Tvad, I guess you'll just have to read through Herbie's "FAQ's" before suggesting a Battle of the Squishie's, or is it squashies, and may the best value win :>)
Audiotomb, I checked out your system, and see we "share" A fondness for the EVS Millennium DAC II, and the classic Nak's.
I use maple slabs as part of a complete Mapleshaderecords.com approach to amplifier support, and Pierre Spey recommends spiking into the wood, among other optimizing ideas.
To my ears there is an audible signature to any base, whether it is stone, or wood. And, the mechanical construction, or chemical composition of any footer between the component and the base adds an audible effect in a high resolution system. So, a lot of potential for tuning, or is it a lot of potential for frustration, in getting exactly the sound you want?
That's why I mentioned starting with an inexpensive, generally accepted, relatively neutral, yet optimizing, footer choice to get you started.
Getting back to your question: each maple base company has its own preferred stand design approach as illustrated in their advertisements on Audiogon, and on their websites. They all seem to please their purchasers.
Buying a beautifully crafted unit based on the manufacturer already doing the trial and error work for you is certainly one easy approach. I may be in the minority in having many different support variations in different systems, but I tend to stay with my classic components, and vary the tweaks.
