Huge difference in sound : Spikes vs. Vibrapods

Tek thank you for posting this experience. My speakers are extremely dynamic, & that "gut-punching bass" is something that I'm so used to that when I hear a rig lacking those dynamics I really miss the effect; it seems to have so little PRaT.
My floor is tile on concrete, similar to yours. When I spiked my speakers I was very pleased with the result. However I also have a good assortment of Vibrapods & have wanted to try some #5's under my speakers, so thanks for the motivation! The fact that it was very difficult to perfectly align those spikes under my 125 pound speakers & then get them back into the correct placement has certainly dissuaded me from further experimentation, but it's something that I know I definitely need to try out, for curiousity's sake if nothing else.
When you hear a live band then those dynamics are obvious; this is many times what is lacking in a reproduced playback. Trust your ears above ANY measurements - go for what you like the best, it's that simple.

TEK:
Your English skills are better than many natives....I own Martin Logan SL-3's and experimented with Vibrapods and DH Labs ceramic cones (jumbo)with their pads....I got a tighter, cleaner bass response with the cones...what I liked best....my speakers sit on a wood floor attached over poured concrete.
Your posts are great....keep them coning.

Cones are the way to go IF you want to develope a more neutral sound in your system.

I have done many experiments in this area. Most people have been so conditioned to believe speakers must be spiked that
they dismiss outright any suggestion of using vibrapods or
bearings devices even though they have never actually tried them.

When using vibrapods under speakers you can simplify things
by getting 20x16 or larger glass cutting boards and then set vibrapods/speakers on top, and you can easily slide speaker on carpet/wood floor. Also 1" nylon dog leash makes good strap to loop under large heavy speakers so 1 person can lift/move.

Once you have speaker on vibrapods you will easily hear deeper more detailed bass lower midrange, however with some speakers/music it can be too much bass emphasis and not sound natural, this is mainly with bass heavy rock music.
I really like vibrapods with classical music as it brings out bass details on viols, bassons, deep horns etc. When speakers are on spikes there is shift to upper mids and treble and bass becomes tighter/leaner which may be the sound you prefer. So depending on speakers you have may like the vibrapod effect, you should try this if you feel system is currently bright and needs less treble emphasis and more bass.

The lower mid/bass also becomes more detailed with vibrapods
I feel vs spikes. I especially like using vibrapods with stand mounted monitor speakers that by design are lacking low bass response, really works wonders here.

There is also half way step between vibrapods/spikes and that is with oak blocks (cut from 1/2 x 3 trim boards) you can try. Also since bass is omni directional you can vibrapod one speaker and hear the basic effect.

Hi guys. Over the years I have always endeavored to increase the mass of dynamic speaker systems in order to lower their natural resonant frequency. I'll use my set up as a case in point. Each speaker weighs 55 lbs. The stands, unfilled, weigh about 20 pounds each and I've filled them with another 80 pounds each of a combination of sand and clay-based kitty litter. The speakers are bluetacked to the stands and the stands' pointed feet pierce the carpet to the concrete beneath. This couples everything together so that the resonant frequency of the whole is much lower than it is for an individual speaker. When I first got this pair I tried them out of he box on unfilled stands with rubber bumpers and non-piercing cones on the bottom. This gave boomy bass which didn't reach terribly low and gave male voices "in a barrel." After the changes cited above the voices sound natural and the low bass is now apparent with authority and impact.

I have not run into a dynamic speaker that hasn't responded this way, but I'm open to the possibility that a given speaker takes into accout its natural resonance as part of its design. Such a speaker will require compliant mounting. The other thing is that you should go with whatever sounds most right to you...always trust the ear!