Isolation Cones vs Cheap Cables

larryi
Cones, footers, platforms--they are all tuning devices. As such, none are universally beneficial. For example, if a cone does its job of transferring vibrational energy from the speaker/stand to the floor, that may or may not be helpful--if the floor is a suspended wood floor, and the system is suffering from booming bass, coupling the speaker to the floor might turn the floor into a sounding board that makes matters worse.

>>>>Actually vibration isolation, real isolation I.e., mass-on-spring isolation, is probably the most reliable of all the various methods for vibration isolation and control. That’s why the professionals employ good solid old fashioned mass on spring isolation. You know, professionals like the isolation engineer dudes at LIGO, the project to detect gravity waves, the amplitude of which is only the diameter of a proton. When only the very best will do. Cones, footers, Herbie, Racks, Symposium, etc. just won’t cut it. And the best thing about mass on spring isolation is works both ways - it dampens self inflicted and acoustic vibration AND attenuates seismic type vibration. It’s TWO, TWO mints in one! 🤗 the degree to which mass on spring is system dependent but not whether is works or not. 

DH Cones are also very reliable due to their extreme hardness. That’s why they’re called DH Cones. Of course some people will screw up anything.

The only good vibration is a dead vibration.

Most often it is the case that more damping and killing of vibration is a good thing, but, it is not always the case.  I heard a demonstration using progressively more extensive (and expensive) damping of vibration for a CD player.  This involved various Symposium platforms and couplers.  At the highest level of damping/'isolation, the sound became too dry and analytical.  This was the opinion of everyone listening to the changes, including the Symposium representative with an obvious financial interest in selling their top of the line product.

Millercarbon:

I tried two types of "Racing Cones" maybe 25 years ago and did not care for either.

Same as with all the other cones I've tried using Three (instead of Four) offered increased stability.  

I ended up using Greater Ranges/Neuance shelves with the stock feet on my CD deck and with NOS replacement feet on my Thorens deck.

The Neaunce shelves (early versions) are supported by Four upturned adjustable brass spikes (each) which were supplied with my audio rack.

The spikes required constant adjustment until I ended mig welding the rack into a solid structure, but the Four spikes the rack rides on still require adjustment occasionally, probably due our building settling (I live in the Los Angeles area).

The only footers I've used/liked were rectangular nail buffing sponges (via my wife) for a light weight Bel Canto DAC 1, little EAR rings that held a small metal ball bearing (gifted to me by member Brûlée) and in a pinch cold water faucet washers on my Thorens prior to obtaining NOS replacement feet. 

DeKay

I appreciate all the responses and options.  As usual, lot's of ways to skin a cat! 

Millercarbon, what are you using as Round Things?  I notice you have the the words capitalized.  Is "Round Thing" a brand?  My google of the term couldn't find anything specific to a brand.  What are they and what additional purpose do they serve, isolation redundancy and additional stabilization and balancing of the component? 

I am certainly a neophyte in this arena but am enjoying the journey and absorbing as much info as I can!  I think I'm making up for lost time.  I was a self proclaimed audiophile in my teens, as much as one could be who didn't own a sound system but had a subscription to Stereo Review!  Ha!   I listened to my older brother's system.  Eventually, when in college, I used my tuition money to buy a Realistic STA 95, Realistic monitors, Realistic cassette deck and a Kenwood DD turntable.  I was in heaven but needless to say, my parents weren't very happy with me!  I still own the turntable!  I wish I still owned the Receiver, for I'd display it as a piece of mid century industrial design art!   I got into home theater sound-surround in 1995 and as far as listening to music, it was nothing but background distraction when I was working or in a car! 

This past March I got the hankering to hook up my turntable.  I quickly went down the rabbit hole and here I am.  Aside from a new system I converted our sun room into a listening room and yea, I even bought a couple of White Hot Stampers!  Next are power cords and room treatments.  Does it ever end? 

I think I just hijack my own thread?  Sorry.

Optimizing your 2 channel home audio is a worthy and necessary thing to do. It takes some inspiration to set out to improve your sonic performance for the better. The audio hobby rarely offers instantaneous fantastic clarity/power/detail/authority/quietness even with higher priced components. Expensive gear can have lots of odd, off-putting sonic characteristics when done wrong.

Could I ask a follow up question about the 3 versus 4 speaker footers discussed in your first post? Since my tall Thiel speakers are sitting on Sound Anchors low stands, I have one spike out the front onto a round stainless cup about 2” in diameter on the carpet. The other 2 spikes of the triangle are at the rear. I have no small kids or pets running through the living room. The Thiel speakers are sitting directly on the low Sound Anchors metal bar with no rubber cone or metal spike transitioning the bottom of the speaker to the low stand (these stands only raise the Thiele like 1” off the carpet). Could I improve the clarity of my vocals, +/or tighten the sound up a bit by isolating this critical area better? 

This is where the audiophile hobby involves actively listening and auditioning. For the time being I was going to slide 4 rubber discs, one under each corner then listen again to some of my more disappointing CD’s with veiled vocals or compressed sonics to trust if I can detect any change in the sound quality. 

The people who who responded so far seem to favor having 4 footers for speakers as preferable sonically and structurally for our heavy speakers. My Thiel CS3.6’s weigh #108 each. I would be bummed if one of them got knocked down somehow.