Do equipment stands have an impact on electronics?

Half of geoffkait's posts are re-posts of whatever he's responding to, which I feel is a waste of pixels as what he's responding to is already there. That said, I also feel that there's a lot of money spent needlessly on various spiked or isolating or otherwise insanely over designed audio shelving, speaker cord holders, expensive cones, spongy decouplers (I use those…not sure if they do anything except under my speakers), and other stuff that does nothing audible. Note: Vibration touches everything anyway if its in the room with speakers, and that's OK…really…it is...

I'm utterly unconcerned with seismic vibration, although I do have vibrapods under things and a set of groovy cones (had those for many years…they look GREAT) under my preamp to add ventilation and because they look cool. All costing me very little money. Maybe I've addressed this issue accidentally in my home rig, but in live concert situations using 1000 watt amps and subs, I simply don't see that any isolation potential exists. My main beef is with claims of substantial and audible improvements from uber expensive racks and $500 metal feet. Silliness in my view, and Barry Diament seems as delusional as geoffkait, although that might be a stretch. Note that I use guitar amps that have the speakers in the box with the amp…seismic indeed.

Of course vibration can have an impact on turntable lathes and tables themselves. However, I’m not so sure about other components without moving parts being helped much by spikes and fancy racks, and that doubt has saved me some bucks over the years…also I think the spikes I use under my preamp are Tip Toes (they’re well made heavy buggers) I bought a LONG time ago, along with some extreme sorbothane feet under my tube amp placed there to allow more air under it and so it doesn’t move when I hit the start button.

Not sure if any of these extremely wise and well written posts pointed this out (although there are far too many to actually compel me to read them), but one of the most obvious effects of stands is the fact that without them all your gear would be on the floor. 

Cable vibration is going to happen even if you put them on little stands (internal vibration? really?), and it is a part of Audio Mysticism to think vibrating cables have any effect on the sound of things (seriously…give it some thought) especially when you consider what happens once the cable reaches the vibrating speaker from which it actually hangs. It is gonna Feel the Groove so to speak, to say nothing (or to say something I suppose) about the fact that the crossover and its little important bits are generally INSIDE the speaker being subjected to serious vibrational mayhem…again…give it some thought as, amazingly, audio still has room for logic.

I don't think there is much or any problem. Obsession with cable vibration is silly, but if it sells product and allows people to worry about vibration ("Damnit Marge, it's EVERYWHERE!") instead of causing trouble elsewhere, I say have at it.

I find that the tubes in my guitar amps can only be isolated from vibration by not using them. They might still suffer some vibration from seismic sources, or from people walking around them…the doorbell (rare)…but the only real way to preserve tonality is to embrace tonelessness, and hey…nothing wrong with quiet!

Wait…I'm still hung up on Ralph's "perfectly coiffed hippy mane." Having been a Real Hippy (as opposed to a "weekend hippy"), and a working musician since 1967 where I was overexposed to all sorts of hippiedom, I can say that "perfectly coiffed" and "hippy mane" are mutually exclusive.

"Advertised health benefits" are the cornerstone of holistic pseudo medicine.