Better sound

Hi Larry- Regarding, "better": Like I said in my first post; it's a matter of preference(completely subjective) and YMMV. By all means: experiment! If I had exposed hardwood; it would just have to suffer(a matter of priorities)! Metal under spikes is by no means optimum. BTW: Spikes are supposed to(theoretically) act as a sort of mechanical diode, allowing vibes to travel from their wider part, to their points(one direction), then into whatever they are atop("Mechanical Grounding"). Some substrates work better at that, than others(again: experimentation required). A different approach to vibration handling than the, "Energy Conservation" method of yours or the Stillpoints(converting motion into heat). Auralex is basically foam rubber, and would allow much more motion of the cabinet and drivers relative to one another(action/reaction) and to the listening position. It takes very little of that, to have a deleterious(to me, anyway) effect.

Hi Tboo I did the upgrade from standard kevlar cones to Stillpoints Ultra SS to Ultra 5 under ny Rockport Hyperions.
i can tell you, that this is the a very very good tweak.
I already had a combination of BDR shelves and the source together with the Ultra S with bases ( importaint) under all the upfront equipment as well as the hole gear is mounted on the wall and the speaker on the floor ( floor and walls are not direct atached to each other but separated with polystyren insulation, to avoid cold bridges)
The result was increased resoluiton, much finer taxture and extraodinary expancion of the sound stageas well as a more live articulation of the music. Very lively and adictive.
It is however very importain for the Ultra SS to have the correct hard surface underneath but this is relativ cheap to make experiments here. I also adtioned a set up with ProAc D100 speakers where the Ultra SS and 5 also made a emormusly positive diffence as it did for me. The Stillpoints are not cheap but compared to the effect the provide simply a must under ultra highend gear, after my opiniom.
So try them, they are worth it.
best regards

Interesting topic. I've thought about this quite a bit also. I suppose the best would be a resonance free speaker cabinent and then your speaker basically drilled into the floor but...

Do you guys think that it's good to have some sort of spiked platform like a thick piece of maple or even concrete slab (like what Elizabeth referred to) on spikes, and then place your speakers (with spikes) on ghe platform? I figure solid is best because you've got to wonder if you can easily sway your speakers, when you are playing them won't the vibrations from the speaker cones sway the speakers marring the image etc.?

On a side note, the most solid set-up I've had so far were two inch spikes screwed in the bottom of lead shot filled stands that were mounted (i.e. screwed) onto the bottom of my vandersteens. This setup was crazy heavy. I bet each speaker weighed 70 pounds and with the long pointed spikes they just dug into the wood sub floor and were pretty much rock solid but then the whole coupling vs. decoupling debate comes into play.

I've found it interesting also that even when stands are filled with lead shot and or play sand and they are heavy and sound pretty resonance free with the knuckle tap test, they still resonate with speakers on them playing music.

Anywho, I think the speaker manufacturers should just spend the extra cash to mount a really well engineered plinth to the bottoms of our speakers set-up for carpeted surfaces with an included alternate for wood floors. Sure would save us over analytical audiophiles some sleep ;-)

You don't want the cabs to move, period.