HRS M3 vs Symposium Ultra platform

I use Ultra platforms under my amps and under my linestage, and Svelte Shelves under my speakers. Symposium products do a good job dissipating vibrations. A friend has a huge HRS rack and shelves which, at least in terms of construction, looks and finish, are in an enirely different class.

These are tuning devices, meaning that it is impossible to say whether their effect will be positive or even negative absent trial. It would be easier to tweak systems if "more" were always better, but that is NOT the case. In a friend's system, I heard the effect of using an Ultra shelf under an Aero Capitole CD player. The shelf had a dramatic effect, but, in this particular system, that effect was entirely negative (sound became way too lean and dry) to everyone who participated in the trial. I've heard this sort of thing with other CD players as well. My own CD player (Naim CD555) seemed relatively immune to the effects of such platforms or use of rollerball type couplers.

Isolation devices and devices that dissipate vibrations as heat, and all other similar tweaks, have to be tried in a system to determine if they will improve the sound. Yes, they "work" in terms of altering the sound, but, that could be either a good thing or a bad thing.

Marty,

Those tweaks that "work" (affect the sound) have a sonic signature. Most of the time, dampening vibration is desirable, particularly because it improves clarity and resolution. But, I am just warning that whether one likes the result is a matter of taste, system tuning and synergy. That is particularly the case with components like speakers and turntables. A turntable that effectively controls internally generated vibration and blocks external vibration may be described by some as quiet and well behaved, while others might characterize that same table as lifeless--it is a matter of taste and how each component interacts with or complements others.

Because CD players are mechanical devices, they generate a lot of vibration internally and are probably sensitive to external vibration so shelves or rollerblocks would normally be expected to have a substantial impact on the sound. More often than not, I would expect a positive effect, but, there is the possibility you won't like the effect.

I have also heard amps placed on Silent Running Audio (SRA)platforms. Those are quite effective too, but can be quite expensive. Like the HRS platforms, the SRA platforms are customized for each particular component (the weight and weight distribution of the component is factored into the design so that the dampening layers are optimally compressed).

Another caveat: It is easy to get caught up in certain obvious improvements, like greater clarity and resolution of detail, and end up losing something else that is harder to quantify or explicitly recognize ("musicality" or repose and grace). I've done this myself with certain tweaks. I wish it were the case that there is a defined formula or path for "improvement," but it really is not that simple.