VIBRATION – the bane of hi-fi systems. Many a method has been concocted to banish or at least ameliorate this unwanted by-product of mechanical design, from quick-fixes like Blu-tack and wooden cones to elaborately engineered devices that come with eye-watering price tags. Magico’s MPOD, the bigger sibling to its QPOD, belongs in the latter category.
The QPOD was designed to be placed under light- to medium-weight components. It was based on the constrained layer damping (CLD) principle, which Magico says is an extremely effective way to channel unwanted vibrations away from a component and its platform.
The larger MPOD is designed to elicit similar results under heavier loads, including loudspeakers. MPOD comprises “multiple machined aircraft-aluminium and tungsten-steel parts that, when assembled, form a vertical stack. A solid pure-copper substrate centre section is sandwiched by a top and bottom layer of Isodamp – a thermoplastic material that, when compressed against the copper substrate, facilitates the CLD function and dissipates unwanted energy virtually immediately.”
According to the Magico literature, “prior to installation, the top and bottom halves of the MPOD are held apart by a centre spindle and pull-pin. Once the MPOD is installed, the removal of the pull-pin engages the CLD properties of the MPOD. Once the pin is removed, no hardware is connected between the top and bottom part of the MPOD, effectively ‘floating’ the component placed on it.”
Also, the threaded coupling stud on the MPOD is designed to replace the existing footer on the Magico Q7, Q7 Mk II, M-Project, and S7, and other loudspeakers that have the same thread specifications. The MPOD can also be used underneath heavier components such as amplifiers, without using the threaded coupling stud.
The three-pack MPOD 3 is priced at US$3,150, the MPOD 4 is US$4,200 and MPOD 8, US$8,400… all available now.
More bloody snake oil no wonder we look like idiots to the masses and yet I love this hobby…