Where to use Isolation devices

I found using Herbies Tenderfeet under Digital, and Isocups under all tube equipment has made me stop thinking about isolation, and that is worth the price of admission (whether they make a difference or not).

Another tangent that I've found unfortunately true is the placement of third party footers under any component. Initially trying the logical route of placing feet under power supplies, transport mechanisms, etc did not always end up being the optimal configuration. Also, I can hear slight differences that are usually a matter of give and take (ie in one configuration bass is more solid but sound is muddier, opposite for another configuration). Experimentation can be maddening. But I have, for the most part, consistently heard a difference with using after market footers. Many times not necessarily better.

I wouldn't call the experimentation maddening, but it certainly takes time and patience. In my limited experience I never found stock feet to be good enough, just as stock power cords. But I don't own really expensive equipment so maybe at that level results can be different.

07-27-11: Theaudiotweak
...Resonant energy is still trapped and slow to leave it really needs to be provided a grounding pathway.

... which may explain why my turntable sound improved so much when I placed my coned and footer'd turntable on top of a massive 30+ lb. butcher block cutting board. In fact, I'd been using a 10-lb. cutting board and the swap to a much more massive one made a dramatic improvement in lowering the noise floor and bringing out inner detail, dynamics everywhere, and truth of timbre.

The amount of sink mass needed is probably proportional to the amount of vibration in the device, and of course turntables have the most.

John

You now need to ground/terminate the 30 lb. slab it has an even greater reserve to fill of unwanted resonance. It can sound even better yet. The whole process should be to direct the energy to ground/the mass of your floor. These pathways to ground should be reactive in material and geometry. Vibration can be given direction. What turntable are you using? Tom