What's the best isolation system?

"The Sistrum racks are really quite awful... bright and hashy and not mention UGLY."

You might want to try a different approach to realize credibility of your comments, just something to think about Chelillingworth. Something like "I tried the sistrum and neuance, etc and IN MY OPINION or IN MY SYSTEM the symposium worked better and this is what I heard. Providing more detail as to the specific results in your system would be more beneficial than your slam which tells us nothing other than you just might like to invite high handed controversy.

I have also listened to the symposium shelves under the tt and thought it did a very good job in providing greater image focus and placement of instruments and vocalist on the stage than without. I haven't used their isolation bearings. I am currently evaluating the Still Points but the verdict is not in yet, pluses and minuses but there appears to be a change in character at certain upper frequencies that I didn't note before, maybe a problem elsewhere or a resonant peak. These devices take time to get a handle on. I haven't heard everything out there and even if I did there are just too many considerations for one product to better all others in every application. I am much interested in the neuance and sistrum as well.

I will also vote for the Sistrum. I love mine. The science behind it makes sense to me. I think it's beautiful. Even my wife, who had no comment when I got the beautiful Audo Meca Mephisto II and the gorgeous Syrah Supratek, commented "Wow! Thats cool looking!" To each his own, as it should be.

there is no doubt that the best isolation system is a combination of mass and air suspension, tuned properly and in layers. the concept is the extreme example of a constrained layering. the mass keeps the air from influenceing the next layer.

my Rockport Sirius III turntable seems to be an excellent example of this concept. if you consider what a siesmograph does then it is easy to understand that to some degree a phono stylus acts as a siesmograph. in addition to earth movement you have low-frequency vibration thru the floor from the speakers. the Rockport starts with a 250 pound stand, has an self-leveling air suspension, then a 200 pound plinth, then an air bearing, then a 65 pound platter, then the stylus and arm, then an air bearing on the arm. only the platter, record, stylus and arm wand (not the arm assembly) have any contact during play.

the influence of air born vibration is minimized by the mass of the platter and the arm design. when you hear the result of this over the top approach it is clear that it surpasses any other approach. i think it safe to say that a turntable is the item most influenced by vibration.

is this approach practical?...maybe not....but it is the best isolation system.

I tried the sistrum rack with the encouragement of a dealer and in my opinio they are really quite awful... bright and hashy and not mention UGLY.

I have also had the opportunity to try the nuence platforms and while I find them to be OK and an improvement over nothing they pale in every regard to the Symposium products which I feel excel in every regard.

Now I won't anybody's feelings, man this is boring ... I'm going to go sit and spin on my rollerblocks

Mike, I HANG my Aleph 2 monos from the joists under the speakers in my basement! Does this meet your MASS+AIR SUSPENSION qualification?