Turntable and Rack vibration control


Hi,
I moved from a Nouvelle Platine Verdier to a Loricraft Garrard 301. The big change with this move was that the Verdier comes with a terrific implementation of pneumatic suspension feet which kept the TT almost floating and hence great isolation from vibration. The result was always a noise/grain free playback and super clean backgrounds. With the Garrard, the plinth is typical custom made stacked birch ply with standard steel cones as footers. When placed directly on the rack the background is noisy, the images muddle up and overall music is not well sorted.

I do not expect the Garrard to be as quiet as the Verdier but I know it should not be this noisy either. In fact the Verdier also sounded noisy when I placed it directly on cones bypassing the pneumatic suspension feet. 

I use a Hutter Racktime rack which is not like an overbuilt audiophile rack. It is more like an open frame rack with lightweight supports. It is a bit like a Rega TT, not very damped or controlled. The rack has pointy steel feet which rests on brass spike plates (mine is an wooden floor). I guess this implementation is not sophisticated enough to keep away vibrations and let the TT play quietly. 

I am looking at two levels of solutions:
1. Replace the existing steel feet and brass plate with a quality vibration control footer below the rack
2. Replace the stock steel cone below the TT plinth with a better footer/platform.

I have tried Sorbothane, Squash balls kind of tweaks, while they reduce noise they slow down the music too.
I have also tried Stillpoints and Finite Elemente footers under the rack. They make the sound thin and metallic IMO. Platforms like Minus-K are too expensive so I have not considered them yet.

I am looking suggestions here, probably footers and vibration control devices that are more musically oriented yet well engineered like Shun Mook, Harmonix, SSC or something like an HRS platform ?
pani
I'm simply stating my opinion which I believe represents the least compromised design. Having said that I'm a big fan of all turntables, at any price point wether it be belt, direct or idler drive. Furthermore I have experimented a fair bit with high torque motors and found no advantage regarding dynamics and noted a few disadvantages. In my design I am actually able to run the motor at half it's torque rating which netted on the fly improvements across the board. I'm open minded about it however but after a fair amount of testing this is where I've landed. 
Coming back 'on thread' so to speak - check out what EMT do with their decks. They have suspension tuned in the horizontal plane - I understand it is very effective, but there is a wholesale approach approach as opposed to a widget here and there. 
Many claim that 'three point' Linn type suspension blurs image etc - I am very curious as to why this is the case.
I am a big fan of the original Townshend Seismic Stand (the air one) which I have - it is very effective with turntables - especially those that do not have suspension.
BTW my low torque deck does have a thin polyamide belt and I have done plenty of experiments with tension - the issue remains the same and timing simply can't match my DD's and Idlers - it has other strengths though - like I said earlier.
I'll just end this part of the discussion by saying not all belt drives suffer that issue.  It's not endemic to a low torque design.  Maybe I can offer a tweak though. Disconnect your belt and give a push up to 33 rpm.let me know how long it takes to get to O.  
I use a 100lb concrete block, then a sheet of felt, then a marble counter top, all mounted on a heavy duty butchers block table with DIY spikes underneath. I have a pier and beam house, but I paid some kids to crawl under the house and install some DIY supports under my speakers and equipment rack. Works for me.
Everything should be isolated. Not only audio components and speakers but all the heavy items in the room, chest of drawers, bookcase, couch, big overstuffed chairs. The most cost effective way to isolate furniture is with Small DH Cones but any cones will suffice. Super DH Cones are probably not (rpt not) cost effective but would be the best sounding. Maybe check the tweak closet for any cones you might have tossed in there.