Tube Preamp Isolation suggestions

Thanks fro the great responses folks. As always, well thought out and informative. In teresting the comment on the power suppley, which is separate frpm my pre. I have focused on isolating that and it does seem to make a difference. I'll have to investigate these other suggestions further. Thanks.

I believe a massive stand works the best. This principle is what drives TT makers to use very substantial plinths. You can see that as the TT maker's line goes up in "quality" towards their top of the line, the plinths and overall mass-the table etc. become more and more massive. This is done to prevent the ultra sensitive low output MC carts protected from vibration. Lloyd Walker maker of the renowned Proscenium, TT, insists that not only a massive table is required but that the stand must be very massive as well.
I like the idea of a tube of gas around the whole pre-amp but think the tubes would be the culprit. If you haven't sourced them from a dealer who tests for micophophy I would test them. The tube dampers are never as good as not using a microphonic tube in the first place.

To escalate on what Rlawry stated, Bright Star Audio makes some very good platforms that contain an air bladder inside. I have two, one for my tubed preamp and one for my CD player. I am pleased with them, they work very well, are pleasing to the eye, and are reasonably priced compared to some of the other isolation platforms available. Just note that these types of platforms are constructed for light weight components, certainly not a 150lb amp.

FWIW, a bit of interesting reading on this subject can be found at Galen Carols website ( gcaudio.com ) under the reviews section. There is a comparison review of numerous footer type products rated by his perceived effectiveness and value. Independently of his opinions, I have found dh golden sound ceramic cones to be effective in fine tuning the sound of preamps. My power amp actually seems to respond more to changes in footers than either of my preamps. Looking at your system, I see you've used wood platforms and mappleshade cones in numerous instances. Have you found them to be effective or make substantive improvements?

If you have an outboard power sup. addressing it may help. on mine, the audio is affected only by addressing it, not the preamp itself. I think I could turn my pre on it's side and it'd play well still. My pre has the BDR feet as OEM eq.

I've also heard from another owner of the same pre, that those boston Acoustic footers take it up another step by adding a greater spacial value.... though I've not tried them myself.

An "oh, BTW, DIY mdf" platform under the pre itself, also helped.

the most substantial and noticeable change came by the use of tube rings from herbie's Audio Labs. ...on the signal tubes... not the output... Well, they worked for me in two different preamps. And, yes, even the cheap ones made positive changes.

A good rack or preamp stand will yield still greater improvements... and a dedicated power line is beneficial too.

Good luck.

I still believe the old adage that you isolate your component from a less stable platform and couple it to a more stable platform. One thing that works really well is to use air to isolate components, i.e. small inner tubes. When I was in graduate school we had some very sensitive equipment that needed to be isolated from airborne and furniture-borne vibrations, and using inner tubes from wheelbarrows worked the best of anything we tried. There are now some commercial air platforms on the market.

You will get as many different opinions as there are audiogoners. I like the Symposium Rollerblocks, especially with the tungsten balls. I've tried many different isolation devices and these seem to work the best. I also place a pair of 5 lb. coated lead scuba weights on top of my tube pre-amp.