Thanks guys- and kudos to Elk for his "Mypingo" pun that I gladly appropriated.

Evaluation Equipment: Well-Tempered Turntable with Grado Sonata MC, Grado Phono pre-amp, Krell KAVxi400 amp, Rega Apollo CD player. DIY Pro-Ac Response 2.5 speakers. Wired with Audioquest King Cobra with Stereovox Firebird speaker wire. Dedicated electrical line with PS Audio in-wall power conditioner with upgraded power cords throughout.

OK- so I had a break this morning and sat down for some serious evaluation and here's what I think: Yes- they ARE doing something positive in the realm of sound stage and imaging when all four are placed on top of my turntable. I mostly used the 45rpm 180 gram version of Chet, by Chet Baker because it has only 5 instruments and incredible natural space and tone. At first I wasn't sure but I couldn't deny that every time I put those discs on the plinth the instruments just dropped back into space farther and sounded more "rounded" or solid if you will. I repeated this over and over until the point that it will be quite a while until I play the first track on that album, haha! I took them off- the sound came forward and was thinner. Put them back and everything froped back and became more solid.

So there you have it. NOT "night and day, best ever, made my system sing like never before" changes- but it DID sound better. I couldn't get around it. Problem is, I don't really like how they look on top, so now I'm stuck!

I put a block directly over the toroidal transformer of my Krell and I though it may have enhanced the above effect, but I didn't spend as much time with that. The CD player seemed to benefit as well although I need to spend more time with that too.

Honestly, I still can't imagine they can do much for the room but I'll try out some experiments when I get the time. When I went and re-read all the past reviews most reviewers, if they heard anything, focused on what they could do for the equipment itself and only one guy really swallowed the whole room treatment thing. He was obviously very susceptible to suggestion with statements like "the doctor's enthusiasm was infectious" etc.

So if I can find a way to accept them on my equipment they will stay. How much would I pay for these things knowing what I know now? $15 per disc I'd say. Any more seems way out of proportion to their usefullness, not to mention their ease of manufacture.

Hi Jan- I was just wondering when you were going to jump in. I'll answer as best I can:

"Where did you acquire your Mpingo lumber? How much per linear foot? Any minimum purchase? How many saw blades did you go through working with the Mpingo? How did you cut the discs to shape?"

Check out the photos I posted for the process. The Mpingo is not sold by the board foot as far as I can tell. Suffice to say the biggest piece I saw was about 1 board foot total and around $95. The pieces they had at Rockler Woodworking were smallish pieces meant for cutting into inlays, or turning on a lathe for small bowls or other spindle shapes. I just squared up my piece and mounted it on my lather and turned it to the diameter spec'd. It's hard, but not THAT hard, so no blades were "gone through" although I'll assume they are a bit dulled. Really, to square it up it was only 4 cuts anyway. I could push a chunk of solid aluminum through too (not a good idea but possible).

"The original Shun Mook products used above components are recommended in sets of one to three and the disc(s) sits atop the square of Gaboon wood. Any ideas of trying this arrangement?"

I'm looking into the tuning aspects but have not tried as of yet.

"The discs are grain oriented according to Shun Mook's literature and will alter the balance of the system as you rotate each disc, somewhat like choosing the correct sawing technique for wood used in instruments, quarter sawn, plain cut, etc. Have you experimented with orienting the discs or just placed them atop the WTT table?"

I have turned them around a bit and was inclusive about any grain orientation effects. I have not used the under anything, just atop components. Turntable: Yes results. CD Player: Maybe positive. Amp: Maybe positive. Speakers: Negligible effect to maybe negative?

"The Resonators, with their embedded steel shaft and diamond tip are meant to be used under a component as a footer. Any attempts at using your discs under your equipment? When you try the discs as room treatment devices do you have any instructions to follow according to the original's method of placement and tuning?"

I don't have the equipment or materials to make the diamond resonators, although I may make myself a Record Clamp. I read every review I could and it sounds like you need more than 4 to really work in a room. I'd also need to make the little maple holder (not a big deal). I have a number of square mpingo blocks I made at the same time though so I might try those out. Even it did work they would not pass the WAF (or maybe even mine) nor the toddler curiosity factor so I'm not jumping on that right away- but I WILL at some point.

Hope that was clear. Someone here asked me to make a set of 4 for him, which I agreed to do for $40 total. It's easier to make bunch than a couple so I'd consider making more if anyone really wanted to try them out. At $40 I'm certainly not looking to make anything on them- it's more for materials and enough on top for me to buy a record or two, heheh.

I use Composite Products carbon fiber cones under my Apollo and they work pretty well.

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/71869

BTW- regarding your questions of actually wood and machining properties- I detailed all my observation about working with the mpingo wood in my DIY gallery photos. Each one has a number of aspects and properties discussed.

Thanks rvance !

I was glad to be able to share the process and, for some people, provide some insight into what they may do.