Amazing Tweak

[rantzmar]

I must be loosing it.

I was listening to a Charles Lloyd CD yesterday thinking about a tweak I had read about that I did not believe. The guy said he had elevated his CDP up about two inches with some expensive thingies that he had purchased...about $400 for a set of four and place them under each feet of his player. He said the sound was much more alive. I read about that and thought to self, is that guy nuts or what? Why would an elevation cost so much...after all it cant be that much improvement, if any in sound for $400. So as I thought about that listening to Charles Lloyd, I remember I had some ceramic tile about 2 inches long 2 inches wide and 1/2 thick. I decided to stack 3 each under each of the feet of my SACD player elevating my SACD 1 and 1/2 inches up. I then continued listing to my Charles Lloyd. Boy was I totally surprised at what I heard! How could something as simple an elevation make such a difference? The bass was more defined with more punch. The highs and mids where more defined. There was a greater separation in the instrument. It was as if my Speakers where not my speakers....It was as if my two channel Rotel/Marantz/Canton system was transformed into another system. I could not believe what I was hearing. And I did not pay $400 for this new sound. I bought two packs of the small ceramic tiles from home-depot for 2.99 each. Each pack had a total of 12 tiles. I still have one more pack remaining. I think I am going to do the Rotel CDP as well. But what can bring this change to the sound? Can any body tell me?

[htsteve]

rantzmar,

I'm not at all surprised. I've learned over the years that isolation makes a nice difference in a system. With digital devices like a CDP, vibration is the #1 enemy of a clean read of the digital signal. You've definitely eliminated some vibration, and you notice the difference. Same principle applies for using stands and spikes on speakers, even subwoofers.

[audioqueso]

Do you think this would apply to harddrives?
Maybe sometime this month I'll compare using my Marantz DVD player on isolation spikes vs my HTPC (much better than my Marantz). And then try the HTPC on isolation spikes as well. Interesting. I'll have to give it a try.

[rantzmar]

Well I don't know about hard drives, but I can tell you my system has a much fuller sound with greater separation. I finally got my Rotel CDP up 1 and 1/2 inches and the same thing. The separation is just great. Just to make sure I'm not loosing it, I played around with both CDP's, moving them back down and then back up and I can for sure tell that putting them up 1 and 1/2 inches has improved the sound...given it more fidelity. I've been through Ravi Coltraine, Branford Marsalis, Charles Lloyd Diana Krall and Milt Jackson and I can tell you there is a noticeable improvement. The system sounded very good before, but now a greater seperaton with more body to the sound.

[BWLover]

i completly agree....

http://www.solid-tech.net/products/feet.htm

[rantzmar]

BWLOVER...that is sure a nice looking tweak. How far up do you have your player? Do you get better sound the more you go up?

I had one CDP sitting on top of the pre and the other sitting on top of the power conditioner. Sounded really good in that configuration. But when I put the ceramic under each player and moved them up an inch and a half, I got even better sound.

[Bob]

The higher the better. I live at the beach but, a friend of mine has almost the identical system and lives in the mountains. His system sounds much better.

[audioqueso]

I'm definitely trying it out this weekend though.
I'm gonna buy some marble or wood blocks from the home center store and see how it sounds. :B

[mjb]

The higher the better. I live at the beach but, a friend of mine has almost the identical system and lives in the mountains. His system sounds much better.

:rofl: :T

[wkhanna]

The higher the better. I live at the beach but, a friend of mine has almost the identical system and lives in the mountains. His system sounds much better.

:W

rantzmar, I think you may be confusing cause and effect. Improvements in sound quality may be the result of isolation from both vibration and electrical/magnetic fields. The physical height of the isolation system is irrelevant, however the distance of the unit from others sources which generate electrical/magnetic fields can be of significance. This is why it is generally accepted that directly ‘stacking’ one component on another is a practice to be avoided if possible. Not only for thermal issues but also for the purpose of insolation. It is also why some higher-end units are often designed with their power supplies in a totally separate chassi.

As always, YMMV

[Victor]

Well, - I hate to say this, but there is absolutely no way the 'improvement' can ever be rationally explained. The physics simply does not allow for this.

In fact, forgetting for a moment about possible skipping, if you take the CD Player in your hands and violently shake it, the sound will not be effected at all.

Otherwise, we must as well forget about our understanding of electronics and mechanics and how they interact. We also may as well forget about quantum mechanics for good measure.

So, whatever the 'improvement', that is heard due to elevation or isolation of the CD Player, it must have other then objective origin. By the way, I have no doubt that the improvement was actually heard, However, it is worth noting that there is a huge difference between thinking that you noticed something and actually being ably to decisively show that it happened.

