REVIEW

room was complete.

Fortunately, it was only a week or so before the work on the bathroom was finished (it’s lovely, thanks for asking). As we needed to give the whole house a thorough clean, I moved my speakers to wipe down the skirting boards behind them and then replaced them more or less where they had been before. Later the next day, with all cleaning done, it was finally time to relax with some music.

From the very first seconds of the radio chatter on Jennifer Warnes’ version of First We Take Manhattan from her Famous Blue Raincoat album I couldn’t believe the difference in what I was hearing; it was the audio equivalent of seeing an image in a camera viewfinder snap into focus when the lens adjusts. Not only was there more detail in what I was hearing but the positioning of voices and instruments, between and around the speakers was completely transformed.

Yes, I know, you’re thinking: “ He hasn’t been listening to his HiFi properly for a few weeks, it’s bound to sound better now”. But it wasn’t that; I know how my system sounds and there was now an unmistakable improvement. I was hearing previously-unheard texture in vocals, nuances in production, and, time after time, that extended, hugely-improved soundstage. On Jah Wobble’s Redux album, there is a live version of the reggae classic, Liquidator. At one point a synth line bubbles across from the left speaker, beyond the right speaker and ends up hovering about a foot in front of my right ear. I played it half a dozen times. It did it every time and it had never done it before.

As well as the Audio GE Sincerus 80s in my main system, I have a pair of Linn Keilidhs in another room. Theo had also provided me with a set of connector bolts sized for the Keilidhs and I was keen to discover if the AUVA 70s would provide similar benefits with the Keilidhs as I had heard with the Sincerus 80s. Speakers in my second sitting room tend to suffer from a bit of bass “bloom” and the Keilidhs are no exception to this. With the AUVA 70s fitted, the bass was noticeably tighter and the detail and soundstage were once again improved.

First Time Ever (a version of Ewan MacColl’s The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face) from Christy Moore‘s Live At Vicar Street album is a track that can easily go spectacularly wrong with the bass overwhelming everything else, sending the chande- liers [yeah, right - Ed.] rattling. This time around, the bass was tamed; weighty but not boomy. The AUVA 70s were clearly doing something right.

So do I think you should spend nearly £850 improving the sound of a pair of speakers that you can pick up these days for around £250 to £300? Absolutely not. If I had £850 to spend on improving the speakers in my second system I’d sell the Keilidhs and use the money from the sale along with the £850 to buy a better pair of speakers. Then, in the fullness of time, I’d give serious consideration to upgrading those with some AUVAs.

Having established that the AUVA 70s made a positive difference to the Keilidhs, I couldn’t wait to get them back into my main system as restoring the Sincerus 80s original spikes had also robbed me of the AUVAs benefits – sometimes the absence of a product speaks as loudly as its presence.

I have been living with the AUVA 70 for a few months now and consider them to be an indispensable part of my system, although I have the itch to discover if the AUVA 100s would be even better. If you are considering a speaker upgrade, or have a pair of speakers that you really love, and are curious as to whether you can get more out of them, then I would strongly recommend giving either the AUVA 70s or 100s a try. Stack Audio offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so if you think they might be worth giving a go, don’t take my word for it, find out for yourself.

Conclusion

The benefits of spikes under speakers or speaker stands are well-established and it is rare now to find speakers and stands that don’t come with spikes as an option. I suspect many of us, myself included, have been happy to accept that our speakers sound as they do without investigating the benefits of isolation. Alternatively, we may have tinkered with a homemade tweak, perhaps involving paving slabs and Sorbothane. Stack Audio’s AUVA 70 isolators offer a superbly engineered, easy-to-fit isolation solution with clear audio benefits and come highly recommended.

Build Quality:

In common with Stack Audio’s other products, the AUVA 70s are engineered and finished to an exceptionally high standard in line with their price point

Sound Quality:

The AUVA 70s brought clear improvements to both sets of speakers that I paired them with.My experience suggested that the better the speaker, the greater the overall improvement is likely to be although results will no doubt be variable depending on individual factors such as flooring type

Value for Money:

Value for money is a matter of perspective. £840 is a lot of money to pay for a set of feet for your speakers but as an alternative to a speaker upgrade could offer something of a saving. As a physical product, you don’t see a lot for your money but the audio benefits are clear to hear

We Loved:

The AUVA 70s lifted the sound of my system to another level

We Didn’t Love So Much:

Bit pricy but no quibbles at all with the actual product

Elevator Pitch Review: The Stack Audio AUVA 70s provided a substantial improvement to a system that I was already very happy with. As an alternative to a speaker upgrade, the AUVA 70s are very much worth considering, particularly if you have not investigated isolation products before.

Price: AUVA 70s - £840 for 8. AUVA 100s - £1240 for 8