Cconfused...

@elizabeth

exotic wood bits under the equipment

Do you mean like the Yamamoto ebony wood blocks, the myrtle wood blocks from  Cardas, or something else?

Regarding the discussion of this thread, I find dynamics to be important to my satisfaction with a system, i.e., the ability of the system to transition between the loudest and softest passages, as well as impact, or the ability of the system to create the illusion that the listener can “feel” certain dynamics as they can be perceived in life, such as a kick drum or stand up (or electric) bass. I have found that ability to be mostly a function of amplifier power, speaker efficiency, speaker driver size, and room size.....you need enough power and headroom to more than “adequately” drive the speakers, which themselves must be able to move enough air for the size room they are being asked to fill with music.

For someone with a lot of spare time ⏰ and money 💰 💰. It’s the Tile and Crystal Tweak! Here’s what you need. Lots of 4x4 inch ceramic tiles. Lots of Mikro Brilliant Pebbles (small crystals of various types). Lots of audio cones - preferably DH Cones, Small, Medium and Super sizes. If you’re strapped for cash use only DH Cones or if you’re really hurting for cash any cones will suffice.

Here’s how it works. You build little ceramic tripod tables with one ceramic tile supported by three cones. Here’s the tricky part: place the ceramic tile tripod wherever there’s a vibrational “node” in the room. A vibrational node can be anywhere unwanted acoustic or mechanical energy is at a peak. 🔝 E. g., top of tube trap, on floor against side wall, on top of speaker cabinet, etc. You can either guess where the peaks are in the room or measure them with a sound pressure level SPL meter. Finally, place one Mikro Brilliant Pebbles on top of the ceramic tile tripod.

It’s is practically impossible to run out of places where these little dickens will not improve the sound. For the advanced audiophile: Doubling the number of tiles and cones by constructing a DOUBLE tripod table is even better! 🤗 Start hoarding your Brilliant Pebbles and DH Cones now! As Bob Dylan says at the end of all his songs, good luck to you.

@Elizabeth Several years ago I read about using pumice stones as footers under my cdp. Though a skeptic, these are readily available and cheap. (Used for pedicures). I picked up some of them and tried it. I could not believe what I was hearing and how much better. as you say, like different tubes which are better. This began my experiments with footers. I learned about DIY roller blocks which took the performance up even further. I also learned that I can change the sound by changing the material which the ball is made from. Wood is best for my system. Metal and stone balls tend to emphasize the high frequencies more than wood. However I can see that if my system were bass heavy, the metal or stone balls would be my preference to add some clarity. Its quite interesting that such small changes can make such a difference.

@ishkabibil  I am a drummer who, like you appreciate a good bass line. I have fought for years to get the bass up to where it sounds right. My room is very large which helped emphasize the lack of bass. I've always heard the tubes do not do bass as well as solid state. IMO, this is not the case. It was only after I got a tube amp that I heard bass with the body that a bass generally has.