One can potentially argue about microphonic effect, but it is such a stretch that it is not worth talking about.

[Hdale85]

Actually if you take the CD player and shake it in your hand it can cause all kinds of read errors, in which the CDP has to try and decipher and the play the proper thing which effects SQ. The less errors a CDP receives when reading a disc the better. Weather or not they actually heard a difference or not I'm not sure but to an extent it does make sense.

The same principal applies to a TT although on a much more serious scale.

[mjb]

There is actually some sort of explanation. To counter small microphonic effects (more of a valve amp or turn table phenomenon), or to reduce bit errors (which would probably manifest as pops and clicks), the components should be sonically isolated. I admit its not as mad as it sounds, but measuring the height of separation is taking things too far.

[rantzmar]

Well, this is a very good discussion about why. It could be all of the above or none of it. But if you have not tried it then try it. Its such a cheap and simple tweak. I did have my SACD player sitting on top my power conditioner at one time . But before the power conditioner I had it sitting on its own space on the shelf, and weather on the shelf or the conditioner it did not sound as good as when I extended it up on the ceramic block. Same with the Rotel CDP...after extending it up the sound is more defined. There is space and air between the instruments and it just has better fidelity. I have a simple setup, nothing fancy or really high end. I have heard systems costing twice or three times as much as my system, but mine sounds just as nice or even better with the simple tweak. But I must say that I do have a dedicated two channel room but have not tweaked out the room as of yet, but it does sit in its own room. And if any body thinks I am out there with this...I did let it down off the blocks and then put it back up a few times to see if I could hear the difference in the fidelity and it was a very noticeable difference.

[rantzmar]

I'm definitely trying it out this weekend though.
I'm gonna buy some marble or wood blocks from the home center store and see how it sounds. :B

Let us know.

[Victor]

...I did let it down off the blocks and then put it back up a few times to see if I could hear the difference in the fidelity and it was a very noticeable difference.

I have no doubts that you heard the difference. But, as I mentioned in my earlier post, proving that you heard it would be impossible. In other words, you think that you heard it and it is repeatable, but finding a proof that can stand up to scrutiny would be an exercise in futility. I am sorry, but this is as clear as I can be.

You may say that your ears provide sufficient proof and its fine, but what about my ears, or someone else’s ears? This is why we do not, as a rule, use our senses to evaluate electronics. As in any experiment you must have a control group, otherwise your results will be random. A Blind Test might work here.

One more thing, when it comes to CD data, we have an error-correction protocol, commonly referred to as a Solomon-Reed algorithm. It works so very well, that even if you lose quite a few bits due to minor skips, the data will go into buffer and Sollomon-Reed will interpolate in order to completely restore the missing bits. It is truly a remarkable peace of software. Interpolated data will have a virtually unaffected THD and you as a listener will notice nothing.

Perhaps a good test will be this, - take a portable MP3 player that has no mechanics, play your favorite track and continue playing it while holding the player in your fist and punching the boxing bag with it as hard as you can. See if you can hear any differences.

If you can hear an ‘elevated’ CD Player, the logic would dictate that you would hear changes in sound emanating from an MP3 player while you beating the lights out of it.

My point is this, - if the player remains intact, it will continue to play completely and totally unaffected conforming to the physics as we understand it. The clarity of the sound due to CD player is independent from its physical position.

[wkhanna]

I have no doubt you are hearing a difference. I might suggest you try some different arrangements. Try using different materials. Hardwoods, brass, aluminum, etc. Try using three points of contact instead of four. Try connecting directly to the component chassis instead of the OEM feet.

Check out this link from the Stereophile forum.

[rantzmar]

Victor...I disagree with you here. I know I hear the difference. Its not at all a subtle difference, but a very noticeable difference. A wider sounds stage, more defined, and greater bass.

After I put the ceramic blocks under my CDP and elevated it up and inch and a half, I dicided to put a little half round rubber piece under each ceramic block. Flat side of half round touching the block, round side touching the surface. Each half round was in the center of the bottom of the block so that after each block was placed under each feet of the CDP, each block was balancing on the half round which was touching the surface. Each half round was about 1/4 wide and 3/8 tall. Placing the rubber half rounds under each ceramic block was a huge mistake. The player sounded worse than it did before I elevated the system. The bass was gone...no sound stage. It all sounded like something was missing. I had a flat mid range, the music had no body what so ever. After about a day of just listening to the player like this it hit me that it had to be the rubber half rounds under each ceramic block. I quickly removed each rubber half round and the magic was back. No my friend, my mind is not playing tricks on me....I have very good analytical hearing. The simple tweak works...at least it does for me.

