Subbase & Piega

Dear readers,
Dear friends of music enjoyment,

I would like to share my experiences with Thomas Schlipper himself and his Subbase Audio products here. I came across Subbase Audio while browsing the Internet for floor plates for my loudspeakers. After browsing through the website for a short time, I was very impressed by the described concept and philosophy of Subbase Audio and was immediately able to identify with it. For example, I wrote to Thomas Schlipper without obligation and got advice on which products made the most sense to get started with the concept.

After several e-mail contacts and the first telephone conversation, I have to say one thing in advance: the time that Thomas Schlipper has taken for me to introduce me to his products and to answer my questions is really remarkable. You quickly realize that the focus is not on commercial advice, but on a satisfied customer with, if it happens, a sustainable and long-lasting product from him at their side. After a few weeks, it was time. The first products have arrived at home. I have decided to clean up the path from “behind”. In other words, to optimize the places where the signal is the last in the playback chain subject to faults and is influenced.

Specifically in terms of products, this meant: Echo LS base plate for the loudspeakers, Ebony LS coupling feet to them and the Ponts as a bridge for the loudspeaker cable. When unpacking the packages, add one immediately. Absolute perfection in terms of workmanship and feel of the products. The design follows a line and speaks for itself. Thomas Schlipper had previously set the bar very high. He spoke of immense improvements in the sound of the floor plates. Logically, skepticism increased with the predicted improvements. Thomas recommended that a”gradual improvement” to make it possible to build up the purchased products bit by bit. First, I placed the Echo LS floor plates under the speakers. The first track was playing and I realized that the result did not meet my expectations and only slightly changed the sound. A bit of disappointment spread through me. I waited and listened to two more songs. After about ten minutes, however, I noticed how something in the sound was changing. The bass became deeper and more controlled, the instruments became clearer and more precise. There was another effect that I hadn't heard before. This “value” is very well known in the TV sector. It's about the so-called black level. In terms of sound, this corresponded to a less noisy sound and a certain calmness in the songs. My emotions immediately changed and a grin spread across my face. Over the course of the first hour, you could hear significant improvements. Thomas also made it clear before the purchase that the sound would change again within a week. After setting up the Echo LS, the Ebony LS feet were placed between the speaker floor and the Echo LS. Physically, a tripod setup was recommended here, which is inherently more vibration-resistant. The ebony LS made of ebony wood was so perfectly processed that they even “sucked” into the bottom of the plates. The aim here was to achieve a certain coupling that brings a certain honesty back to the music. Many hi-fi enthusiasts use granite slabs without any kind of feet and forget the appropriate coupling. With this coupling principle, let us remember the third Newtonian axiom (actio = reaction). In terms of sound, the Ebonys are easy to understand and take a further step towards “truer” music enjoyment. With the ebony feet, the music becomes even more grippy, airy and spatial. In the end, the Ponts were added. This type of insulation of the cable from the ground is phenomenal. Once again, an astonishing result. The music stands out from the ground, becomes more solved, many of these descriptions of this kind apply here. Of course, everyone has a different ear, but with two other audiophile friends, this phenomenon was confirmed. But the most serious thing is: I had already used cable bridges (other materials) before, as the effect itself was not new to me. The improvements to my old cable bridges have doubled with the ebony ponts! I didn't think that was possible! After a week, as predicted by Thomas, the sound is finally snapped in again. This is due to the dimensions of the speakers and the “setting” of the material build up in the Echo LS. It is actually not possible to say exactly where and how something has changed again. It is more about looking at the whole picture and the significant gain in feelings during playback.

Really impressive!

JP St.