Do isolation devices really help?

Yes they do help.
Some components benefit more than others.
It depends on how critically you listen to music.
Some of the benefits can be a little subtle.
Others can be huge.
You need to experiment a bit.

KF

If you use the right ones they can really transform a system. They have different sounds so you have to determine which one will be right for you and your system. Remember there is airborne vibration and floorborne vibration and resonant frequencies. Everything has a resonant frequency. Take a resistor for example, the floorborne vibrations or it's own resonant frequency causes a vibration in the resistor which causes a false voltage to occure which in turn makes a sound that isn't supposed to be there. Now this is a grossly oversimplified explination but it gets the basic point across. Cones use the Coulomb theory to direct vibrations away from the unit they support. The most detailed sounding ones I have tried are the Soler points sold here on Audiogon by member name esoler. For a bit of a warmer sound put his pucks under them. These are the best bang for the buck. I havn't tried the Nordost titanium but some have said they are the best but very expensive. Hope this helps. Happy listening! John

No they don't. Just think about this. After you put all your electronics on the best cones, pads, concrete, whatever; how do you keep them safe from airborne resonances? They can't. Case closed. You should couple, not decouple. I could go on, but is would be a lot easier for me, and you as well, if you (I just wrote this review, a week ago)go into the archives and look up Sistrum Mini Monitor Platform. There's oodles of stuff in that review to get your gray matter perking.

Yes, they really do help (or at least change the character of the sound you hear). Check out the following article accessible via the archives page of www.stereotimes.com : "Electro-Mechanical Convergence: How can it affect your audio gear?"

Isolation devices in conjunction with equi support (after all, the equip IS sitting on s/thing, isn't it?) produce the following general effects (VERY generally speaking):
*shift in tonal balance; i.e., it may shift the perceived reproduced spectrum, say, upwards...
*extend the spectrum; ideally both ends, all other *good* things remaining equal (i.e. more perceived bass, treble). Speakers are obviously correctly placed!
*change tonal balance, i.e. part of the spectrum is perceived as being more pronounced than before -- hopefully, correctly so.

In short, you're "tuning" or getting rid of the deleterious energy that seamingly compromises the performance of yr equip.
These are the product of coupling, decoupling, and generally protecting equip from vibrations of internal &/or external origin. Sometimes, rendering a piece of equip rigidly inert to movement also helps...

I.e. I'm just repeating the above in a different way! For specific products & practises & tricks, there's lots of literature in the archives.!