Wool Felt Footers?

Yup 

I asked both ChatGPT & google Gemini about the effectiveness of wool felt, as I am in the process of isolating my components. Both agree. Attached is the response from chatGBT. 

Benefits of Wool Felt Isolation:

1. Gentle Damping:
   Wool felt provides light mechanical damping, especially for mid-to-high frequency microvibrations. It’s soft and compressible, helping absorb some surface-born energy.
2. Surface Protection:
   Prevents scratching and can act as a barrier between metal, glass, or wood surfaces.
3. Non-Resonant:
   Wool doesn’t “ring” like rubber or plastics can. It has a natural absorptive quality.

⚠️

Limitations in Your System:

1. Poor Low-Frequency Isolation:
   Wool is not effective at isolating against bass-born vibrations (e.g., from your subwoofer or room modes), which are most problematic in audio gear.
2. No Load Handling or Decoupling:
   Wool doesn’t decouple components from shelves. It compresses too easily under weight, especially heavy gear like the BHK or 330A, and doesn’t return to shape predictably.
3. No Layered Damping or Directionality:
   Unlike Herbie’s, IsoAcoustics, or Symposium products, wool lacks engineered damping layers, so its effect is subtle and not optimized for audio bandwidth.

I also asked about cork (my Aurender has cork footers). 
 

Ultra Transparent being produced is a very particular preference for a certain selection of individuals, most want a sense of having moved towards being transparent with a end sound, but are also very secure in their acceptance of a colour influence being present.

It is each to their own, when added Color is to be cut off.

There are a selection of Colourations that can be produced, but to keep it simplified I will refer to it as follows:

1, A detectable hint of Weight that is at the base of the notes and vocals, which is able to influence the tonal character that is noticeable for being present. 

2, A noticeable weight that underpins notes and vocals, which is influencing the tonal character to a point that is very noticeable for being present. 

3, A weight is present and undeniably attached to notes and vocals, which is influencing the tonal character and frequency range to a point that it is present and can be overwhelming.

Creating a Supporting Structure for the System and then working with support for individual devices will enable systems in use using the above influences, to be tuned to meet ones personal preference for how a Color is able to influence the end sound produced. Creating this influence is not limited to to the Structure Only, the structure when working for the individual will be the gathering of the reigns, and created influences will become gathered/ tidied up. 

Measurements of a materials interaction with transferred energy are a guide only, but experiencing options in use, supplies a tremendous opportunity to attain the optimised support set up for the individual.   

@pindac 

"Creating a Supporting Structure for the System and then working with support for individual devices will enable systems in use using the above influences, to be tuned to meet ones personal preference for how a Color is able to influence the end sound produced." 

I agree with your thoughts.  My racks are very solid and stable on their own so the supporting platforms and footers may provide nuanced variations or colorations reflecting the individual materials and design.  In the case of the heavy DAC where I have used the wool felt, there are two platforms under that DAC, the very stiff BDR shelf and beneath that the constrained layer Z-slab.  The wool felt isolates the two platforms from the stand.  I suspect the density and thickness of the felt material also influences the resulting effect.  The felt I used is quite dense and firm, probably similar to an F5 or maybe F7 (although the source did not provide the rating), and is a full one inch thick. 

The actual footers under the DAC are currently platinum silicone hemispheres operating within the suggested weight range, so those probably provide an elastic spring-like effect.  I may try different footers such as felt pads as discussed by @helomech or maybe one of the stiffer options from Herbies since I have quite a few of their products around here.  The footers that came with the expensive DAC were basically bog-standard aluminum footers you can purchase from Amazon so I am interested to hear whether other materials will have a different sonic effect.