For one, they’re much cheaper. Our profit margin is fair in the real world; it’s tiny by the standards of high-end audio. More importantly, they’re designed far better than anything else out there. Please read the ‘vibration and audio’ whitepaper if you’re interested on exactly why that is.
Sorbothane is designed to last for millions of cycles of compression, and to be stable in just about any environment. As long as you don’t exceed the recommended load, they should last for years.
The damping efficiency will go up to a certain point, and they’ll work better. If you compress them too much, they’ll become rigid and efficiency will drop off. This will come at the cost of life though, as the maximum sustained strain is 20% and if you ‘squish’ them any more than that creep will cause them to fail. In other words, it’s best not to go outside the recommended weight range. If it looks like the Pandafeet are being compressed by more than 20% under your component, then you need to switch to firmer ones.
In general, anything with moving parts: cd players, turntables, etc. External DACs are also very sensitive to vibration, and even amps and preamps will have less background noise if they’re kept as motionless as possible.
I’ve heard the same thing, although I’ve yet to see it. I have seen Sorbothane leave a film on metal surfaces, but it’s pretty easy to wash off. If you’re worried about damaging whatever the Pandafeet are going to be resting on, the easiest way to prevent it from happening is by putting a small piece of plastic wrap from the kitchen underneath them.
Sorbothane mounts always need to be designed for specific situations, as resonant frequency will be a function of the cross-section, thickness and durometer used (i.e. hardness) as well as the load applied. This means that using Sorbothane haphazardly can certainly cause negative effects you weren’t planning on – namely a resonant frequency that’s in the range of the vibrations you’re trying to damp or isolate. For more information on this and how the Pandafeet were designed, please read the ‘vibration and audio’ whitepaper on this site, or read the Sorbothane design guide. If you’re still nervous about this, remember that all of our products are sold with a risk-free money back guarantee.
Sorbothane is engineered to operate at optimum performance at temperatures up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Damping will be reduced between 160 and 200 degrees, and use at temperatures above that is not recommended. As a general rule, if your amp is hot enough to burn you then it’s too hot to put Pandafeet under. Otherwise, there shouldn’t be a problem.
Sure. It’s not really the best way to go, however, as they’re simply too thick to serve well in this application. Not to mention the fact that speakers sitting on Pandafeet are not going to be very stable. Sonically you can get similar results from much thinner pads, which you can cut out of sheets available at places like McMaster-Carr. It’ll take a little effort to work out the right size to use, but it’s well worth it in the end. If you’re using blue tac, get ready for a very cheap but profound improvement. Feel free to email us with any questions about this application; we’ll gladly point you in the right direction as to where to start.
Absolutely. Remember, any roller/ball style device will only isolate your components from vibration in the horizontal plane… and that’s only a small part of what’s going on. It’s always a good idea to experiment, use the Pandafeet on their own and with whatever else you have available (inner tubes, granite plates, cutting boards, cones, etc.). Just make sure they’re always directly under the component, because that’s where they’ll be most effective. And, if you don’t like them for any reason, by all means send them back for a full refund.