From the intuitive Darryl Dawkins, “Nothing is just something that isn’t”.
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Listening, trial and error.
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Damn, I wish I didn’t waste my money on measuring equipment all those years ago when I started out in electronics engineering.
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So, basically, you ended up with a system that you like the sound of, but you have no objective way of assessing either its accuracy or its merit, beyond the scope of your own preferences. And that’s fair enough, if it makes you happy.
Well, that’s the thing. If there is a difference, that difference could be measured. And, in the case of your ‘sufficiently evolved’ system, the measurements would reveal that StillPoints work, or that they’re yet another bit of audiphool gimmickry. As best I can tell, nobody, including the manufacturer, has done those measurements.
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Well, the modern marketing world, anyway. Never say anything that might keep someone from placing an ad in your publication.
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If anyone is seriously ($) interested in vibration control then check out Northward Acoustics. Makes our audio upgrades look Mickey Mouse.
Lots of info also available from the likes of Getzner, AMC Mecanocaucho, etc
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Vibration control with respect to turntables, I get. Any vibration at a frequency within the audio band is going to have an audible effect. Tubes, maybe. Some of the more microphonic variants may exhibit audible effects from vibration. Solid state gear? Get real. Do fighter jet systems fail when a pilot is pulling 7G, do space rocket systems fail during launch acceleration? Does a commercial airliner’s control systems malfunction due to the vibrations experienced during take-of, landing or in-flight turbulence?
Computer and control systems function perfectly in the high-vibration environments of heavy industry.
I think the effects of vibration in respect of hi-fi are highly exaggerated.
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You obviously suffer from “non-golden ear” syndrome….nnever mind 
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You may need several to keep that solid-state electronics from dancing…
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Luckily I have access to thousands of them, as well as concrete, it’s my business. Done a couple of medical lab jobs recently which has been very interesting when it comes to vibration control requirements for (none valve) measurement equipment. I think they take it quite seriously.
I’m sure NASA have had a lot more failures than they are willing to make public. Thankfully Elon Musk seems happy to show us!
Some Hi Fi accessories companies are happy to mislead us with so called (graph) measurement evidence, which is often irrelevant but looks good for marketing purposes. There seems to be a lot of “I have an idea, how can I prove it” going on, instead of scientifically trying to disprove the idea by the process of elimination.
I understand why people get upset by some of the snake oil merchants in the hi fi industry (they have always been there), but some of the flat earth arguments against them are just as mad.
You don’t need to re invent the wheel for your car, but it can be improved with tyres and multi link suspension systems. It’s called progress.
There is plenty of genuine, white paper research into (electronics) vibration control. Should we dismiss this entire field because of our opinions towards a few audiophile marketing merchants?
I’m not dissing vibration controls, just the snake-oil peddled in this industry.
There are highly valid reasons for needing vibration control in certain environments.
When I was at university, all of our laser labs had huge, multi-tonne vibration isolating tables sitting on air columns. Vibration with a displacement of a fraction of the wavelength of light could really ruin a hologram.
Lots of measuring systems can be adversely affected by vibration, but I’m not buying that splashing out on super dooper expensive feet for a DAC makes music sound any better!
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Talk about snake-oil price gouging! That guy on ebay wants $46 for a cinder block! But shipping is free.
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Sure, and if you’re building electronics to go into fighter jets pulling 10 Gs and making carrier landings, or rockets that have to withstand the atmospheric buffets at Max-Q, I get it. But if my house has that kind of problem, I’d sell it and move.
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You’d be better keeping the house and selling tickets to Space X fans. Snake oil space exploration right there!
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I think we are agreeing but sounding like we are not. Must be a Scottish thing. I can see you using a medical table under your Roon’s LPS!!!
I know that there are a few guys using vibration control medical equipment under their gear, but the cost is obviously prohibitive for most of us. I always wondered why hifi dealers didn’t sell medical platforms, probably no margin compared to snake oil products.
The reason I like guys like Thomas at Northward Acoustics is that he’s not inventing science, it’s all about measurements, quality of product and exacting installation. He guaruntees his FTB control rooms before they are built and is the only studio designer willing to publicly share his measurements. If only we had more of this in the HiFi industry instead of foo marketing departments.
I’ve always been of the mindset of ‘show me it improves my system and I’ll buy it’ otherwise no sale. There have been a few dealers that have left my house with their (expensive) product in a box under their arm.
Thanks to Covid restrictions, the only product I have ever bought un tried is the Room Nucleus.
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Many types of medical lab equipment use very sensitive transducers which are essentially similar to microphones, speakers and turntable cartridges. Therefore, very sensitive to vibration. The electronics which are essentially amplifiers for these very small signals are not.
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I would argue that there is some (very minor) sensitivity in the electronics, but very quickly diminished due to other factors, and certainly not enough to worry about. My active ATC speakers have the power amps built into the back of them. The bigger models have dedicated outboard active monblocks. The benefit of having the power amps outboard diminishes as it reaches a crossover point of signal loss due to cable length. ATC did publish a table for this but I can’t find it.
I am always fascinated by these kind of topics. There is camp “if you can’t measure it, then it’s bogus” and there is “it was expensive so it must do something” camp. I get it why some feel the need to make everything factual or explainable, but also why others like to “upgrade and improve”.
The most appealing side to me is to simply try for yourself to see what works and what does not.
To me vibration cancellation works great for turntables and speakers. For the other equipment… I haven’t noticed any significant differences at all….
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You can often try very cheaply with squash balls and a granite chopping board.