Good question. It’s almost impossible. If I was to start again, I’d get a mid priced well made rack then place Stillpoints between the shelves and equipment. Then you hear exactly if there is an improvement and if you don’t like it, send it back to the dealer and try something else.
if you want to audition. the best way is loan qplus or stillpoint footers and audition it at your home.
quadraspire says qplus footers and their rack are essentially the same thing in terms of function. both are filters.
one good thing about these is, you will notice the change immediately as there there is no settling down /break in /burn in involved.racks ,footers are mostly pure science and not like cables.
I use these Atacama racks, which I consider to be ‘good bang for the buck’;
http://www.atacama-audio.co.uk/p/evoque-eco-60-40-se2-natural-bamboo
I put sorbothane pads under the footers (wooden floor), and I’m thinking about adding still points (probably IsoAcoustics) under the dCS components.
I’m very pleased with the Quadraspire SVT racks, they were obliging and made matt black top column ends for the bronze upgrade shelf to sit in, along with black floor protectors it looks the business, I have a pic of it over on the show off your system thread, be worth a gander through that to see what others are using.
I also use Townshend and IsoAcoustic isolation devices to good effect. The other racks I considered were the Quadraspire X-Ref and full Naim Fraim. Once I settle/finish my round of upgrades and can see I’m settled for a few years I may well swap the SVT out for X-Ref.
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I am also quite happy with the Quadraspire and some isoacoustics pucks. I use a combination of 2 selves of the SVT2 version and 2 selves of the SVT over the left side of the SVT2 with the bronze upgrade on the top tier for my well tempered versalex. Very happy with it.
Does anybody in the group use or ever tried the Isoacoustics Gaia to isolate the speakers? I hear that they’re very good event though a bit expensive. Thank you.
Yes i have on my pmc’s, much better than the standard spikes in all areas.
But swapped them out for Townshend podiums, an even better result, but 3 times the cost
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The Isoacoustics products that I have tried have proved excellent. I use IsoPucks ( the pro version) between speaker stand and speaker with my Classic ATC 50 ASLs. Quite a job fitting them as it is really a one shot job to get them all lined up correctly ( it took a team of 4 people) but the sound was transformed for the better.
I have recently bought an Isoacoustics ZaZen platform ( a new product) to support my turntable. Again an easily noticeable gain in sound quality with no downsides.
So if you have floor standing loudspeakers fitted with bushes of the right size to take Gaias just do it. It’s a no brainer. Of course if you have the extra dosh then Duncan’s advice is probably worth paying attention to as an alternative.
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Thanks Duncan and Pete.
My Wilson speakers are currently sitting with their spikes over granite slabs, which already create a nice decoupling effect. Based on your recommendations, I will certainly consider giving the Gaia’s a try.
I entirely agree with both of you that Isocoustics are really good products and a good bang for the buck. In fact, I am placing Orea’s under each of my units.
I‘m using it with my TAD ME-1 and its a nice improvement over the standard spikes
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I’m using various bits of IsoAcoustic gear to good effect, not tried the new platforms yet, think they may be worthwhile under my TTs. I also use the Townshend platforms under my Martin Logans and they make a really worthwhile improvement, have mates using them, heard their effect under B&W800 and then MBL101 when they replaced the 800. I was familiar with the exact pair of 800 and the platforms definitely improved their bass significantly.
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I’m using Gaias (the beefiest ones, but forget whether that’s the I or the III) under my Von Schweikert VR-7s.
Big improvement. Big pain in the arse putting them there, too. Luckily I bought them pre-pandemic, and had helpful visitors!
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Hi,
I have been using STACORE platform for year (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sBEy1dEzxo&feature=emb_title)
It’s Polish manufacturer making excellent stuff. The platform is air-dumped, made of special kind of stone and wieights 65 kgms ! You will be suprised by price also…
They offer whole rack system - excellent …Very sought after i Hong-Kong.
The other stuff I used to use is Harmonic Resolutio Systems - they also realy do know what they do.
And finally the cheapes of above but excellent too - Finite Elemente Pagode Master Ref series. It does the work 
As a dumping feets under my PMC MB 2SE are Kepplers by Divine Accoustics…
http://divineacoustics.com/kepler-eng/
Absolute bang for the buck with it’s built quality and the price being a joke…I use 9 sets…
Hope it helps a little…
I also use Finite Elemente Master Ref, plus various Cerabase and Cerapuc feet, and I’ve always been very happy with them. As has been said before, very difficult to really compare performance of racks but I’m happy because my system sounds great (to me), I can sleep at night because know I’ve taken steps to optimise equipment support and the rack just looks great…!
Cheers, Mike.
Continuing the discussion from Hifi rack/stand:
Having bought my Martin Logan 15A’s (second hand) to replace very old ML SL3’s I was astonded by the bass (Chord Monobloc amplification). But it was boomy. I spent many hours attempting to set up these speakers as described in PS Audios Paul McGowans book “The Stereo” and CD download. I also purchased the IsoTek set up disk (this is excellent) and eventually got things set up fairly well in terms of imaging and soundstage; working around the constraints of the room setup. That boomy base is still there. The original ML spikes were not supplied and the whole setup was on a wooden voided floor (far from ideal). After many hours of research I purchased a set of IsoAcoustic Gaia III - black friday sale. All I can say is WOW they really have made a difference. I’m not fully satisfied yet but maybe 90%. That pesky voided floor may need supporting/ filling from underneath and some acoustic absorbtion put in place but the IsoAcoustic Gaia’s are top rate (they do need to be a special order as the thread required for ML is not a standard one. There are a number of interchangable threaded set screws supplied with the purchase).
I have a couple of cheap salamander racks. On one of them, my amp, which doesn’t have adjustable feet, has one just up in the air. Three out of four will do I guess. Bottom feet of rack have cheap rubber terminator on cheap contractor-grade carpet. Sound is great though!
That is an issue known to me with one of my preamps. I would advise trying to obtain proper contact with the stand by using some kind of footer. Even if not adjustable these will normally make contact between the stand and the base of the component ( which probably will be flat). The result should be an uplift in SQ.
@Kernel, I’ve also placed IsoAcoustica Gaia (I) under my Wilson Audio speakers but the speakers are placed on marble slates. I find that the combination works wonderfully. My floor is wooden like yours and of course there are carpets, etc. Give it a try.
Thats a great idea: I will measure up and get marble on order.
Marble or slate? @Frankie67 mentions “marble slates”. A significant issue is that the precise type of stone can offer differing acoustic properties. Some marble can ring ( ditto granite) so slate can be better but it is also more fragile as it can split.
This kind of arrangement for mounting speakers goes back a long way with people using paving slabs and partially inflated bicycle tyre inner tubes. IsoAcoustic pods or footers are somewhat better 
.
You might like to consider artificial granite or quartz as made for kitchen worktops. As these are rock particles bonded in a resin matrix they might self damp better. For aesthetic purposes the range of colours etc. is large and it is also easy to source due to its current ubiquity in home kitchens.
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