Stillpoints Ultra SS vs spikes on concrete


My speakers are currently spiked on a solid concrete floor through medium weight Berber carpeting. Does anyone know if Stillpoints Ultra SS in place of the spikes provides a material improvement in isolation from vibration under these conditions?
gadiamond
I would make sure your spikes are actually penetrating the carpet and sitting directly on the concrete. I used a sharp pointed X-acto hobby knife to make a small "X" so the spike actually sits on concrete. It made an obvious improvement.
Like the SS Ultras, have a set under my speakers, and they were a real improvement coming from spikes on a suspended wooden floor (with granite in between). That said, a good solid spike into concrete is a real solid (pun intended) solution. I'd be a lot less quick to assume that the Stillpoints would be an improvement under your circumstances (and, personally, I likely wouldn't have bothered had I concrete to spike to in the first place). At root, they provide a fundamentally different approach -- coupling and mass-loading v. isolation -- and which might work better in your particular setup may be unknowable absent some experimentation. If you're really itching to find out, try a set from an outfit with a lending or return policy (used The Cable Co for mine, ended up keeping them) and send'em back if they don't do it for you. The ultras are mighty spendy for a footer, makes good sense to try them out first if you can. If they can't convince you, consider yourself lucky and spike away with confidence and abandon. No?
Ultra a little better than cones/ risers. A very big dissapoimtment for me. Another mk2/SE marketing BS.

Spend $$$ on source.
A surprise for me...I have Vandersteen 5A's which have spikes designed for them...my speakers were on the spikes with brass floor protectors under the spikes. I moved into a new house with Travertine tile over congrete. Much to my surprise, on some frequencies, the whole speaker which is VERY heavy resonated uncontrolably...I could feel the speaker jumping up and down at these resonating frequencies. I fixed the problem after lots of experimentation by simply putting a bit of Gorilla tape under the floor protectors of the spikes and the speakers are sitting pretty. You never know what you bump into with this hobby.
I have been tempted by the Ultra's too. If you are looking to dissipate vibration as the Ultras are designed to do, you might try Herbie's Cone/Spike Decoupling Gliders under your spikes. $14.89 X 8 = $127.12, compared to about $1,800 for the Ultra's. Jim Smith of the book Get Better Sound likes them on wood and carpet over concrete.