Here’s another review of a component that’s not part of the usual arsenal of high-end audio products. The Stacore Basic platform opens up an interesting consideration and a deeper lurking into the realms of dealing with unwanted resonances and vibrations.
As you can read throughout the review, the choice of materials and mechanical solutions brings some newfound qualities and inspiring shifts in performance that I certainly wouldn’t have expected.
STACORE
Founded in 2015, the name Stacore comes from STABILITY and CORE.
Stacore is a small company from Gdańsk, Poland that designs and manufactures advanced vibration damping products for audio systems. Their story began when Jarek, a theoretical physicist working on quantum theory moved his system into an attic apartment in Gdańsk and had to deal with unstable, sagging floors.
When he dropped the needle on his EMT930, he quickly realized that he would either find a complex solution to isolate the structural vibrations, or he would also have to deal with the daily life of his neighbors.
After long months of research and some experimentation, he constructed a 500kg+ rack with two independent pneumatic suspensions loaded with an acoustically inert Italian slate. The results obtained prove so good that the idea of a more mobile platform combining the slate and the pneumatics was born.
At that moment he meets Bogdan, a co-owner of a small machine shop with great experience in machining and organizing production, mainly for the marine industry.
By joining forces, they create the first prototype – a damped slate platform with a single-stage pneumatic decoupler.
A series of listening tests in different systems gave such promising results that they decided to commercialize the idea and develop the design further.
STACORE – is also a fusion of the surnames Bogdan STASIAK and Jarek KORBICZ.
BASIC PLATFORM
There are many products in the Stacore product line. The most affordable (introductory range) are CLD footrests and the Intro platform (simple, rigid CLD construction).
The Intermediate-range consists of the Roller platform.
The top range includes the Basic, Basic+, and Advanced platforms, and the ultra-top product range is the Stacore Rack systems.
Stacore Ultra-Top shelving systems have a special unique construction using solid steel plates and a leg-in leg structure, resulting in CLD damping in the legs.
Stacore Basic is a high-end anti-vibration pneumatic platform for a variety of audio applications; the simple but highly efficient model that introduces the unique Stacore technology: A combination of an acoustically dampened Italian slate enclosure (the entire enclosure is stone, except for the control panel) and a pneumatic suspension system that uses laboratory and industrial-grade air cushions.
On one side panel are three control valves, a pressure gauge, and a car wheel valve that allow for easy air inflation with an ordinary car pump, pressure control, and platform leveling.
The high-quality Italian slate used in Stacore structures is well known and appreciated, not only in the audio field, for its excellent vibration damping properties.
Stacore Basic is additionally acoustically damped by using Constrained Layer Damping (CLD), which provides the necessary mass for the pneumatics to work optimally without the pronounced inherent resonances of steel structures.
Each platform is handcrafted and the stone is meticulously finished, giving the platform an excellent, raised appearance.
“The sonic effect of the platform under each component of the audio chain is probably most comparable to removing earplugs or cleaning a dusty window. It allows you to better enjoy the sound of the audio system and the audio material being played.”
Each platform is packaged in a deluxe flight case with foam insert to ensure safe transport.
THE SLATE!?
Why?
Slate – a natural metamorphic rock with a fine, foliated structure is the main construction material of Stacore anti-vibration platforms.
It has unique damping properties due to a combination of high mass, softness, and a fine layered structure. The layered structure, unlike the crystalline structure of granite efficiently dissipates vibration energy through layer-to-layer friction.
The sonic benefits of slate have been known for many years. However, there is no ideal material in nature and even slate has its own “sound”. signature.
Stacore has enhanced the natural dampening properties of slate with their proprietary Constrained Layer Damping (CLD) technology.
This creates a sonically transparent, high-mass combination. The bodies of Stacore platforms are FULLY made from CLD damped slate.
No corners are cut, all you see when you look at Stacore platforms is the stone. Everywhere except for the control panels on the pneumatic platforms.
Stacore imports by themselves a high-quality, homogeneous slate directly from Italy. It is the softest and best for sound, but difficult to work with if high aesthetics are the goal.
The entire construction of the Stacore body must be done by hand, as there is no way to automate this process.
The painstaking work is commissioned through the local stone masters with years of experience.
What follows after a body or slab is finished is a thorough high-pressure cleaning, drying, and several rounds of impregnation with natural oils.
This is also done by hand and takes up to 12h. The whole production is a costly and time-consuming process.
Stacore could have used cheaper and easier to work with materials like steel or aluminum, as some of their competitors do, but they want to create what they believe is the best audio anti-vibration solution ever, without cutting corners or taking shortcuts.
OPERATIONAL
Stacore Basic is sort of a one-piece construction consisting of the slate, supportive chassis structure, and the pneumatic parts and pressure tanks. It’s basically the air floating platform with three separate air pressure chambers that can be adjusted individually.
The operation is straightforward and the installation does not require much time, but due to the heavyweight, it is highly recommended that the installation is done by two strong adults.
