OK- Check out the project in the DIY user galleries.
DIY Gallery
The wood is the actual East African Blackwood that are used for the Shun Mook discs. No plain old ebony here! 
They were made to the specifications sited in reviews, although they of course don't say what the "special" finishing process is. I used traditional hard rubbed furniture oil so we'll have to consider that a slight variable.
I made up four discs yesterday, and six square blocks (for other testing). The wood is indeed amazing stuff in that it's one of the hardest and heaviest I've ever worked with. When you tap the pieces together they have a great tonality. It feels more like stone of engineering plastics than wood. And yet it sucks up water like a soft wood. It has no repelling qualities like Teak and the oil finish worked great.
I have only done a few preliminary tests with placement on my speakers and my turntable with somewhat inconclusive results. Personally I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic. Usually cables and the like produce an instant difference for me without a lot of straining to hear micro-nuances(good or bad depending on what they are). I want to try out a few different recordings though and see if they simpatico with the CD player as well.
The whole project (not counting the trip to the wood store) took under two hours. Even if they end up working as claimed, $50 a puck is pretty steep. The wood's rare, but you use about $2 worth per disc! If I had it properly set up before hand I could probably crank out 8 an hour...
I'm not sure I have enough to do the "room" treatment but I'll first report on the more direct tests as that seemed like what reviewers responded to more.
Enjoy the pix. That was fun and if they don't work my kid will have the most exotic blocks in the neighborhood! 
OK- Check out the project in the DIY user galleries.
DIY Gallery
The wood is the actual East African Blackwood that are used for the Shun Mook discs. No plain old ebony here!
They were made to the specifications sited in reviews, although they of course don't say what the "special" finishing process is. I used traditional hard rubbed furniture oil so we'll have to consider that a slight variable.
I made up four discs yesterday, and six square blocks (for other testing). The wood is indeed amazing stuff in that it's one of the hardest and heaviest I've ever worked with. When you tap the pieces together they have a great tonality. It feels more like stone of engineering plastics than wood. And yet it sucks up water like a soft wood. It has no repelling qualities like Teak and the oil finish worked great.
I have only done a few preliminary tests with placement on my speakers and my turntable with somewhat inconclusive results. Personally I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic. Usually cables and the like produce an instant difference for me without a lot of straining to hear micro-nuances(good or bad depending on what they are). I want to try out a few different recordings though and see if they simpatico with the CD player as well.
The whole project (not counting the trip to the wood store) took under two hours. Even if they end up working as claimed, $50 a puck is pretty steep. The wood's rare, but you use about $2 worth per disc! If I had it properly set up before hand I could probably crank out 8 an hour...
I'm not sure I have enough to do the "room" treatment but I'll first report on the more direct tests as that seemed like what reviewers responded to more.
Enjoy the pix. That was fun and if they don't work my kid will have the most exotic blocks in the neighborhood!