Node Audio SS-1 Support System

Introduction

Since my visit to the Node Audio facility back in August 2023, I have followed their progress keenly.  Hearing the Hylixa with the Moor Amps Angel 6 amplifier was a highlight of the last few years, with an outstanding, smooth, natural delivery.

The new Node Audio Atoms looked and sounded special (at Whittlebury). I noted the floorstanding 650 Atoms were on their SS-1 support system in spike shoes, which are the subject of this review.  I was intrigued and asked David Evans if I could purchase 4 more SS-1s to complete the set of 8 and put them under my Titan 505 loudspeakers.

Design

As discussed in the previous review. The SS-1 unit is comprised of three obvious parts:

Base – a high tolerance machined stainless steel metal base, that is perfectly flat,

Black retainer – SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) laser printed shroud, enclosing a ceramic stack, that is uniquely arranged to isolate vibrations effectively and control sound quality.

Top plate – specifically sized and gimbal-style to enable close contact with the item to be supported.

Both the top and bottom elements of the SS-1s have machined female M8-sized screws to insert the 3D-printed carpet spike arrangement in the base or the cable riser ‘flower’ in the top section. In this case, I’m using a spike adapter; one could screw the loudspeaker spike housing directly to the SS-1 (with a set of machined M8 studs).

Quality

These Node Audio SS-1 pieces are immaculate in machining and are a joy to play with and hold. One could consider them to be a rather expensive desktop stress reliever. The precision is something to behold.

Specification and Price

Performance

I have previously reviewed the SS-1s under a turntable, a DAC, my preamplifier, and, most successfully, under a Chord Hugo 2.  This is a look at placing them under the loudspeakers, with spike-support shoes.

Review Equipment

I’m using the HF&MS Reference System; I’m centred on the Atlas Mavros loudspeaker cable for this review rather than the Tellurium Q cable, as discussed on the Reference page.

Separately, I have tried them with the Naim Audio stack under the Acoustic Energy AE 320² floor standers.

Physically

The SS-1s are rock solid under the weight of the loudspeakers. The carpet spikes that arrived towards the end of the review period stabilised the stand-mounted loudspeakers on my carpet, which incidentally has an acoustic floor under it.

The M8 screw adapters were easy to fit to the SS-1.

Under the Acoustic Energy AE 320² floor standers (wooden floor)

I am pursuing a Naim Audio Old Classic upgrade journey in the absence of affording the New Classic equipment; this journey is concluding, with an article to follow this month.

Recently, my 12-year-old (plus?) KEF R700s were upgraded to the Acoustic Energy 320²s after a very favourable review that offered a clear enhancement to my system. Introducing the SS-1s has been revelatory to this upgrade.  This room is my lounge with wooden floors, so the SS-1s were flush to the floor.

What is the effect? Simply, the SS-1s offer a degree of confidence that removes the final question of now what do I do?  And there’s an obvious difference.  Acoustically, the SS-1s have significantly enhanced the resolution in my soundstage. My otherwise excellent bass presentation feels more focussed and controlled, more dynamic, in a word.

I was talking to the support team at Node Audio, and I settled on describing a more coherent soundstage, whereas previously I was discussing focus. This more coherent soundstage offers space and separation, and that feels like a true step change.

Under the Kudos Audio Titan 505 stand-mounted loudspeakers (carpeted floor)

The Reference System, with the 505s, sits on a budget carpet, which is in turn placed over an acoustic floor made of rubber and other materials.  This is all in a separate room from the Naim system. When I placed the SS-1s under the 505s, I was slightly underwhelmed, if I’m honest.  Sure, there may have been a little more air in the soundstage, but it was not as much as with the 320²s on the wooden floor.  Further conversation led my Node Audio counterpart to send me a set of metal spikes to screw into the bottom of the SS-1s. There are three per SS-1, and they are as sharp as Luke Littler’s darts!

Further conversation with Node Audio revealed that the SS-1s are NOT for floor coupling; they are designed to prevent the slurring of dynamics caused by speaker movement.  This conversation makes pure sense, as the results from a flush fitting on the wooden floor were excellent, less so on my acoustically treated carpet.  Of course, a 110cm high, top-heavy Titan 505 is likely to sway a fraction.

Soooo…..

Adding the razor-sharp spikes to the SS-1s on the carpet in the Reference System was a real revelation. The change makes complete sense: the Titan 505’s isobaric bass sounds more controlled and expansive, with better timing. I feel more energy and engagement in the loudspeakers across the frequency range.  A few familiar review tracks stood out for me, notably Lake of Fire (Qobuz 16-bit, 44.1kHz) from the Nirvana Unplugged album, which has Cris Kirkwood’s acoustic bass* sounding so much cleaner than I had heard it before. Paul Simon’s Kodachrome (Qobuz 24-bit, 96kHz) had me air-drumming within moments, excepting the piano cascade in the middle of the track.  The same happens with Noah Kahan’s (Qobuz 24-bit, 96kHz) Stick Season, which is such a vibrant song on this system, lifted further by the SS-1s.

I had to try Come as You Are (Qobuz 16-bit, 44.1kHz), again that bass line feels firmer and more energetic underpinning this glorious track.

* Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic did not play bass on Lake of Fire. For the three Meat Puppets covers on the album (Plateau, Oh, Me, and Lake of Fire), Krist handed his Guild acoustic bass over to Meat Puppets bassist Cris Kirkwood. Krist shifted to playing a Gibson Hummingbird acoustic guitar to provide extra rhythmic backing (sourced from Guitar.com and other sites).

Playlists

Playlists used in the evaluation of the SS-1s

Overall

The pursuit of the perfect system (that’s a good name for a site) is never-ending.  But if you’re just about happy with your system, the room and your music, this could be the final link in the chain. A more coherent soundstage with more space and more energy, delivered to a loudspeaker’s performance at a fraction of the cost of some of the cables I’ve tried in the last 10 years! There’s a tangible uplift here.  If you’re on carpet, the spikes are a no-brainer.

The only problem with these SS-1s is that they work.  The problem being, I think I need about 30 of them (rack, loudspeakers, DAC, preamplifier, cable lifters, etc., etc.)!

Love 

• Confidence
• More coherent soundstage
• Improved energy in the room
• Timing

Like 

• Empirical results from theory
• Classy effective system upgrade

Wish

• I had about 30 SS-1s!