After unpacking, the desired component should be placed on the platform. The optimal position should be based on the center of gravity of the unit aligned just above the center of the platform. This is not possible for all components and is not essential for the Basic to function properly.
Next, the component should be placed on the platform. And the lifting procedure can be applied. The test platform was supplied with the car-tire air pump. In general, any pump that can output pressure of 5 bar is suitable.
While the air is supplied from the pump, all three switches must be in their upper position, so that the air can fill the three pressure vessels.
When the desired pressure (never over 5 bar) is reached and the centered height is between 3mm and 10mm (0.1″-0.4″), all switches must be pulled down immediately to prevent air from escaping from the air chambers. Note that if the Basic platform with the load cannot be raised without exceeding the maximum pressure of 5 bar, the component is too heavy and is over the maximum allowable load.
The last step is to reach the straight horizontal plane. For this, the left side must be pumped to a higher pressure than the other two. To do this, the middle and right switches must be in the down position and the left switch must be left on to raise the platform evenly. The pressure gauge will show a slightly higher pressure, but that is normal. The desired goal is to raise the platform evenly.
At any time, the pressure of each chamber can be released via the release button, which also allows the tanks to be completely emptied for transport.
After a while, the manometer reading will gradually drop to zero with the switches closed (pulled down). This is normal and does not affect the performance of the platform.
No special maintenance is required with Stacore Basic, apart from an occasional (about once in 1.5-2 months) air pressure check and correction to compensate for the inevitable micro-leaks (when one of the platform corners drops below about 3 mm).
The optimum platform height for the vast majority of devices is 3-5 mm. This represents the best compromise between the sonic performance and the need for frequent pressure corrections.
The maximum load capacity of the platform Stacore Basic is 65kg (145 lbs). For anything heavier, the Basic+ platform will do, as it can be loaded up to 160 kg.
THE MUSIC
Guthrie Govan Guitar playing is certainly underrated and unfortunately, many music lovers do not even know this guitar maestro. In any case, this is a great track to dwell deeper into the complex universe of overtone stacking and vibrant, soulful magic of guitar playing.
With the Stacore Basic platform, it was more than interesting to observe what happens with Basic in action. Stacore Basic somehow managed to prod the listening experience into very unusual realms, forcing me to pay attention to newly-found details while enjoying Govan’s mastery in a very special and engaging way.
Not only did the dots quickly connect with the Stacore Basic platform. To fully grasp and appreciate Govan’s fervent performance requires a certain level of system and nonetheless component potency. Stacore Basic allowed the sound clusters to resound as a harmonious whole rather than an analytical, chaotic interplay, that can be too often associated with many of the high-end audio racks or supportive platforms.
This was also confirmed on the Vox Cosmica album by Hirundo Maris (Hildegard von Bingen).
Vox Cosmica was reproduced with remarkable certitude and tonal texture, which was far more contrasting than usual. Something monumental was also happening in the micro-timing department. Vox Cosmica sounded less like a random chance event, and more like actual music with a higher array of voleys.
Certainly, something I didn’t expect and wouldn’t associate with a platform like Stacore Basic.
But that’s not all. Stacore Basic also allowed for realistic collisions of decays and delays, which allowed for the formation of an interesting locus of reality with far more shading and anchor points than usual.
Michael Frank’s One Bad Habit is a musical and sonic marvel in its own right. It’s one of those studio albums that I never felt needed a particular sonic morph to sound better. It’s great in both the digital and analog realms. While the whole album sounds great on a non-high-end system, you can enjoy so much more with a properly tuned, balanced high-end, high-end audio system.
If the system equilibrium is not there, One Bad Habit can sound flat and shallow too quickly. This is especially notable on “Still Life,” where the track unleashes its hidden complexity and utterly demanding a lower register from the get-go.
Recorded and mixed by none other than the legendary Al Schmitt, the airy harmonies of “Still Life” glistens with a unique stand-out quality.
Stacore-Basic platform that allowed not only “Still Life” to unwind beautify, but the entire One Bad Habit album was amply unfolded without the cacophony phenomenon associated with even some more expensive, similar products. An attribute that alone is worthy of praise.
So what sonic virtues exactly can be associated with the Stacore Basic platform. As you could read above, many positive attributes targeting some very special, non-ordinary qualities. Even some unexpected, newly found sonic gems!
No high-end audio is completely solidified sonically. No matter how well built, tuned, and supposedly resonance-free the chassis is, everything is subject to the hubris of resonance and micro-vibration to some degree and this is where Stacore Basic comes in with its momentum.
Stacore Basic significantly alters the perception with its ability to address timbre, tone, and color to the depths of musical reality in the most unique way, outflanking many or most platforms I’ve had the opportunity to try over the years.
No doubt poorly designed audio products tend to fatigue the listener. In contrast, the Stacore Basic platform delivers and embraces an equipoise of qualities no matter what genre of music is being played.
