Hi Subaruguru,
My point (!) is that a cone is not exclusively a single direction transmitter of vibration. Being a rigid device it MUST transfer vibration from the shelf INTO the component that is resting upon it. The hard point is directly coupled to the shelf and the hard cone material cannot absorb vibration, it can only transmit it. If, as a cone enthusiast might claim, the point has such a small contact area with the shelf that it restricts vibration from passing up into the point, how can they also claim that the tiny point is able to "drain" the vibration so efficiently out of the component? Those two claims are mutually exclusive.
The much more important situation to consider is that the vast majority of vibration control products on the market (and also nearly all of the home-made variety) do not effectively address ALL three main sources of vibration that affect a component:
1) Vibration that is directly-coupled from the loudspeaker, and transfers through the floor and up through the component stand into the feet of the component.
2) Air-borne vibration sent directly from the loudspeaker drivers through the air towards the chassis of the component.
3) Self-generated vibration that is created within the chassis of the component by spinning motors, humming transformers and cooling fans.
The other significant sources of vibration are heating and air conditioning systems and exterior traffic (trucks, subways, trains, airplanes, cars, etc).
A component resting on the cone is immediately contaminated with vibration once any of the vibration sources are active. Attempting to "drain" the problem out is like closing the gate after the horse is out of the barn. The signal has ALREADY been contaminated and altered by the vibration and no amount of "draining" can undo the damage to the signal that has already been done. The most effective vibration control will be attained by thinking of the problem as a system and creating a method to place the component in an environment that eliminates as much of the vibration as possible BEFORE it can enter the component and affect the signal.
Best,
Barry Kohan
Disclaimer: I am a manufacturer of vibration control products.
My point (!) is that a cone is not exclusively a single direction transmitter of vibration. Being a rigid device it MUST transfer vibration from the shelf INTO the component that is resting upon it. The hard point is directly coupled to the shelf and the hard cone material cannot absorb vibration, it can only transmit it. If, as a cone enthusiast might claim, the point has such a small contact area with the shelf that it restricts vibration from passing up into the point, how can they also claim that the tiny point is able to "drain" the vibration so efficiently out of the component? Those two claims are mutually exclusive.
The much more important situation to consider is that the vast majority of vibration control products on the market (and also nearly all of the home-made variety) do not effectively address ALL three main sources of vibration that affect a component:
1) Vibration that is directly-coupled from the loudspeaker, and transfers through the floor and up through the component stand into the feet of the component.
2) Air-borne vibration sent directly from the loudspeaker drivers through the air towards the chassis of the component.
3) Self-generated vibration that is created within the chassis of the component by spinning motors, humming transformers and cooling fans.
The other significant sources of vibration are heating and air conditioning systems and exterior traffic (trucks, subways, trains, airplanes, cars, etc).
A component resting on the cone is immediately contaminated with vibration once any of the vibration sources are active. Attempting to "drain" the problem out is like closing the gate after the horse is out of the barn. The signal has ALREADY been contaminated and altered by the vibration and no amount of "draining" can undo the damage to the signal that has already been done. The most effective vibration control will be attained by thinking of the problem as a system and creating a method to place the component in an environment that eliminates as much of the vibration as possible BEFORE it can enter the component and affect the signal.
Best,
Barry Kohan
Disclaimer: I am a manufacturer of vibration control products.