SSC Black minibase

A phono preamplifier or an external power supply often ends up tucked into a corner of the shelf, or even on the floor, for lack of space. Its electronics then receive vibrations from the furniture, footsteps and speakers. The Minibase uses the same principle as SSC isolation bases in a compact format just 20 cm wide: an MDF board resting on four damping elements recessed into its underside.

Four textile elements beneath an MDF board

Since 1997, SSC has been manufacturing equipment feet and bases in Germany built around textile-weave isolation elements. The equipment does not rest on a rigid block or a simple rubber pad. It rests on fabric stretched within a support, which yields very slightly in all directions and reduces the transmission of vibrations between the furniture and the electronics. On the Minibase, four of these elements are housed within the thickness of the board, on the underside. All you see is a plain black platform just over 2 cm high, which blends into the background beneath the equipment.

The board is made of MDF, a medium-density wood fibre panel. Unlike solid wood, this material is uniform, with no grain or knots, and effectively damps its own resonances: tapped with a finger, it produces a dull sound rather than a note. This is the quality sought in a support that needs to remain neutral. The black finish is a decorative film coating, understated and easy to maintain, that matches most electronics front panels.

A 200 × 130 mm platform for compact enclosures

The usable surface suits devices that are often difficult to fit into a system: phono preamplifiers, separate power supplies for turntables or converters, small tube amplifiers. SSC also offers the Minibase as a way to raise a speaker cable off the floor. The 50 kg load capacity leaves a very generous margin for this type of enclosure. Weight is therefore not the constraint to check; dimensions are. All of the device’s feet must rest on the platform without extending beyond the edge. For a deeper enclosure, SSC offers the same principle in an XL version measuring 280 mm long, with five elements instead of four.

The devices most sensitive to vibrations

A phono preamplifier amplifies a signal of a few millivolts for a moving-magnet cartridge, and often less than one millivolt for a moving-coil cartridge. With such high gain, even the slightest disturbance is amplified along with the music. Vacuum tubes are microphonic: their internal electrodes can vibrate and turn these mechanical movements into unwanted signals. A small tube amplifier or preamplifier placed on furniture receiving bass vibrations from the speakers is therefore the most obvious use case for the Minibase.

Isolation also works in the other direction. The transformer in an external power supply vibrates slightly at the mains frequency, and this vibration can travel through the shelf to neighbouring devices. Placing the power supply on the Minibase mechanically separates it from the rest of the furniture. The base complements a stable, level equipment stand; it does not replace a rigid support: if a shelf sways, it is better to address the stability of the furniture first.

Technical Specifications

Materials and Components

• Material: Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)
• 4 SSC isolation washers

General Specifications

• Load capacity: 50 kg
• Dimensions (W × H × D): 200 × 130 × 25 mm