Of course, the difference changes from component to component, but the most important thing is that the Stacore platform does not modify the primary qualities of each device. On the contrary, it functions in a complementary manner, with more than notable positive alterations in performance.
CONCLUSION
Things can be simple, but not simpler! That’s exactly how I feel about the Stacore Basic platform.
What looks like a straightforward, simple device is certainly not a product that was rushed or quickly assembled just to get it to market. It’s a well-designed and executed mature product, that delivers on its promises.
For something to work properly and with longevity in mind, there are many factors to consider. Taking a product from initial idea to finished product takes a lot more effort than is commonly imagined and the Stacore Basic platform was designed from the ground up to work optimally with sensitive components in the audio chain: Turntables, CD transports, music servers, DACs, phono preamplifiers, etc. Think of it as a lab-quality product that helps bring out the best in products.
Like it or not, even in an acoustically well-treated listening room, we are still bombarded by a variety of forces from the air (coming from speakers) and energies traveling through the floor, components, racks. These undoubtedly affect the inner core of the equipment.
Resonant behavior is affixed and afflicted down to the component level, and a few high-end audio designers have not only stated this but practically demonstrated (measured) it. As with many things in high-end audio that are questioned and ignored to the nth degree by naysayers, the other industries have long since accepted and implemented these facts practically with impressive results.
No vibrations and resonances act as impartial forces. They come in different varieties and our whole being responds to them. This can be experienced as fatigue, as they deal directly with our inner mechanisms, which react to the smallest fractions of time.
Our whole body is a sensory recording instrument that receives the nerve-triggering data through the joints, the bones, and even the eyes and transmits it to the respective areas of the brain.
Our deciphering mechanisms depend on the arrival times and how we are affected by them. Of course, this is one of the important, but constitutional attributes that affect our aural perception.
High-end audio devices and platforms can be seen in at least two different ways, namely in the way they are used. Some music lovers and audiophiles start their journey with racks when first planning their system. Others go the other way and start looking at racks and support systems later when most of the system equipment has already been purchased.
The fact is that properly designed high-end audio racks and supporting systems, platforms, etc. can help overall reproduction to escape sounding like a snide presentation.
Starting with mediocre designed component chassis can blur the acoustic presentation in a number of ways, introducing unwanted distractions in a certain way that doesn’t allow the sound to showcase its virtues transparently enough.
On contrary, the Stacore Basic platform brought positive repetition across different devices, with the same or very similar positive result, with strong incentives to listen to more music and discover newfound subtleties.
There’s something in analog-related high-end audio products and paraphernalia that properly handles timing and latency change. Without getting abstract, it doesn’t make sense to project augmented reality. The goal is to achieve a certain level of quality where it’s all about realism, better timing, more life contour, and more convincing believability.
And the Stacore Basic platform is a great “vessel” to achieve this. Basic’s raison d’être is to work in these areas.
Have no doubt. The Stacore Basic platform is far from the usual audio tweaks that may or may not provide some performance boost. Stacore Basic is a full-fledged high-end audio product that could easily find its place outside the high-end audio realms in research labs of various industries (perhaps it already has).
There is something fundamentally right about the platform Stacore Basic! The Basic platform is one of those products that have triggered a certain feeling and intuition about when seeing and hearing it at various events over the past few years. I’m more than glad I followed the inner hunch and accepted the review sample.
Stacore Basic is the first product in the Stacore range of top-shelf pneumatic platforms. It’s still not exactly cheap, but it’s also not super expensive compared to the many similar or related high-end audio products.
Although it is an initial product in the Stacore pneumatic platform lineup, it is a full-fledged Stacore platform that uses the same/similar principles and materials as its bigger brothers.
It just can’t take more than a 65kg load and doesn’t have an additional hover platform like the Advanced version, nor the specially designed ball bearings hardened stainless steel and Tungsten Carbide. But even at this level, the sonic benefits across different devices are impressive.
It was designed from the ground up to provide salubrious sonic assistance to any electronic device. There’s a reason similar platforms are used in different labs in different industries, where they try to suppress resonance and vibration as best they can. Or deal with the inherent mechanical noise of various apparatus.
Close by and in proximity, with the Stacore Basic platform in action, the music feels more authentic without undermining the music for what it is, but rather resonating with it in a more coherent and in-tune. It’s rather complimentary than diminishing with different products virtues.
For what it continuously represented sonic-wise across different devices, I am happy to award Stacore Basic platform 2021 Mono and Stereo the highly recommended product” award. ⧉
Matej Isak
PRICE
- MSRP 3990 EUR incl. 23% VAT
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- The dimensions: 580 (L) x 480 (W) x 108 (H) [mm]
- Netto weight: 62kg
- Max load: 65kg
- Larger custom sizes available on a special request
CONTACT
- Jarek [EN, PL]: +48 660 156 173
- Bogdan [PL]: +48 505 227 448