Serene Stabiliser.
Vibration control for vinyl.

"The Stabiliser lends a slightly more detailed and open presentation to the sound of vinyl, with a tight bass and more transparent midrange and treble apparent."

"Having auditioned and purchased Stack Audio AUVA EQ footers (3 for under my turntable and a set of 4, to support my power amp) back in March, this year, I decided to take a punt on their latest stable additions of SERENE Stabiliser (record puck) and SERENE platter mat.

The SERENE Stabiliser is quite lightweight, for a record puck, weighing in at less than 100g, and costs £195. The SERENE Mat sells for £75 and both are available, together with a 60 day, money back guarantee, from The Stack Audio website.

Both items are exceptionally well made and presented in Stack Audio’s usual sturdy packaging and it is obvious that a lot of thought and innovation has gone into their design and manufacturing.

I began by replacing my usual record puck (the substantial Stillpoints LP1, weighing a “satanic” 666g on my TW Acoustics Raven One turntable (a non-suspended design, which I have owned since 2010). The heavy Stillpoints LP1 is not really suitable for a turntable with a sprung suspension, but I have used it in conjunction with my Raven One, without issue.

In comparison, the Stack Audio SERENE Stabiliser lends a slightly more detailed and open presentation to the sound of vinyl, with a tight bass and more transparent midrange and treble apparent. I suspect that the weight of the Stillpoints LP1 enhances the bass at the expense of slightly suppressing the mids and highs.

There is no “leanness” to the bass when the SERENE Stabiliser is used, but everything comes together, when the puck is deployed in partnership with the SERENE Mat.

The combination of the two results in what I would describe as a reduction in “record roar” - the noise of the stylus tracing the record groove and resulting in a reduction in the system noise floor and overall background hash, usually associated with vinyl replay, when compared to digital.

The combination of puck and mat lends a some what euphonic presentation to the sound, by which I mean, that everything sounds very musical and wholesome.

For those interested in the technological background, I would refer you to Stack Audio’s website for a full explanation, but the bottom line is all about vibration control, the puck dealing with vibration from the turntable bearing and spindle and the mat, with it’s four dimple “suspensions” dissipating the vibration within the revolving vinyl record.

The Aussie Audiophile also has some interesting thoughts on his YouTube channel.

With the 60-day money back guarantee and generous forum discount code (maverick5), for an outlay of just over £260 for puck and mat, I would urge you to give it a try!"

"I received the SERENE Stabiliser and have been using it with my Thorens TD-125 for several days. My turntable is belt-driven and has a suspended platter. I never like using heavy record weights, as I don't want to add additional mass to the platter. The SERENE Stabiliser is very light weight and perfect for my needs. It's not adding mass, but using different technology to stabilize the the record. I did A/B test the SERENE Stabiliser and it definitely removed slight distortion that I never noticed before. It appears to have stabilized the playback speed a bit as well. I've gone through several record clamps and never been that happy. The SERENE Stabiliser is a nice addition and I will be using it moving forward. "

"So it's taken me a little while to get to grips with the sound of the SERENE Stabiliser against the Stillpoints V2 Record weight, partly because the difference is so fundamental. The first thing I noticed was, as its name suggests, the new 'serenity' of the music. By that I mean the overall sound is now much quieter and more relaxed as if a whole level of bass boom or distortion has been stripped away. The bass is still impressive and underpins the music but now there is much more space and air for the mid and treble ranges to shine. Instruments are now easier to follow as the soundstage is much deeper and wider.
All this from a very light record 'puck', it is truly amazing! I was very happy with my system prior to this but the SERENE Stabiliser has elevated the sound and enjoyment of my records by a very considerable margin. More relaxing, more life like and just a whole lot more enjoyable. I could quite easily envisage a serious cartridge or amplifier upgrade not achieving this uplift in performance, thank you Stack for a fabulous product."

"You guys are some of the most creative thinkers in the industry. The Mat and the SERENE make “small but meaningful improvements”. But that word “small” vs the word “meaningful”, lets cogitate in that a bit. It’s like a round house kick when you learn to properly turn your hip - that’s small, but results in being able to knock a sucker out or pulverize their leg and end the fight. Or that small paycheck bonus that sends you in a life -changing trip to Thailand, or the wife that finally gets a small job but now you can retire 5 years early. Or when you learn to properly use acid when you’re cooking and flavoring to taste- it’s just a squeeze of lemon or a cap full of vinegar, but it transforms the dish into something merely good into something completely phenomenal."

"I tested this for 2 hours today with music from several different artists. Very favourable results so far. Seems to be better separation of the instruments, percussion seems to start and stop in a more defined way, bass sounds tighter, vocals somewhat more prominent.
Overall a noticeable improvement to the musical soundstage, more engaging. Beautiful engineering of a great new concept."

"I already own a popular record stabilizer that I use with my LP12, which has had a notable and positive effect, enhancing definition and retrieving detail. It provides a more fluid musical presentation with a richer, more vibrant tone.

