Vibration - What are the Main Sources?

@georgehoffmann60

Agree 100% on the coupling/decoupling "challenge". Suspect I would pick a material other than marble, but everyone is looking for a different sonic expression from their system

All that anyone has to do, is experiment a bit and try some things.

And of course, trust your own ears. If there is no discernible difference, then there isn’t one for you. And one can scrap the concept, modify it or go in a different direction all together.

What a great combination of differing skills we get to apply. Math, science, abstract thought experiments, creativity, fabrication of stuff etc.

At at the end of it all, we have an opportunity to listen to the music we so love with an even greater sense of please from the sonic attributes.

Nobody “takes” vibrations out of cabinets. Cabinets are designed to resist resonances, and by coupling them to a large mass (read, the floor) their propensity to resonate is further reduced.

It all depends on the design. Tonian Labs are some of the finest and most realistic speakers you'll hear and their cabinets resonate like the body of an instrument. 

All the best,
Nonoise

@pauly- sorry for the confusion, phono stages and amps have vibrations in capacitors for example, and I meant to say coupling them to the base can transform them out, AND isolating the boxes is beneficial in keeping the external vibrations out, as @georgehoffman60 mentioned above.

I wasn’t convinced of any of this until I heard some very believable testimonials and first tried isolation on my turntable and was absolutely blown away by the improvement. So much so that speakers were next. VERY big improvement. Then the phono stage, then the amp. Not all changes are equal and I suspect results vary based on equipment and environment. Also, the solution for the turntable was different from the speakers and different from the phono stage and amp. Only thing I haven’t treated is my power conditioner  because I wanted one box that doesn’t float so it doesn’t move when I handle records and put them on top of it. I use Herbie’s Tenderfeet under that, which I haven’t heard much of a difference, but that box probably has less room for improvement than the others, but still could benefit from the better treatments. If I didn’t need that “work” area, I would treat that like the boxes. I use roller blocks which transfer vibrations out while isolating the components. They can be combined with multilayer platforms if you want to take it to a next level. Like everything in this hobby, you can always do more, but these gave me great bang for the buck. Much less expensive than upgrading components.
Interestingly enough, according to Peter, the owner of Symposium Acoustics, whose products I use on my speakers and amp and phono stage and has been doing this for 29 years, the biggest sound improvement he has heard is with CD players. I disconnected mine 15 years ago when they started making records in greater numbers and haven’t regretted it for one minute.

@pauley - have you tried any of this? Listening is believing.

Nobody “takes” vibrations out of cabinets. Cabinets are designed to resist resonances, and by coupling them to a large mass (read, the floor) their propensity to resonate is further reduced.

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It's called spectrial decay. And coupling speakers to anything only drains the vibration to somewhere else.

Removing the bass drivers from the cabinet all together is the best solution. Small planars and ribbons are not known to be big contributors to vibration or collectors of distortion.. They disappear pretty easy..

BUT if you can't remove or don't want to remove the bass from the cabinet, HEAVY dense construction, sound coat and  dampening applied inside helps a lot. A narrow front baffle and complete decoupling from the floor, or as much as possible really helps. Spikes are the worst, Air is the best, everything else is a compromise. Even hanging a speaker is better. Actually works very well, spring hangers..

BUT 425 pounds speakers don't "Hang" well.. I had a pair at 1200 lbs each, you better decouple expensive ribbons.. from vibrating. You'll spend half your life repairing them or worse yet PAYING someone to repair them.. Strathearns and EMT sure didn't like vibration. They didn't even like being shipped anywhere.. Fragile!!

Regards

Hi, try Omicron stuff under your speaker, amplifier, TT, ecc....the more your system is high level, the more you'll hear differences...then you'll decide if you want to come back. 
My Usher BE-10 speaker got better.
Regards.