This is my second review of the WELLFLOAT devices. This review follows on from my original review of WELLFLOAT Babel, a highly unique mechanical decoupling device from Japan.
The WELLFLOAT Babel Base is a complement to Babel and was designed specifically for use with Babel. The Double 4548 is a standalone platform that uses similar technology but works independently.
The Story
G CLEF Acoustics was founded in Osaka in 1978. For over 40 years, G-Clef’s main business has been the support and development of systems for professional mixing consoles and recording equipment such as SSL, Studer, etc. Customers include concert halls, TV broadcasting companies, local governments, research institutes, universities, and other large companies in Japan.
The original idea of the pendulum in WELLFLOAT goes back to the childhood of chief designer Ryoji Nagata. Based on his 40 years of experience with G CLEF, WELLFLOAT was developed to bring this innovation to the high-end audio market.
The WELLFLOAT Delta Inserts/Insulators for Piano, Cello, and Bass Insert Delta Insulators are already being used not only in professional studios but also in concerts.
The WELLFLOAT devices were developed by Ryoji Nagata of Wellfloat and designed by none other than Shiro Nakamura. Babel works at the molecular level (measured at the nanoscale) and is concerned with the elimination of mechanical vibrations.
Mr. Shiro Nakamura
Mr. Shiro Nakamura, a world-renowned car designer who has created numerous masterpieces at Isuzu Motors and Nissan Motors, such as the GT-R and Fairlady Z, also knows a thing or two about music, as he is an amateur jazz bassist and plays classical cello. And since he regularly uses WELLFLOAT for instruments, he decided to develop Babel as the ultimate, world’s best isolation device.
Babel Base
The Babel Base is an exclusive additional board for WELLFLOAT Babel.
The WELLFLOAT Babel Base is made of stainless steel and aluminum and can be used with a variety of audio devices with a flat bottom, special feet, or even spikes.
It enables the precise positioning of Babel in the exact center of gravity with the help of the easily movable mechanism below the main top plate and the push-pull gauge supplied that helps to set the optimal center of gravity and evenly distributed mass.
The video shows how it is done. It takes some time to achieve the desired result, but the process is straightforward.
Double 4548
Double 4548 consists of eight small WELLFLOAT mechanisms (4 x 2 layers). Like Babel, it is made of a combination of stainless steel and aluminum, has a load capacity of 200 kg (static load) and weighs only 10.8 kg.
The multi-level pendulum structure developed for the WELLFLOAT Babel is used for board isolators and it has been designed from the ground up to suppress sound distortion to the extreme. The unique four-link, two-layer WELLFLOAT mechanism achieves the square effect of the single-stage pendulum!
The “multi-stage pendulum (2 layers)”, which is also used for gravity wave detection, is characterized by excellent vibration suppression.
For example, a typical multi-stage pendulum with the resonant frequency f₀ has a damping characteristic of H(f)~(f₀/f ) 2 x n power, while the Wellfloat Double has a damping characteristic at f₀ =3Hz, at f = 300 Hz, two stages theoretically have an isolation ratio of the eighth power of 10.
Understanding the multilevel pendulum
When we talk about the multilevel pendulum, we’re talking about how vibrations affect the sound quality of audio equipment. Imagine a pendulum swinging back and forth. When it swings at a certain speed, called the resonant frequency, it can effectively cancel out vibrations. The higher the “Q” factor, which indicates how well something swings, and the more steps the pendulum has (represented by “n”), the better it cancels out the vibrations.
For example, consider a pendulum with two levels. If you apply a certain equation and its resonant frequency is 300 Hz, it can reduce oscillations by a factor of 1/100 to the power of four.
Put simply, if a loudspeaker produces a 300 Hz tone at a volume of -60 dB, the vibration level is reduced by 80 dB, making it much quieter. This vibration reduction is crucial for maintaining sound quality, especially with analog devices such as turntables and tube amplifiers.
When we talk about vibrations in electronic devices such as computers, we also need to consider how electrons move. Electrical devices work based on the movement of electrons, which can generate heat. In reality, however, the electrons move in the opposite direction of the current flow. This movement, especially in digital devices, can cause interference that affects sound quality.
Electrons need to be prevented from being affected by vibrations. This is where the multilevel pendulum comes in. By isolating electronic components from vibrations, it can be ensured that the electrons move freely and the sound reproduction remains clear.
The chasis of electronic devices such as computers is made up of molecules that contain both positive protons and negative electrons. When electrons move through these molecules, they can be hindered by vibrations, which affects the performance of the device.
Digital devices in particular rely on error correction circuits to ensure accurate calculations and good sound reproduction. However, the process of error correction can lead to delays and fluctuations in power consumption, further affecting sound quality.
Finally, vibrations in electronic devices can affect sound quality by creating jitter noise that affects both digital and analog circuits. To mitigate this, it’s important to minimize the vibrations with techniques such as multilevel pendulum so that the sound reproduction remains faithful and clear.
