isolation

Thanks Tbg, that's what I meant to say.

Stthomas, I have often had the same experiences with isolation. Many report how much they love maple, but for me it robs the music of dynamics and pace. I could hardly wait to remove it. I had tungsten carbide steel tiptoes made to support my Final Audio 300 pound turntable. With that weight the penetrated through two nickels. It sounded great as long as it was on the floor, a concrete slab. I have never had any luck with soft feet.

What would be ideal would be total isolation both from music reaching the equipment through the air and through the structure of your house and from vibration coming from outside. A railroad is about three quarters of a mile from my house and the soil here is clay. Some times when I am in bed I can feel the passing of a train. Certainly my system is shaken by it also.

There are very effective isolation bases intended for electron microscopes and other sensitive equipment. I have found they are great for stereo isolation.

Isolation; or are you really tuning the system to resonate at a particular frequency which you find pleasing- ie maple?
The exception being a Vibraplane.

Cdc, the Vibraplane is not one of the professional isolation bases I was referring to. It is nothing more than a lot of mass on a bladder. It behaves like a spring with a low resonance frequency.

I do agree that in general one must choose ones poison or resonant frequency that you prefer and can live with.