Given this, I was surprised by the impact of the StackAudio ‘SERENE Stabiliser.’ Despite being significantly lighter than my current stabilizer, the SERENE Stabiliser delivered a profound improvement, building on the qualities of my existing setup. The musical landscape gained depth, with cymbals and snares achieving a strikingly realistic quality. The overall musical flow reached a new level. Even recordings I usually find challenging, like Genesis' *Duke*, became enjoyable, with a deeper, more coherent performance and precise control over high frequencies. I suspect this clarity comes from reducing vibrational smearing across the record surface.

In my setup—which includes the full StackAudio SERENE Soprano body/subchassis, Karousel bearing, Lingo VI, and SUPATRAC Blackbird tonearm—the ‘SERENE Stabiliser’ truly completes the experience. I can hardly imagine vinyl sounding better than this! A must-try product!"

"I have been using the stabiliser and am thoroughly enjoying the natural sound it helps to deliver from my Thorens TD124 setup"

"The SERENE blows my acoustic signature load S clamp away by a significant margin

I cannot explain it, the top image is my Acoustic Signature Tornado Turntable using the SERENE Stabiliser and SERENE Mat versus my Acoustic Signature Load S clamp. The SERENE blows it away by a significant margin…. "

"The SERENE Record Stabiliser has dropped the noise level to basically inaudible! The Böhm Mozart sound amazing. Thank you."

I recently purchased your SERENE Record Stabiliser. Now listening to.....

Mozart* • Karl Böhm , Berliner Philharmoniker - Symphonien Nr. 39 Es-Dur • Nr. 36 »Linzer«

My Thorens TD125 was already equipped with:

Origin Live Cartridge Enabler, Funk Firm Achromat Turntable Platter mat and the IsoAcoustics zaZen II Isolation Platform

....so my noise floor was already low. The SERENE Record Stabiliser has dropped the noise level to basically inaudible!

The Böhm Mozart sound amazing. Thank you.”

"The SERENE increased the focus of all instruments; the saxophone was more three-dimensional with significantly improved tonality, sounding more like a real instrument."

Yesterday, I did some critical listening with and without the SERENE Stabilizer. The first album I used was Oliver Nelson's The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Stolen Moments) – Acoustic Sounds Series audiophile pressing. I focused on the sound of the saxophone and was amazed by the difference. The SERENE increased the focus of all instruments; the saxophone was more three-dimensional with significantly improved tonality, sounding more like a real instrument. After playing the same track back and forth with and without the SERENE, I realised I could clearly distinguish the difference every time. The next test was Paul Chambers's Bass on Top. His double bass dominates throughout the album, so it was a good test for the low end. I used the title track, Yesterdays. Again, the same thing happened with the bass: it became more prominent with the SERENE, more three-dimensional, with cleaner and improved tonality. Therefore, I am very happy with the SERENE."

"The improvement isn't exactly subtle and it's across the board from bass to treble. No idea how you do it but keep up the good work!"

“All I can say is wow! It's hard to describe sound in general, but the whole presentation is more composed. It sounded great before but there is more focus now, more detail and clarity.”

“I can honestly say that I've never thought less about the equipment itself while listening to music — it simply disappears, leaving only the music.”

“Improvements to levels of detail and soundstage were the most obvious improvements.”

“They have really lowered the noise floor and I'm hearing a lot more of the details.”

“I'm absolutely delighted with it and what it's done to the sound of my avid ingenium”

“With the stabiliser: you can hear straight away the bass is tighter, bigger sound stage and separation!”

“Even with an entry level turntable and system (Ortofon 2Mblue etc), the improvement is very clear”

“obvious improvements in clarity and separation as well as better bass definition”

“I noticed an immediate 'tightening' of the stereo imaging when using the SERENE. Instruments are very clear and natural sounding.”

“the degree of improvement is still there and my analogue playback sounds the best it ever has.”

“But it's when I got the mat and stabiliser on my 1200 mk 7 ltd decks that it was a amazing improvement .”

“Right from the first play, the improvement in dynamics was clear — more energy, more life, and a greater sense of musical involvement.”

“we still can’t believe what a dramatic shift it creates in sound separation and even delivering new sound in old familiar vinyl!”

“The definition of instruments became more defined and clearly more representative of experiences when hearing the sounds in a live concert.”

“absolutely love the improvements brought to my record playing experience and the performance of my turntable”

“Everything seems to have snapped into stronger focus. Bass seems a bit tighter and there is more space around instruments, making them easier to follow.”

“After also installing this refined additional tool it was amazing how much crystal clear the mid-tones became and more articulated basses.”

“there's been a significant opening up of the soundstage including bass refinement!”

“Everything is much calmer and better sounding with detail that was hidden before making listening much more enjoyable.”

“the music is more alive, bass more tighter, mids and treble smoother, seems to be more depth to the music and I'm hearing things that I have never noticed before.”

“It has definitely improved the clarity of the low level detail, and I particularly appreciate how instruments and voices sound a bit more solid and focussed in the soundstage, making the music sound more realistic and enjoyable!”

“quite noticeable improvements in separation and clarity, particularly on more dense material”