Platforms: granite, marble, maple or other?



What's the best isolation material for equipment platforms (amp and speakers on a wood joist floor)?

Stone: granite, marble, concrete?
or
Wood: maple, etc.?

Thanks
akaddict

Showing 2 responses by viggen

From what I learned from a few mechanical and electrical engineers, every material has its own native resonance frequency. To reduce material resonance from being transmitted, the best thing you can do is combine a variety of material that has varied native resonance frequencies together.

Have you ever experienced the phenomenon when you hit two identical tuning forks point them at each other? They will amplify each others resonance and ring tone will get louder. I think this is the philosophy behind most platforms ie neuance and symposium.

Of course, certain materials does not resonante but absorbs certain frequencies such as wood or most inert materials such as plastic or lead.

I've been wanting to purchase Symposium Svelte shevles for quite some time, but I haven't had the nerve to give them my cc #. Instead, I've experimented with placing books and wooden blocks under components to absorb resonance. I found books more effective in removing digital glare when placed under transports. Amps go deeper and throws a wider sound stage with a phone book underneath it but sounds a bit more sterile at the same time.

Lately, and please laugh with me not at me here, I am using $10 white and transparent plastic chopping boards underneath my transport and amp. You know, the culinary kind. The difference is less bass but also increased clarity. I like the plastic chopping blocks. You too can get yours at Target for $10 a piece. The clear ones I got have rubber feet underneath too.
Gregm, I am using monitor speakers, so I don't have extreme lows in the first place. But, after adding the chopping boards, some of the lows diminished in my system too. But, I did get more clarity, and that is more important to me. Also, I am using a dejitter that adds 2 bit of noise/resolution, and this adds a bit of emphasis in the highs. So, I don't notice losing anything in the highs. Loss of tonality though... ?