The Music
Babel Base and Double 4548 from WELLFLOAT have swiftly proven their effectiveness with a range of music genres and reference albums, showing distinct and very different behavior from similar solutions. While some boards and footers aim to control dynamics while minimizing side effects, Babel Base and Double 4548 are characterized by their firm grip on stability without exhibiting any noticeable idiosyncrasies.
As always, here are some reference tracks pinpointing the virtues and qualities of the WELLFLOAT Babel Base and Double 4548.
Tchaikovsky, Sibelius: Violin Concertos by Lisa Batiashvili / Daniel Barenboim
Batiashvili’s ecstatic and spirited renditions of Tchaikovsky and Sibelius can too easily be sucked dry, as some platforms and similar decoupling solutions prove.
By default, it’s not exactly easy to deal with different kinds of interacting non-linearities, and a lot of racks, baseboards, and audio boards tend to distort the basic narration of the music.
When occurrences are not of a balanced nature it does not just alter Batiashvili’s formidable technique, which was excellently captured by Deutsche Grammophon’s engineers at the Funkhaus Natepastraße in Berlin. It alters the very course of the music, shifting the energy and contorting the tone and harmonic structure.
Again, going upstream, against the odds and expectations, both WELLFLOAT Babel Base and Double 4548 have exemplified that when everything is adequately researched and designed, reproduction is not merely about putting the pieces of the music together but presenting a musically correct harmonious whole. Regardless of the musical impulses, the listener is treated with a thoroughly balanced reproduction amidst the micro and macro changes.
African Jazz Standards Monday’s Jazz Quintet
The greatest thing about implementing the proof of concept is making unwanted things disappear. With some high-end accessories, this is closely associated with an unwanted zing-like lingering effect, but with the WELLFLOAT Babel Base and Double 4548, the positive outcome is inconceivable and yet present.
“Pata Pata” by Monday’s Jazz Quintet African Jazz Standards can create a sort of speak gravitational collapse on many levels, not only for active components but also for passively supporting paraphernalia, which all too often causes disenchantment from the music itself.
Babel Base and Double 4548, WELLFLOAT need not deceive the listener into faux pleasing modes. With its proprietary multi-band pendant control, sound and music do not hit the wall with the usual problems of transient disbandment and higher energy level loss, but engage the listener in a captivating sonic adventure.
I was very surprised at how Babel Base and Double 4548 managed to preserve the musical energy at any time and positively affect the relationships between the instruments without getting into the realm of vapid entertainment.
When it comes to high-end audio accessories’ potency of assisting the music to come at forte, we’re not talking about dispersing and dissecting different segments of the music. When such phenomena occur, it feels like parts of the music have been scattered and forcibly reassembled. In contrast, well-designed high-end accessories like WELLFLOAT Babel Base and Double 4548 work seamlessly and completely when it comes to music delivery letting the transients work transparently, strictly following the micro/macroscopic time domain changes with an impressive crest factor that along with their under-the-radar-underpinning operational momentum erases sonic artifacts.
We Are The Way For The Cosmos To Know Itself – Sky
This interesting and intricate electronic track tends to be brittle when something is unbalanced in the setup. And there are many points with any of the components where it can go wrong.
WELLFLOAT Babel Base and Double 4548 work inside the sound and the music, delivering better transparency, lightning-fast tracking of the smallest differences, and working hand in hand with the micro- and macro dynamics of the signal, rather than working against the dynamism as too many similar products do.
Both WELLFLOAT devices are extremely refined in the time domain, without overlaying the short duration of peaks or stringing certain frequencies together.
With active electronics placed on the Babel Base with Babel and Double 4548, the structure of space and time manifests itself with a newfound integrity that allows each device to better follow the musical narrative and not shake its core or nibble away at the overall signal.
With both WELLFLOAT” devices (varying proportionality) there is an immediate and obvious increase in sonic sphere depth and width and a natural enhancement across the entire frequency spectrum in a parallel manner.
While some audio footers and turntables can skim some of the signal or music, this is immediately apparent with the seemingly simple but intriguingly sublime “Sky”, Babel Base, and Double 4548 never going against the grain.
By doing what I do, a numerous evaluations and reviews for a long, long time one can lapse into a jaded state of mind, but products like WELLFLOAT encourage me to continue my escapade of high-end audio curiosity, which more often than not requires an open mind to penetrate deeper realms.
But deriving so much more out of tracks like “Sky” with products like WELLFLOAT Babel Base and Double 4548 is more than worthy of the perpetual engagement resulting in an utterly rewarding reinventing of the mindset.
The conclusion
In summary, you will notice that there are a lot of similarities between WELLFLOAT Babel Base and Double 4548 compared to Babel. Nevertheless, they were designed by the same designer.
From the ground up the WELLFLOAT devices operate differently than what’s out there and it goes hand in hand with the way they interact with the high-end audio components.
