Grand Prix Audio has again established a new state of the art in audio video isolation with our Formula Shelves . Featuring a proprietary inner core and a unique combination of Carbon fiber and Kevlar epoxy laminates, the effects of this shelf must be experienced to be believed.

In Formula One, cost is no object. The pinnacle of winning performance can only be attained through exhaustive and costly research & development. After nearly a year and thousands of dollars spent on numerous prototypes, we achieved isolation performance at over twice the level of any available product. Our proprietary inner core is a true cost-no-object feature.

The special Kevlar core material of our shelf was originally developed for use in isolation of nuclear facilities applications, aerospace, and aviation applications. It exhibits a high strength to weight ratio due to its cellular structure and cross-linked resin system. This unique cellular structure provides extreme resistance to the transmission of vibration through the shelf across a broad frequency range.

Developed as an upgrade to our highly successful Monaco Modular, Le Mans, Monza, and Laguna Isolation Systems, Formula Shelves are also available in a variety of sizes for use on any stand in combination with our specifically calibrated dampers. In addition, when used with our unique damping brackets, this technology is available for all built-in custom install home theater applications.

Under direct light [left], the cross-fiber weave of our composite skin shows off beautifully and creates iridescent light distortion rings for the camera. As with plywood whose 90-degree opposing fiber layers add strength and inertness over a similarly thick slab of natural wood, the cross-weave strengthens the structure while turning each individual fiber into a constrained-layer member that attenuates vibration.

The trade-mark yellow color of the underside's Kevlar [upper right] shows the woven "bullet-proof" core that you'd also find in police and military combat vests. In this particular application, Kevlar actually exhibits superior self-damping properties than Carbon. However, it isn't as visually attractive as our smooth Carbon composite, hence the visible top and sides are clad in black Carbon. Laminated in a vacuum, this triple-layer of dissimilar materials is cured with special adhesives that actually liquefy in the pressure-vacuum environment. In a deceptively thin and attractive sandwich, this affords vibration attenuation rates in excess of anything else of similar dimensions.

The efficacy of this design cannot be overemphasized. Owners of non-GPA stands are advised to add Formula Shelves with our weight-rated Sorbothane dampers to their existing setup. Our Formula Shelves can take the place of your current shelves, or -- depending on your support structure -- sit atop them to decouple via the Sorbothane pucks.

By virtue of its hi-tech constructional composition, the standard 3/4" thick Formula Shelves already exceeds the performance of much thicker competing shelves employing various metals, woods or foams that suffer inferior energy attenuation properties.

For the ultimate shelf, Grand Prix Audio introduces the Formula SE , a 2.25" thick elegantly contoured slab of multiple Carbon Fiber skins wrapped around a substantial inner Kevlar core. The special aerospace adhesives employed to create this constrained-layer construct increase their energy-dissipating properties under hi-pressure vacuum-curing employed during the manufacture of the Formula SE .

Increasing the Formula thickness by a factor of 3, adding additional Kevlar laminates and integrating custom adhesives developed in conjunction with special application and material sciences engineers, the Formula SE (in combination with our special weight-rated Sorbothane dampers) is the ultimate component platform extant.

Originally developed for our Monaco SE system, the Formula SE platform is now also available to owners of non-GPA stands to significantly maximize their current investment. Contact us to discuss details.