AudioQuest SorboGel Q-Feet System

Sorbothane damping feet for electronics and source components

SorboGel Q-Feet are feet that go straight underneath the components of a system to damp unwanted vibration. They are made of Sorbothane, a material that absorbs mechanical energy rather than giving it back, and they cut the resonances that cloud playback.

Where they help most

The effect is most evident beneath equipment with a rotating mechanism: disc players, turntables, computers and hard-drive units. A rotating mechanism suffers both from the vibration it generates and from what reaches it from outside, and Q-Feet act on both.

The shape of the foot

Geometry counts as much as material. The partial hole at the centre adds compliance and horizontal surface; the larger vertical surface gives the material more freedom to move, so a greater share of kinetic energy is dissipated as heat. Damping is often worth more than isolation, yet it is the ability to do both across a very wide band, with no specific working frequency, that makes Q-Feet suitable for almost any component.

One caution only: beneath a turntable or another highly sensitive device the foot must not be squashed to the point of losing its elasticity. It performs better when some margin of give is left.

Key features

• Material: Sorbothane
• Load capacity up to 3 kg per foot
• About 22 mm high and about 76 mm wide, suitable for tight spaces too
• They protect the furniture under the equipment from scratches