My name is Joe Ciulla... I am the designer of EquaRack products. I am not writing to tout my own products or to contradict or agree with any of the posters on this thread. Instead, I wish only to make a recommendation that may benefit all interested parties.
It would appear virtually all of the Audiogon threads on the subject of vibration control are far less than informative and non-productive. They often spiral downward into an abyss of offensive/defensive dialogs, challenges, accusations, and arguments. At the same time, the subject of the thread is almost always forgotten as the fog of war envelopes the opposing armys. Who wins these battles? is it the last poster, or the person who quits first so he or she can go back to listening to music? One thing is for sure - readers and posters who genuinely want and need to get true facts go away dismayed and empty handed! Does anyone profit or enjoy this?
I believe the solution lies largely in self-education.
Despite the fact that effective audio products are often based upon science and art, these designs rarely contradict established engineering and technological principals. In fact, the best designs usually rely on these principles as their underpinnings.
Does the product in question embody such priciples? Do you understand the priciples? If not, would you like to understand them?
Like no other industry, high-end audio if absolutely rife with mis-information and hype. This plague flourishes largely because too many people rely entirely on manufacturers claims, subjective testimonials by those who own the gear in question, by those who dont own it and havent heard it, and a swamp of anecdotal and hypothetical musings.
Instead of relying solely on others, why not do some independent reasearch on the web or in a library? One can read volumes of actual un-biased facts in textbooks and technical reports and white-papers. Using a search-engine like GOOGLE, one could enter appropriate key words such as, Vibration Damping, Vibration Isolation, Viscoelastic, Internal Friction , Hysterisis, Loss Coefficient, Transmissibility, Coulomb Friction, Resonance, Frequency, and many others.
In addition, a basic understanding of the nature of the materials used in audio equipment is of paramount importance. Read about metallurgy, plastics, composites, and rubber. Why are bells made of brass? Why is aluminum used as sole-plate material in quality cookware? Why do cars use shock absorbers instead of rubber bumpers? Why are musical instruments made of wood? You could answer all of these questions and apply the underlying principles to audio.
Armed with real knowlege, one could evaluate the audio gear in question with regards to the soundness of its engineering and technology. If the subject item makes sense based on ones educated opinion, one can then consider the manufacturers claims, and the opinions of others in a new light!
Yours Truly,
Joe Ciulla
Equa Corp. / EquaRack