Vibration Theory - Isolate or Drain?

"All of these are filters of sorts and there is no such thing as a perfect filter anymore than isolation is perfect or even possible except in the absence of matter. "

Hmmmm....that would probably explain the proliferation of vibration isolation devices for audio applications in the past 12 years.

LOL

Geoff

Paint by number, flavor of the month, retune your system because you don't like it today, mix and try to match, hodge podge, soup sandwich...greed, great marketing.
All based around the misuse and misapplication of the word isolation. Crying out loud.. Vibration can be given direction to ground..and has for more than 12 years aahh since the big bang. So called isolation devices and associated materials only interfere with the transfer of energy to greater mass. My preference is material grounding because it is predictable, consistent and musical and works outside of the impossibility of isolation. Tom

Perhaps you don't acknowledge or are dismissing the transfer of seismic/structural vibration to the component. I mean, that's really the whole point of isolation. isn't it?

If I am I reading Theaudiotweak right, I think he means isolation without knowing what you are isolating within the equipment is meaningless in the end. You don't know what modes (components in the equip) you are isolating and which ones you are exciting. Unless of course the isolation is designed custom made for the particular equip.

There is more guranteed and predicted results with weighing down or grounding the equipment. Of course type of material used to ground is important. You do not want material that rings or its own 'sound' to it.

Overall , agreed with Theaudiotweak.

The problem is all frequencies are coming up from the floor to the component, not just selected frequencies. Of particular importance, obviously, are frequencies in the range 8-15 Hz, the resonant frequencies of such things as tonearms, cartridges, CD laser assemblies, things of that nature. Higher frequencies excite other elements such as capacitors, internal wiring, chassis, and so on. So, there's no need to "know what you are isolating within the equipment." Follow?

My cd sounds more open and tuneful and faster when it is mechanically grounded and not isolated. Mass loaded turntables sound more open and tuneful and faster when they are mechanically grounded and not isolated. Most of the resonant energy in a system is generated from with in the systems components. If you attempt to damp the vibration within a capacitor all you have succeeded in doing is increase the time for that vibration to exit the capacitor. The longer that damped vibration lingers the longer its bad influence will affect the signature of that capacitor. The same is true for resistors, transistors, transformers etc. I no longer make the futile attempt to damp any of my components either externally or internally. Every thing is hard mounted and heading to ground. Tom

I'm not referring to damping the capacitor, I'm referring to isolating the component from structureborne vibration. So I suppose one could say your argument is a bit of a strawman, if you know what I mean.

Furthermore, most of the energy in the component is actually generated by the structureborne vibration, you know, the seismic kind, not by the component itself. Not even by airborne vibration. So I guess we'll have to agree to disagee.

emplying devices under or on top of a component, is a form of tuning, like a tone control. since no stereo system is perfect, hard or soft objects will affect the frequency response. i would conjecture that the choice to absorb or drain is subject to personal taste.

i prefer soft objects, because i find that usuually, hard materials, "harden" the sound.

Geoff your are right in this case I do disagree with you. Tom

The measurement of discombobulation when using a complex collaborator to discombobulate vibration complications is ludicrous when signalling metros anomalies.  

English!?

I isolate the massive base, then drain to it. Mass load each piece of equipment. Seems effective.