Are all "Floor Protectors"& TipToes Created Equal?



I'm looking to protect the wood floors of my 18th century house. They've been there much longer than ever I will be, and from respect I'd like to leave floors without spike holes to the next steward of this house.

I need 16 of these items: four under my TT platform, three under each speaker, three under the equipment rack and three under the CD player.

Is one 'floor protector' or 'footer' (placed under equipment spikes, racks and the like) better than another?

Is one type better for speakers than for equipment racks? (my speakers weigh about 100 pounds apiece, all told)

Why? (just personal preference, or is there a musically relevant reason?)

Is one material preferable to another?

What has your experience been?

Thanks for your time and your thoughts.

David Kellogg
128x128cdk84
There are many good products available and it would be difficult to say one is better than another as an absolute. Some might do one thing a little better than another one.

For speakers, I use spikes with cups under the spike to protect the hardwood floor. I prefer a cup that has the thinnest, tiniest bit of rubber or felt underneath it. Otherwise the cup can leave an impression; although it is less than the impression that would be caused if somebody walked across the floor with high heels. Older hardwood floors that do not have the mulitple layers of factory applied finish, as is found in modern hardwood floors, are not as hard and are more susceptible to dimpling. So the wider the cupped base, the better.You might even try a stone or granite square base to increase surface area, with the spiked speaker or stand placed on top of that; although that can introduce other problems.

Generally you want something that has a good connection with the floor but a small surface area to minimize vibration transfer into the equipment from below. That's why spikes are good. The flat base or cup for the spike is then added only to protect the floor.

There is no reason why the stand needs different protectors than the speakers. The same purpose is being served. Individual component products, which are smaller than stand/speaker stands, can be useful in protecting vibrations from one component travelling through the stand into another component. Personally, I have not found any advantage in isolating individual components other than a turntable. A turntable may have a good isolation base with a suspension system anyways. Others do notice a benefit from isolating individual components. I think it would benefit tubed equipment in particular, in addition to turntables.

Here is an interesting product that is not expensive but very good.

http://www.uhfmag.com/Issue61/Superspikes.html

It is an integrated spike and cup in one unit. It avoids the problems of having a spikes speaker/stand bunmped out of the cup. I have noticed that this can easily occur with shallow cups. It also makes moving speakers about for tweaking positioning a lot easier.
You might want to check out the coupling discs that Starsound Technologies (Sistrum) offer as well. I use their stands and they are superb and make a significant difference, especially in front-end performance.
Marigo Audio Mystery Feet would change your musical life. Very expensive, but there's no comparison to anything else. And the manufacturer will give you a 30-day free trial period. There are separate designs for different applications.