Pads or Spikes?

Salamander 5 Shelf Rack

Due to space limitations my audio rack had to be the one above, so bear in mind that piling 200lbs total of lead bricks on top of some components and their shelves was all about mitigating vibration and creating more inertia in a cramped situation. I also replaced the black steel threaded rods with brass rod, brass nuts, brass washers and rubber compression washers which of course helped immensely with preventing loosening of the joints. All of this has created an extremely "still" rack and much more composure and articulate detail in playback with better tonal authenticity and more articulate bass.

Also, most of my components are relatively light in weight - Holo Audio May, Holo Audio Serene, and Audion MK3 monoblocs. The monoblocs won't admit such weight atop them, but the marble plate on which they rest atop the cherry shelving is weighted down around the Audions.

In other words, this is a strategy for lightweight racks and lightweight components.

 

 

Check out my thread in the misc section.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/stack-audio-auva-isolator

 

ozzy

WHEELS (or skid plates), 3, sized for your speaker’s weight and floor material

Toe-In Alternates, Alternate Speaker Positions

recent Speakers on Wheels Discussion

Agreed, but coupling to the floor or shelf with weight is another thing entirely and especially so with components that are not especially beefy. It can make a huge difference in sound quality in a reasonably compact package. A lead brick 2x4x8 inches weighs around 20lbs. They can be placed atop a component and also be placed around the component on the shelf it is sitting on. One thing I noticed is that what are used as footers for the lead brick matters - felt was for me anyway a big no-no - vinyl or silicone self-stick bumpers commonly available in hardware stores were vastly better. Used lead bricks are invariably somewhat beat up and won’t sit "still" unless given footers attached in a triangle pattern on the bottom.

The bricks should be painted to inhibit oxidized lead from eventually entering the room atmosphere even though lead takes quite awhile to oxidize in the controlled atmosphere of a home. Painting is also helpful to keep lead off your skin when handling the bricks although all the bricks I have purchased are not super soft lead. They contain alloys like antimony to harden them up a bit and not be very "marking" or oxidizing.

I also use these bricks atop speakers to give them more mass, and this had made quite the sonic difference as well although some may object on aesthetic grounds. Painting the bricks black and arranging them in suggestive patterns atop my Cornwall 4's always elicits curiosity and novelty among the guests.

+3 Townshend Podiums. I have them under my main speakers.

Coupling speakers to the floor is one of many silly audiophile myths.

+ Townshend Podiums seem to sonically be the best closely followed by GAIA footers.

Leave original component footers in place. Put lead bricks (with self-stick vinyl bumpers attached) atop components. This is by far the most silent option I have tried.

Years ago our living room was on a ground level concrete slab. Spiked feet on my heavy speakers worked great. My current living room is a suspended frame floor with carpeted sheathing.... the same spikes on the same speakers just exaggerated the resonance of the floor, and bass was boomy and ill-defined. Spring pucks worked much better in that situation. YMMV. As @hilde45 says, "do something" and see....

This is definitely one of those areas where the best advice is "do something" and "see how it sounds and looks" and then move on. Every little bit helps, but you have to live with it and try to get back to other aspects of the system or just the music, itself.

I agree with the decouple/pads approach suggested by others here and I have had good luck with damped springs, such as sold by Townshend.  If you want to try it without spending a lot you could consider an elastomer solution (basically another type of damped spring) or a less expensive spring solution like this or this to get started.

+1 Townshend  — I’ve rarely if ever read such unanimous and enthusiastic praise for any tweak-type product.  I’ve also read of people replacing Gaia products with Townshend but never vice versa, FWIW.

dampened springs.

 

De-couple is best. See this.