We've covered some good ground in the last few days: power and why it matters, vibrations and microphonics and why they matter. I have also ruffled a few feathers on these topics and that's ok - I am sure it won't be the first or the last.
Where we're headed in the series is as promised: to understand the process we went through designing a new concept piece for high-end audio.
Most new product concepts are borne out of combining several existing products into something new: a wagon plus a motor and you have an automobile. A battery, wire, relay and switch and you have the telegraph. A woofer and a power amplifier combined in one box and you have a powered subwoofer. A power conditioner and an isolation base combined together and you have our new product the PowerBase.
Now certainly I am not suggesting that the PowerBase is on par with the invention of the automobile, the telegraph or the powered subwoofer - it is not. But in the same way each of the examples I gave solved a problem or filled a need, so too does the PowerBase.
By combining the isolation needs of every audio component (both electrical and mechanical) into one product, the result is what any successful new concept hopes to achieve - that the sum of its part is greater than the whole.
Tomorrow we'll look at how the concept came to life in detail and what it means.
