Maple, solid vs butcher block, vs other materials

I recently bought the highly touted Marantz SA-14 SACD player. Sounds excellent, but about the same as the 10 year old Krell that it replaced. I expected more, both of CD and of SACD playback. I have heard that setup is very important with this player.

I am about to try my favorite power cord, but I am thinking that I might want to put the player on different material.

It now sits on a stand (that can be seen in my ad for the Krell Studio on this site) made of walnut veneered plywood.

I am looking for suggestions.
I have heard good and bad about granite (other than the negative about the cost)
I have heard that maple is a great, but what type?
The advantage of getting a good thick butcher block is that if it doesn't help, I could use it in the kitchen. The one sold at Mapleshade would be useless if it doesn't work well.
Is another material better?
Should I just forget the base material?