Slate vs Granite vs Maple?

Generally I use Maple where I want to warm up a piece and Granite where I want to liven up a piece..I am sure there are exceptions to the rule but Maple-Solid State and Digital and Granite for tubes..Just my general rule...

You might consider having the rack designed to accommodate after market shelves like the Symposium's.

I think wood is the way to go. Pretty stiff and yet still has great damping.

Arthur

Research "Corian" It's completely non-resonant in the audio/audible bandpass. It's available in a bunch of thicknesses and colors: (http://www2.dupont.com/Surfaces/en_US/products/corian/corian_use_gallery.html)

Hmm, interesting... so since I have tubes, the best bet is probably granite. Maybe I'll try the combination. Rodman, thanks for the link to Corian, but I was under the impression that total non-resonance isn't necessarily good for TTs? I heard phenomenal things about Neuance shelves... are they out of business? I'd love to get one but I never see any on AG. How does Symposium compare with the Neuance?

All tubes and all maple here (much like this photo), and would not go any other way. Two other audio friends who also post here, Sbank and Sliptknot1, have followed the same path with great results in their tube-based systems.
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Non of the listed is very good - they all impose their sonic signature to everything. I have had success with Gingko products. Check their website. They are mighty nice people too.

I think in this hobby, there are no absolutes. What I mean is, one type of isolation may better suit a certain component, while another will suit the other component.

For TTs, I believe the best is still a combination of high mass (granite or equivalent) and a medium density material (maple or composites). Granite by itself rings. Maple/composites absorb this ringing. Maple by itself does not remove very low frequency feedback from full range speakers. However if you put them together, maple/composite cancels out the ringing, while the granite removes the low freq vibration.

I would not recommend putting a TT high up between the speakers as this affects the imaging. Placing it low and/or along the side wall is a better option.

One of the most impressive TT isolation boxes I've seen is Charlieboy's:

The box is made of solid maple pieces. Maple is very good for vibration control. The box is 2 inches thick. It measures 6" tall x 24" deep x by 32" wide. The box is screwed together then Ii caulked the inside so no sand could escape. The box itself weighs around 60lbs. Then i filled it almost to the top with 100lbs of fine washed beach sand that I bought at Lowes for about 4 bucks a 50lb bag. Then I had a 1" thick slab of granite cut to the inside demensions of the box.

You might be able to take some of these ideas and incorporate it into a larger audio rack.

A lot of great ideas here! Thanks, guys. Charlieboy's idea's intriguing, especially as it incorporates the granite slab within the maple box. I'll make sure to bounce these ideas off my carpenter. I guess no one's really a proponent of slate, though?

Granite sucks the life out of the music. I've used the granite slab under the solid state power supplies for my tube equipment and I don't like the results. A maple platform allows the harmonics to remain intact and the frequency balance is more even through the whole range from bass to treble.

I have found that heavy brass footers draw the tiny vibrations away from my turntable and into a 4" maple platform with great results. The sound became cleaner, tighter and more focused. If I had the space and money, I would do this for each of my components and place them in an adjacent room, away from the speakers. I use the system from Mapleshade, but I'm sure Walker and others may be just as good.

I also like the idea of a sand-filled maple box with a floating thick maple top (ie. resting on the sand eliminating all air-spaces.) All this under brass footers.