Mapleshade Surefoot/Heavyhat review w/pic

steveinaz

I recently purchased Mapleshade Records' (www.mapleshaderecords.com) Surefoot Conepoints and Heavyhats for my CD Player, a D500SE. For those who have been thinking about purchasing these, here's what I've found:

Quality
Surefoot: Very well machined brass cones 1.5" in diameter, 1.5" tall. Heavier than they appear.
Heavyhat: Very well machined brass, 2ea .75lb, 1ea 1.5lb. Edges are rounded and surfaces that contact equipment top are very smooth (won't scratch). Both come with instructions/tips on placement. 30 day hassle-free return policy.

Cost
Heavyhats $27 (set of three)
Surefoot Conepoints $38 (set of three)

Sound
Do they make you think you've just bought a new CD Player? No. They do a great job of cleaning up bass and have a soothing effect on "edgy" CD's. I wasn't expecting much out of these, but curiosity got the best of me (as well as a very reasonable price) and I went for it. I found the "hazy halo" of bass that sometimes surround heavy material to vanish. No more unrealistic reverberation or sustainment when bass notes end--just a very natural decay. Midrange is also enhanced and refined--probably to the degree of an upgrade in cables. The very last iota of treble grain has been eliminated.

I tried them as well on my preamp and amp, but in all honesty couldn't sense any difference in presentation in this circumstance. keep in mind, my house is concrete slab construction--so external vibration is very minimal to begin with. I think these really shine with equipment that contains moving parts or suffers internal vibrations, ie CD Players, DVD's, Turntables, etc.

In conclusion, I'll definitely hang on to these for my CD Player, and will go on/under my new CD Player when it arrives. I do recommend that you get both the Conepoints and Heavyhats, as they are meant to work together for best results.