hardwood floors and spikes

Depending on the hardness of the wood floor i.e. maple or oak, I would rest the point tips right onto the floor.

If you use Audio Points(TM), simply place your equipment carefully without dragging it. The indentations are so minute, that nobody would probably notice. One drop of polyurethane could take care of that slight indentation.

The coupling discs are the next best thing and yes they preserve the floor surfaces but also compromise performance.

I would stay away from all the other ideas of plexiglas, etc., etc., as these would denegrade performance much more than coupling discs.

-IMO

Bomarc, I believe the reason for having spikes, cones, or points is to provide a focused and expedient exit path for any and all air-borne vibrations and resonance captured by the coponent above them. This would adhere to the mechanical transfer to ground of air-borne vibrations and resonance principles (as opposed to isolation and dampening).

In addition if the spike, cone, or point is designed properly it also prevents any vibration from entering into the component, rack, and/or speaker. In other words, it provides a one-way street to ground(sub-flooring) for exit but not entry.

As for driving the spike hard into the floor, I've never heard that. I do believe that one should desire the points to descend into the flooring system but only as much as the weight above it forces it into the floor.

I know with Star Sound's Audio Points(TM), one simply rests the spiked rack or speaker onto the floor, wait about 7 days while a mechanical break-in occurs, and behold, there is music.

-IMO