Top surface:

Granite is formed by a natural process involving intense heat and extreme pressure and then cooled down slowly to form a substance approaching the hardness and durability of a diamond. Granite is an igneous rock that is predominantly composed of four minerals: quartz, feldspar, mica, and usually hornblende. In addition, magnetite, hematite, pyrite, zircon, garnet, corundum and other minerals may be present in smaller amounts, adding to the unique coloration and texture of each granite deposit. These minerals occur in different proportions, depending on the location of the quarry, giving each granite its own color, texture and structural characteristics. Not all varieties of granite are suitable in audio applications. As a matter of fact, most are quite nasty! Adona holds very tight criteria for the actual species of stone used in it's platforms.

Extensive testing has determined that the usable thickness lands within a very small range, centered at about 1.5cm or just under 5/8 of an inch. Granite 0.75 inches or thicker tends to not be "elastic" enough for proper damping to be obtained. Granite much less than 0.50 inches inches thick will lack structural integrety and does not provide sufficient mass to fully benefit from the effects of inertia. The stone used in Adona platforms typically ranges from about 0.55 to 0.62 inches thick.

The Core:

The inner conduction layer measures only a few thousands of an inch thick and is visible merely as a parting line when viewed from the edge of the platform. We often here people on the web refer to this as "the mystery layer" as we don't disclose many details about it. I have spoke with many customers that have attempted build their own version, and it seems that people believe this to be a damping layer, and have tried elastic materials. This actually defeats the intended purpose and is not much different than using untreated granite by itself. Thin-set mortar and contact cement don't seem to work well either. We use a product borrowed from the aerospace industry, combined with a two-part, catalyzed chemical adhesive process that "soaks" into the substrate and actually alters the surface properties of the MDF.

With the implementation of our proprietary inner conduction layer, and complete absence of viscoelastic barrier materials, the platform behaves in a monolithic manner. The granite and substrate interact with each other, rather than just being "isolated" from each other. This means that the performance is reliable, regardless of load conditions, weight distribution or platform orientation. By platform orientation, we mean you can achieve different, but predictable results using either side as the top surface. This is the industries first and only "functionally-reversible" platform. With the granite side facing up, you'll achieve a more lively sound, and with the substrate side facing up, you'll get a mellow and more restrained sound. Although 99 percent of the time the "granite-side-up" offers the best performance, in some situations, reversing one of the platforms in your rack just may do the trick!

The Substrate

This is our compensation medium and is used to selectively "drain" energy from the granite top surface. MDF (medium density fiberboard) was chosen because it absorbs vibrational energy well and without contributing an appreciable amount of coloration to the equation.

We use premium quality, furniture-grade MDF. The MDF you find at the "Big Box" is far too inconsistant to expect any reliable results. It can range from a light tan color to a dark brown, or anything in between. This is due to varying amounts of resin needed in the mixture depending on the batch of pulp used at the time.

Medium-density fiberboard is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down softwood into wood fibers, combining it with wax and a resin binder, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. The wood fibers are categorized as lignocellulosic, which includes any substance that contains both cellulose and lignin. It is this combination of wood fibers with the sealers and binding materials, that gives MDF it's charactoristic "damping" quality.

MDF is considered a composite material, which can be defined as any combination of two or more materials, in any form, and for any use. In the wood industry, the terms composite and reconstituted wood are usually used to describe any wood product that is “glued” together.

Standard platforms have the substrate coated with a black finish. For a small additional charge, the platforms are also available with a solid hard-wood trim applied over the MDF substrate.

Over 20 years of experience in the field of electrical/mechanical engineering allowed us the resources to develop this truly unique approach to component isolation. If you have been in the audio hobby for even a short time you have heard many of the opinions as to what is the best material for your component platforms. We have determined that many materials have advantages and disadvantages. Through our analytical approach to combining dissimilar materials, we have developed some combinations that actually compliment one another. Granite and MDF (medium density fiberboard) have characteristics that are about as different as night and day. Neither of which material is worth a darn as an audio component platform if used by itself. Granite is too hard, MDF is too soft. Granite causes the upper midrange to sound too bright, MDF makes it sound too dull. But, through our proprietary conduction technique we are able to selectively transfer energy back and forth between the two materials essentially achieving a "nulling" effect.

Granite, with its uniform crystalline matrix, has a distinctive sonic signature associated with it. At first, listeners are very impressed with the sound quality. They sense tighter bass response, more realistic soundstage and awesome detail. However after about an hour or so of listening, the sound becomes fatiguing. You say to your self "That's enough detail" and wonder what went wrong. Are you familiar with the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard? The slate used in the chalkboard has a similar sonic signature to that of untreated granite.

On the other hand we really liked some of the good properties that granite had to offer. It contributes a tremendous mass to the component stand. It is also durable, rigid and quite pleasing to the eye. By gaining an understanding of why granite sounds the way it does we were able to develop a mechanism for counterbalancing the resonant waves within the slab. We combine a thin (less than 5/8 inch thick) slab of granite with one of the softer varieties of MDF. The inner material provides a good conductor of mechanical energy at just the right frequency. Equilibrium is achieved within a very simple design! Our platforms offer an incredible soundstage, super tight bass and virtually no peaks or troughs anywhere. It is sonically flat throughout the entire audio spectrum.

Although intended for use with Adona's audio racks, this platform will improve the performance of other brands as well.

• Reference Series

  

• Signature Series

  

• Modular Series

  

• Tweaks and DIY Parts

  

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