During the long testing period, I tried both devices (Babel Base paired with Babel of course) with numerous high-end audio products.
As you would expect, the results varied in degree, but there were recognizable common positive performance shifts with the repeated sonic benefits. Only the extent varied, and this is closely related to the way the various electronic components, their chassis, and their internal parts are constructed.
WELLFLOAT Babel Base and Double 4548 are undoubtedly the result of laser-like determination and focus to create something supremely potent from the ground up by expertly avoiding various mechanical hubris, mechanical stress, and hysteria, as well as many other underlying physical anomalies.
Affected by micro and macro vibrations, which can either emanate from the devices, are transmitted through the floor, or come from the air, the electronic components can quickly become unbalanced and fall victim to sonic porosity.
Like the original Babel device, Babel Base and Double 4548 deal with all these unwanted phenomena in specific, but highly effective ways and raise the bar of music reproduction to a higher level.
The inner workings of Babel Base and Double 4548 mirror the automatic anti-shake mechanism found in professional lab equipment, but unlike many such solutions, WELLFLOAT operates fully in the mechanical realm. This of course leads to completely different results than something that is actively controlled digitally and it shows from the very first notes played.
As with the original Babel, the result is a newfound tonal balance that embraces real-world attributes, more lifelike dynamics, and, not surprisingly, a natural balancing of the trinity of timbre, tone, and color.
The unique compliance of the WELLFLOAT with the components used allows the music to emerge from the deep blackness and offers a noticeable gain in spatiality.
There are countless high-end audio feet and damping/decoupling products that can vary in their usefulness. Generally, the sound is pushed to one of two extremes.
Oppositley both Babel Base and Double 4548 work skillfully without diminishing the musical power or changing its energetic direction. WELLFLOAT devices do not devitalize the essentials, as they manage to evenly allocate and fade out the negative effects of the unevenly distributed mass of the components positioned on both of the boards.
As with Babel, the Babel Base and Double 4548 simply remove the various layers of blurring and as with focal lenses concentrate on the raw music energy due to a higher density of focal points that allow for far better focus, a recreation of acoustic spaces, and a greater degree of horizontal and vertical acoustic width, depth, and expanse.
The phenomenon of dealing with micro-resonances and various micro and macro forces that push electronic components out of their intended optimum point is an extremely complicated subject that many designers look at from their angle. The WELLFLOAT impresses with its approach to this topic and goes beyond the typical handling of damping and stiffness.
Thanks to the initial design directions of Babel Base and Double 4548 and the way they are structured, there is no friction to cause wear and tear, making them an investment that will last and function for years without the need for constant maintenance.
It’s rare that when form follows function potently, yet WELLFLOAT devices look substantial yet feel elegant and refined, a mechanical art object that is solitary and stylish even without its functionality actively engaged.
WELLFLOAT Babel BASE and Double 4548 elegantly combine these two apparent opposites.
As I have mentioned so many times before, I have a soft spot for mechanical devices that are stripped of anything unnecessary but still retain their independence in early twentieth-century industrial minimalism.
WELLFLOAT Babel BASE and Double 4548 reflect this with a unique aura and a variety of mechanical principles that immediately materialize their potency in music reproduction and do not impart the inevitable artifacts that can occur with some even more expensive devices.
All this is due to combined in-sync mechanisms that control and regulate the underlying vibrational and subtle motion sequences with incredible precision.
WELLFLOAT Babel Base and Double 4548 derive from the same DNA and deliver matching results, but of course, the Babel Base must be paired with the Babel, and the latter duo is considerably more expensive than the Double 4548. With the Double 4548 you are inundated in the world of WELLFLOAT without sacrificing any of the essentials that make these Japanese passive devices so special, but the Babel double-decker represents the pinnacle of performance.
For what they represent technically, creatively, and sonically, I wholeheartedly award the WELLFLOAT Babel BASE in conjunction with Babel the 2024 Mono & Stereo Editors Choice Award and the Double 4548 Mono & Stereo 2024 Upper Echelon Class Product Award. ❖
Price
- WELLFLOAT Babel Base USD2,600.00 (without VAT)
- WELLFLOAT Double USD3,200.00 (without VAT)
Specifications
WELLFLOAT Babel Base
- Design: Adjustable center of gravity
- Materials: Stainless steel, aluminium
- Dimensions: 480mm X 450mm X 15mm
- Weight: 6.8kg
- Accessories: Push-pull gauge, Positioning template
WELLFLOAT Double
- Design: Builtin 8 small Wellfloat mechanisms (4 x 2 layers)
- Material: Stainless steel, aluminum
- Load capacity: 200 kg (static load)
- Dimensions: 480mm X 450mm X 44mm
- Weight: 10.8 kg
Contact
G CLEF ACOUSTIC Ltd.
Postcode 563-0023
1-10-19, Iguchido,
Ikeda-shi, Osaka,
Japan
Web: wellfloat-global.com
Email: Link