Wood blocks underneath components?? snake oil?

To all non believers;

If you tap an electronic component, circuit board, tube, etc. it will be amplified and you can hear this come through the speaker. This is not open to debate, it is a fact that can be easily demonstrated. Some tubes are so susceptible to this that just speaking loudly near the tube can be heard through the speakers, but all components are affected to some degree.

If the vibration induced in the component by tapping is audible, isn't it logical that any other induced vibrations such as those being fed back from the speakers would also be audible? If I change how my equipment vibrates by damping it or some other means shouldn't this also be audible?

This phenomenon is firmly rooted in the scientific principles of basic physics, not snake oil.

Shoot me down in flames here, but is'nt the main point about the Ayre/Cardas blocks not the wood bit(be it myrtle, apple MDF), but the golden bit. I don't use Cardas, but he works on the principal of using the Golden Section. I won't bother to explain it, there is a good bit on it in the Da Vinci Code, if you can get through the rest of the book.
The blocks are made(sorry sawed in bits)in golden section proportions. I am not sure if that is snake oil, but tend to think that if it was good enough for genii like Leonardo or Poussin, it's good enough for me

Seeing how the entire chassis is susceptible to other harmonic resonate frequencies, thus further transfer into the main component mounting frame which the wooden blocks are attempting to minimize, shouldn't we be treating the entire component package for resonance issues?

What other aftermarket products are available, or DIY remedies?

You know, its quite a list and there are lots of things available to address virtually every step of the signal chain from the wall to the ear. I just started writing stuff down and its pretty amazing how much there is...

Cones and spikes for draining the vibration out from the chassis whatever the source

Rubber/sorbothane like substances for isolating the chassis from sources of vibration

Rubber/sorbothane materials for damping cable ends which are said to be microphonic

Things like BlueTack for coupling component and base (esp speakers on stands) to minimize vibrations - some of Herbies stuff fits here

Dynamat and other damping materials to put inside the chassis or enclosure particularly on long metal or wood spans to absorb vibration - Verastarr also has a cool material

Other damping materials for use specifically on tubes to drain and isolate them - includes brass, Herbie stuff, titanium and ceramics

Specialized damping/absorbent materials like EMI shielding tape from 3M and Stillpoint ERS sheets

High tech wall receptacle cover plates and plugs by companies like Oyaide that seek to eliminate structural born vibration from affecting the flow of electrons. Adding to this is the use of ceramic and wood devices to lift cables from the floor where they can be affected by structural vibration, static and the family cat. Consider too that power conditioner manufacturers all recommend isolating their units with cones and bases...

Beyond the spikes and cones that come between object and surface are a whole class of vibration absorbing isolating devices including granite, wood (typically maple), sand, inner tubes and composite materials by companies like Symposium, PolyCrystal and Silent Running which uses acoustic damping techniques derived from those used aboard nuclear subs.

Then you come to the whole subject of the surface that the component sits on - which includes the subject of stands. The Mapleshade Samson and the Grand Prizx Monaco are two that point at the range of possible solutions

In addition there are speaker manufacturers like Green Mountain and NOrh working with cast marble and similar stone-like materials who seek to eliminate vibration by making a container that doesn't vibrate.

Add to that the use of granite, brass and other dense materials for mass loading from the top and of course the irresistible Mpingo dots, Shakti stones etc and you have a monument to man's ingenuity...

Which brings us to the final WAF frontier of room treatments where the waves we have so carefully formed wreak havoc in our undesigned, undamped environment - increasing the need to isolate everything from them too LOL