VPI Magic Brick or Webster's Dictionary

I owned a preamp for many years that actually recommended the VPI Brick right in the owners manual. It even told where exactly to place it. It did quiet things slightly. This preamp has a built phono stage, so along with the power supply there was a lot going on inside.

I have gone the cheap route with some gear (bag of sand or lead shot).

I have read reviews elsewhere and seen people here claim the Shun Mook Mpingo (wood) discs work.....seems incredible if true since they are not very heavy and apparantly somehow "tune" vibrations. (of course they are not cheap!)

I do use some cheap Mapleshade Heavy Hats which are brass discs in two sizes you place on top of gear to control vibration, the benefits if any seem to be small.

In general I don't see much mass loading of gear used now, since there are many advanced vibration management
systems.......Aurios, Sistrum etc. which seem to be very effective.

To answer your specific question I would use neither of the two objects you are inquiring about.

I bought one VPI brick in 1988. Still have it, used it on everything that I could, and frankly never found a dfference good OR bad in the sound. It is useful for adding mass to the top of a CDP, and looks nicer than some things you could use. My advise would be to make your own box out of your favorite hardwood and fill it with lead shot or a mix of lead and sandbox sand (I say sandbox sand because it is supposed to be "sanitzed"). You'll have the same thing and will have saved yourself about 70.00, save the Websters for reading while you're listening.

If a fourth little pig were to build his house out of VPI Bricks, could the big bad wolf of audio neurosis still blow it down? (BluTac for mortar no doubt...)

Pickup one of those 10 lb. plastic covered dumb bells at SportMart. Just make sure to dust it once in awhile so that folks will think it gets some practical use.