clearer and purer treble. That is why the reverbs, details, subtleties etc. were shown with them more accurately and clearly, in a more unambiguous way.

In part this presentation is built by the way the bass is presented. With the tested feet it is precise, accurate and clear. The reference feet, just like the Finite Elemente ones, show it in a slightly - but not so much - different way. There is no the same level of saturation with The One, we will not get it. We will however get a better focused, clearer, simply - cleaner sound.

All this worked well with high-end recordings and the best releases. But most music lovers do not deal only with this type. Strong and clean treble, distinct upper midrange - this is often a straight path to hell, hell of harshness or brightness. Although I did not feel like The One exaggerated with anything, but for the peace of mind I listened to two albums that would quickly reveal such issues: Rihanna's Anti and Fragile by Yes.

And indeed – the sound was more open with these feet. But also in no way exaggerated. I will say more - for these discs Audio Stability feet slightly better focused the high tones and midrange. Where Ceramic Disc Classic, i.e. the reference feet, were slightly withdrawn, i.e. in the upper midrange, The One saturated the sound without brightening it. The sound was more accurate and precise with them. Yes, the reference feet also in this case offer a more massive and saturated sound. But that is the beauty of this industry – it offers us choices.

| X-Disc

I could try the X-Discs either under the whole speaker stands, then I would have had an aluminum from the top and wood from below, or under the speakers and then the wood would be at the top and the aluminum would be at the bottom. I chose the latter solution because I wanted to listen to the Audio Stability products and the Acoustic Revive quartz discs I have been using for many years. This comparison turned out to be extremely interesting.

The sound with the tested feet remained on the warm side of the power. Maybe not so much warm, but rather thick and dark. It was still tangible and presented close to me with high dynamics. However, the change was big enough that my perception of the whole changed. And although both stages of the listening sessions were equally satisfying for me, at the same time I knew that the X-Disc feet are simply a better solution. Not perfect, but better.

The presentation has changed primarily in terms of the center of gravity of the sound. The bass was no longer as fat, as with quartz. Similarly to other hi-tech feet, for example the Divine Acoustics Kepler, the tested feet shortened the low tones and slightly distanced them from me. But they did not brighten them or reduce their saturation. It was still pleasant, powerful presentation, which was clearly demonstrated by the double bass opening the Use Me track from the Patricia Barber's Companion, and then the kick drum from the first track on the Takeshi Inomata's Dialogue. It was a deep, extremely dynamic performance I was used to.

But I could also hear that the low range, as a whole, was slightly lighter. In absolute terms it was excellent, many a system would be very happy (along with its owner) if it got something like that. Although the Acoustic Revive discs offer even more meaty sound. It's just that it's not necessarily a good thing. In some systems and for some listeners the abundance of the Acoustic Revive will be better, and for others a more moderate approach of the Audio Stability will be a preferred choice. And for me? - To be honest, I am not sure, both types of presentation were excellent.

The range extreme turned out to be even more interesting. The X-Dics are incredibly resolving. But it is not a “punishing” factor, but a “seeking” one - you can hear more, but it doesn't make the recordings sound worse. With the new feet the Harbeths simply delivered a better treble. There was more information about timbre, dynamics and performance style. The sound with them is sweeter and more detailed. So I listened to the Rihanna's Anti album with interest.

These are recordings made entirely in the Pro Tools environment, where only the voices are “living” elements - that is, it is a classic recording of pop music of the 21st century. I think it is a great production and intelligent music, based on the construction of the opening song. It is based on a warm, soft bass and a strong, rhythmic sound that can be interpreted as snare drums and cymbals. However, their sound was passed through the limiter, because they quickly start and go out immediately, as well as through the high and low pass filters, because only the upper midrange is heard. They are also fully compressed.

And it is this percussive element that can be perceived as harsh and attacking, as long as the system does not control the upper midrange properly. I didn't have a problem with it while using the Acoustic Revive quartz discs but the Audio Stability feet did even better job at smoothing out the sound attack, although the whole thing was even more open - impressive!

| SUMMARY

The feet I presented to you are an example of high-class engineering. This type of product is usually called hi-tech and in the case of The One and X-Disc it fits perfectly. But it is also a product prepared by a man who not only measures the results but also listens to them which allows him to make audiophile products. The combination of these two worlds resulted in extremely interesting products.

These are top-quality anti-vibration feet. Their sound is dense, resolving and dynamic. They do not show equally dense and saturated bass, they also do not offer as tangible, "here and now" sound as the Franc Audio Accessories feet and like Acoustic Revive quartz discs. But they also don't shorten it or make it brighter - it's just a different perspective to look at music. The treble is clean and detailed with them, but also has a silky, sweet sound. The whole presentation is slightly more withdrawn than with reference feet and is not so tangible. But in many systems and for many music lovers THIS sound that will be more neutral and better. Bravo! ■