EVO-3 Anti-resonance pads test HifiVoice

The best part is that the EVO-3 doesn’t cost any unacceptable money, on the contrary – for such mechanically and materially nice workpieces, some three thousand are a great offer. With our components, they clearly and undoubtedly improved the resulting quality of the experience… There was more air, or rather the “ambient” was more noticeably present, the feeling of echoes in the space and the like…

EVO-3

The Rožnov company RDAcoustic started years ago as a manufacturer of original loudspeakers with broadband transducers. Since then, not only has a lot of time passed, but its catalog has also gradually included, for example, above-standard sized power filters or various and no less large (but attractive and effective) acoustic elements. The Benjamin of the offer are the EVO-3 anti-resonance pads.

The concept itself is not at all surprising or complicated. You put a pad under components, racks or loudspeakers and its construction absorbs (more precisely, converts it into heat) mechanical movements that ideally should not occur in the device. The idea is that eliminating vibrations will ensure better function of the component, which in turn will logically lead to a cleaner sound.

The basis of the EVO-3 are two duralumin discs, beautifully machined and polished to a shine. A layer of copper is applied to their surface, followed by nickel, which is then hardened during the nitriding process at a temperature of 600 degrees Celsius.

Both discs are connected by a central screw, slightly “loosely”, but firmly into a floating unit. The distance between them is maintained by three small balls, made with minimal tolerances, each moving in a polished spherical housing. The manufacturer is said to have tested various geometries and materials for three years before settling on the solution described above.

However, the EVO-3 is still available in two versions – the balls can be either ceramic (specifically made of silicon nitride in a dark color) or light zirconium. The former – according to the manufacturer – are supposed to strengthen the bass and clarify the sound and space, the latter are supposed to accentuate the mids and highs. RDAcoustic recommends ceramics primarily for tubes, zirconium for transistors (if the EVO-3 will be used under amplifiers).

The circular base of the pads has a diameter of 6 cm, the EVO-3 takes up only 3.2 cm in height. The manufacturer does not specify a weight limit, but says that 3 pads are enough for common components, while 4 are for everything else. If you want to experiment with a half-ton amplifier, it will certainly be a good idea to check the load capacity.

We had the opportunity to test the EVO-3 pads under a row of components. Among them, we can name Bluesound NODE (Gen 4), EverSolo DMP-A6, Cambridge CXA81, OPPO UDP-205, Métronome Le Player 3, but also Norma Revo SC-2 LN or Linn Selekt DSM. We had Nordost SortKones, Solid Tech IsoBlack and Ansuz Darkz T2s for comparison.

Some readers will certainly not want to believe it (and in the end it surprised us relatively), but there was indeed a difference between the “black” and the “white”. Under the same conditions, under the same component, the sound changed (not drastically, but audibly) and by simply changing the vibration characteristics you can achieve fine-tuning of the resulting character. In the end, it is actually a fun activity, you can certainly take the care to look for your own mix of the one and the other. The impressions described below are a summary of what we observed in one complete set (i.e. we did not mix the two).

The lower, tempo-setting frequencies in “Lovers Rock” from the Sade recording of the same name (2000 | epic | 500766 2) were noticeably more punchy, more physical, more confidently contoured and separated with the support of zirconium. Maybe not as voluminous, but more concentrated and more precisely felt. Silicon, on the other hand, supported the power, the feeling of relaxation and a kind of calm bubbling, the feeling of weight and saturation was emphasized – however, it is less defined, although still subjectively better than when the device is placed “just like that”.

Lara Fabian’s strong and emotional voice in “Je Suis Malade” (“Carpe Diem” | 2009 | Universal | 5319313) had audibly better separation in the “zirconium variant”, it stood out more above the instruments and thus seemed more specific, more distinct. The pads will support the feeling of concentration here. The other models will emphasize the volume, saturation and a kind of organic humanity more, the voice has a more colorful, softer character. The differences in the mids, where our ears are very sensitive, are among the most pronounced that we have had the opportunity to encounter – and we are talking about significantly more expensive solutions.

The cover version of “First of May” by the Bee Gees performed by Sarah Brightman (“The Very Best of” | 2001 | eastwest | 8573 88362-2) is full of bright ringing highs, where the “light” set ensured greater “crunchiness” – that is a slightly clumsy interpretation of the English expression, where it makes very clear sense. In the Czech world, we could perhaps say that it is a brighter tinkling, the tone is more precisely chiseled and clearly more independent. The “dark” version does not pull the highs to such clarity, much more emphasizes the feeling of organic connection, although we still felt an improvement in the area of ​​​​purity. It is a richer and calm accentuating character.

The dynamics in Prokofiev’s “Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25” (Sergiu Clibidache / Münchener Philharmoniker | “Symphonies 1 + 5” | 2004 | EMI | 7243 5 57854 2 8) were also influenced by both sets, both actually more to the point of greater certainty, but each in a different way. Zirconium seems to support the ease of energy surge, it is a lighter, more airy expression with greater, more physical emphasis and impact, while silicon nitride emphasizes fluidity, mass and fluidity, the music can take on a stronger and denser tone.

In our systems, we almost without exception preferred the zirconium variant – also because, in “Remember” by tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley (“Soul Station” | 1999 | Blue Note | 7243 4 95343 2 2), they gently but unquestionably brought out a sense of purity and clarity. The music is highlighted mainly in the marginal details and nuances, the result is firmer and more distinct in feel. On the other hand, ceramics can provide a more expansive and organic performance, everything flows with greater grace and generally easier. A more supple and richer feeling does not mean that the availability of details has somehow worsened, on the contrary, here too there is a slight advance and a sense of concreteness compared to the “unsubstantiated” device.

In “God Particle” (Hans Zimmer | “Angels & Demons” | 2009 | Columbia | 88697520962), the zirconium pieces brought more certainty and pressed each note more firmly into its place, the scene seemed more confidently defined and even wider. There is more air, more space, which makes the whole musical event easier to read. Ceramic models, on the other hand, “put it under the cauldron”, everything boils more strongly, it is denser, more connected, less holographic, but more elemental and robust, as if presented on a slightly larger scale.

The oboe interpretation of Telleman’s “Fantasia for Flute No. 3 in B minor” (“The Artistry of Heinz Holliger” | 1987 | Denon | DC-8006) was more concrete with the support of zirconium pads. The instruments became clearer and more tangible, more monitored in the middle of the scene, while with ceramics we had a feeling of a more pronounced connection with the surroundings, there was more air, or rather a more noticeably present “ambient”, a feeling of echoes in the space, and so on.

Playing with details and accessories of otherwise satisfactorily tuned systems is fun for long evenings and something with which you can fine-tune the resulting characteristics. We won’t tell you how exactly it works, although the differences in vibration characteristics can be easily measured, which you can see for yourself a little below. There are anti-vibration pads that are very affordable, but bring little, solutions with a very interesting price-performance ratio, and then there are extreme ones, where one costs tens of thousands. Czech RDAcoustic decided to offer very nicely crafted models and also add a little adventure to you by allowing you to choose from two variants of the balls used, each of which works a little differently (measurable and audibly). But the best part is that the EVO-3 doesn’t cost any unacceptable money, on the contrary – for such mechanically and materially nice workpieces, there are some three thousand great offers. Especially since both of them (the question “which” is purely a subjective preference, or the answer is linked to what you want to influence in your setup) at least with the components available to us, the resulting quality of the experience has clearly and unquestionably improved. And as for that personal choice, for us it would be zirconium and we immediately add the EVO-3 to our wish list…

Read all the review HifiVoice.