If you read my post, I have not doubt as to whether isolators affect sq. I believe they do and I hear the difference. My question was what factors or variables affect the value they add, both +ve and -ve.
These are the obvious ones:
- The quality of the original feet fitted on the equipment
- The weight of equipment and the thickness of its base
- The quality of the equipment rack
- The additional height created by the isolator when used. This can cause the sound waves and air between the shelf and equipment to behave differently.
What other factors determine whether an isolator will add value or not? And what kind of isolator - rollers, spikes, magnetic decouplers, would be useful under what circumstances? In the same setup, why do different types of isolators work differently under different equipment? Is trial and error the only method to select an isolator?
In my experience, the best reviewed and expensive isolators can often have a negative impact. And I'm tending to believe that if the equipment rack is firm and non-resonant, if one is using fairly good brands, if the equipment is heavy, and there are no abnormal factors in the room that cause vibrations, it may be a good idea to stick with stock feet. For lighter equipment, I've found that placing weights on top has a better impact than isolating footers. (I'm not talking about speakers here, that's a completely different story).
Over to you, experts....