Biggest audio hoaxes

I run my speakers on both concrete foundation in finished room with thin dense carpet and pad and others. No isolation needed below speakers or sub in the room at foundation level. Others yes. My sub and speakers even face the turntable within several feet and no problem. I have an Auralex Subdude I bought for the sub in another room so I use it but not really needed. Detail soundstage and imaging to the nth degree. No mud or haze. It’s a ideal setup from a vibration perspective. First time ever for me. So I am going to disagree with MC on this. No need to add any isolation much less expensive options. Ymmv but a waste of money in my opinion. Of course neither is it likely to hurt if designed to do its job well so no harm likely either other than to bank account.

Also the speakers appear to wobble on the Townsend stands in the video.  Are they supposed to do that?   That’s different and would definitely impact the sound not necessarily for the better overall I would expect.  

I've worked as a mechanic a LOG time. Vibration and harmonics GROW if it's not treated with concrete over soil. Two fold over time as things dry more and more between the soil and the concrete.  There is a gap that forms between the two materials. One is solidified (concrete) one is not (soil). They are NOT bound one to the other, when the concrete is poured.

IF you were lucky the guys that poured the slabs compacted the ground or it's poured on a big ol ROCK.

ALL slabs on SOIL get noisier over time, to a point. The way to stop it is to pour friction piers on centers underneath the slab.  A pre slab pour or monolithic makes no difference. One the slab is independent of the piers one they are tied together via mechanically (rebar ties).

Most residential is a 3 1/2" slab. BOUNCING on top of the spring like soil it's VERY NOISY but worst of all the harmonics BUILD as the room loads. It get worse and decay rates go through the roof..

Ricochet Biscuit, come to mind..

DECOUPLE..  and dampen everything you can from vibration. Spikes DO NOT work they are not a hoax they just don't work as advertised.

Dense (normally heaver) cabinet materials work better also, TO a point.

We always isolate or it will deteriorate. In this case SQ. You won't notice it UNTIL you clean it up..

SPIKES are an expensive thing for sure.

Not a fan of spikes. Prefer isolation pads when needed. Auralex Subdude does the job period. Not expensive, but effective and versatile. I’m sure there are other ways. YMMV. Isolation is one area where if it works in a studio it will work at home. I am also an Isoacoustics fan and use those as well. That’s not to say that the home audio high end vendors will not find a way to convince some people they need more, sell junked bed springs for a hefty profit, etc.

This is a good time to use common sense. IF you believe your concrete floor is resonating, do you really think that the transference of those vibrations to the speaker is going to create more sound than what is already in the room?

Your speaker is already creating all kinds of frequencies at once. It is moving. Do you think that the very very high mass of the concrete floor (w.r.t. the speaker driver) is going to appreciably move?

Do you really think the small level of dampening material in an isolation stand is going to provide more dampening than huge amount of material that a concrete floor is sitting on?

Not sure what to make of the video. He's showing vibrations when walking on concrete and tapping the speaker box. I didn't see how sensitive the measuring device was set. He talked about how if music was playing how bad the vibrations would be but for some reason didn't play any music to see how audible they are as he walked across the floor. I'd need more evidence and would try something cheaper or homemade first.