Core Furniture
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Compared with the plethora of internet stores whose products often appear to be the handiwork of audio-amateurs, CORE Designs offerings stand apart: their CLD amp stands looked well-thought-out, well-made, and solidly engineered. And, refreshingly, the company insists on maintaining popular pricing. This means their designs are built using affordable materials and manufacturing—don't expect cost-no-object assaults on Mt. Everest.The stands come in huge boxes. One glance had me worried—I thought they shipped the wrong product. It's a meticulously packed box within a box surrounding four Styrofoam corners—to insure damage-free arrival. The actual dimensions are 24" x 20" x 5-3/4" high, including the standard spikes. The soundboard itself measures 20" x 16" 1-3/4". This is not a kit; they come fully assembled—all you have to do is screw in the spike footers.
The CLD design is a copycat of the defunct, and widely lamented, Zoethecus amp stand. How close is it to the Zoethecus? The frame is a knockoff. The basic Zoethecus soundboard was MDF, but an upgraded version was available called the Z Slab made from resin particleboard laced with metal granules. The top of the Z Slab had an aluminum sheet covering to protect against RF. The Zoethecus amp stand with Z Slab last retailed around $800.
The CLD soundboard is three constrained layers: black walnut on the top and bottom and high-density MDF in the center. Five large holes are cut into the MDF layer. These are filled with a mix of black granite powder and iron shavings. Everything else is constructed of solid black walnut.
The Sound of Black Walnut
We all know the beneficial properties of maple wood, it being quite popular at the moment. Audiophiles have discovered that maple imparts a clear, sweet, sophisticated sound, especially affecting the treble frequencies, which it augments. It is also an aid to resonance control and definition. Alas, the flip side of its refinement is some thinning—maple is an astringent. Using a lot of maple can severely impact (reduce) low-end response. And some people consider its acoustic tuning a coloration.
In marked contrast to the herd stampeding after resolution, CORE Designs travels the road less taken, opting for tonality. Black walnut is their wood of choice. It has the definition and smooth frequency response of maple, but none of its demure refinement. It differs in that it augments the lower-midrange and actually adds flesh. You can expect darker and more saturated tone, along with big, full-bodied, solid images. It could get a little too thick, but more often than not, our systems need this. Just as with maple, the sound seems simpler and more pure, less riddled with mechanical artifacts and noise. And the acoustic tuning is there. It shows up as added sweetness. (By the way, there is a break-in period. After 24 hours, the CLD will sound darker and more damped, as the granite and iron particles have a chance to settle.)
The Effect of Wood
The fullness and body remind me of old-fashioned tubes, but without the tubey aura around images. The solidity and power remind me of the TAOC racks and footers I'm using. And why shouldn't they? The constrained layers of the TAOC shelf have a center comprised of cast iron particles—different fill, but similar idea. Sonically, the CLD and the TAOC have many qualities in common. CORE Designs says the walnut is responsible for the tonal saturation; the metal fill for the dynamics and power. This made me wonder: What would black walnut sound like on its own? Can it be deployed like maple to tune the system?