[dtb300]

Now try your ceramic blocks on the frame of the player and not touching the feet. See if you like that better or worse.

[rantzmar]

Now try your ceramic blocks on the frame of the player and not touching the feet. See if you like that better or worse.

OK I will try it and report back.

[Victor]

Victor...I disagree with you here. I know I hear the difference. Its not at all a subtle difference, but a very noticeable difference. A wider sounds stage, more defined, and greater bass.

As I said before, I believe you. I know you hear the difference. I also know that you can replicate the experience and this leads you to conclude that the difference is real.

After about a day of just listening to the player like this it hit me that it had to be the rubber half rounds under each ceramic block. I quickly removed each rubber half round and the magic was back. No my friend, my mind is not playing tricks on me....I have very good analytical hearing. The simple tweak works...at least it does for me.

Well, I am happy to hear (pun intended) that you have an analytical mind. Let’s try to use the analytical skills in order to understand what really happened, shall we?

Here is the path I would like to take, - let’s assume that the differences before and after you inserted those rubber feet are real. The question is why the difference is there? Can you explain it? Can anyone explain it? I am sure that there is a crowd out there that would say that explanations do not matter, the evidence is before us, but I would dismiss them on the grounds that this is 21st century and we should now what is going on.

Well, I do not know why you hear differences, but let me tell why I would not hear them. You see, the sound as humans perceive it, can fully be characterised by 2 parameters, one is THD and another is the shape of frequency response. There is nothing else. I can tell this with absolute certainty, because this fact has been known long before I was born and there have been countless studies conducted. The theory of signal analysis actually goes back about 200 years and this theory has been absolutely and totally verified.

The sound you hear is due to the air pressure exerted on your ears. This air pressure is created by the motion of cone in the speaker. The cone moves in response to the electrical signal originating at the output of the power amplifier. The power amplifier gets its input from the CD player. And the CD player reads digital data from the disk and converts it into analog data. This is in a nutshell the process.

The trick to understand is that this process must be, by definition, as linear as possible. If it is not, then at this time in history you have a defective product somewhere in the chain. By the way, the concept of linearity dictates that the frequency response throughout the signal chain is preserved.

Let’s now look at the act of elevating the CDP. What changes? Did the new position introduce anything? Let’s for the moment ignore the electrical aspects of the signal and look totally at mechanics. Both positions before and after elevation are totally static. System is not in motion. Newtonian view dictates that the system is at rest unless acceleration is acting on it. Clearly no acceleration is evident. Therefore, elevated or not, the CDP operation is not effected.

Now let’s introduce the rubber feet, - a kind of a shock absorbent. What does this do? One can say that it stabilises the mechanical motion of the spinning CD tray. Fine with me. But the question now is this, - what does mechanical motion of the CD tray have to do with the integrity of electrical signal at the output of the CDP?

Let’s not worry about skipping, thanks to Solomon-Reed data correction that all CDP feature. So, - do the mechanical vibrations affect the electrical signal? If they do, then you will hear the difference as you describe them. If they don’t, then you think that you hear differences, but they are not coming from the introduction of the rubber feet. They are coming from somewhere else.

Possibilities include: the change in acoustic environment due to CDP elevation (much like moving the furniture and detecting different sound), physical change in listener position relative to speakers, change in an emotional state of the listener leading to a different bio-electrical filter alignment inside listener’s head and finally imagination. There are other reasons, but those are a few that come to mind. By the way, this is what in scientific circles called bias, and the bias must be removed in order to see the truth.

Classical view of the nature of electrical current tells us that mechanical forces do not effect the propagation of electrons. This is not to say that gravity, and by extension acceleration, is totally foreign to electrons. It is just the effect of those forces is totally negligible and no instrument in existence today can ever detect it. Calculations would show that gravitational force is smaller then electrical force by approximately ten to the power of negative 70 when it comes to electrons.

There is a very sexy topic in physics called quantum gravity. However, so far, this is a theoretical possibility and the math is yet to materialise.

So, analytically speaking, the elevation of CDP or the introduction of rubber feet, cannot affect the frequency response or the THD of the output or any other parameter you might wish to discuss or measure in any way you want.

Finally, is it possible that there something out there when it comes to audio or characterisation of acoustic signals that we do not understand? At the risk of sounding pretentious, I submit to you that, - no, there is not. Audio is so well understood that virtually no new concept has emerged in the past 30 years. There is simply better technology in everything, - amps, speakers, signal sources. But we still convert electrical energy into mechanical energy and finally into acoustical energy. We do it more efficiently and much cheaper and linearity is still the key to sound nirvana.

regards,
Vic.

[David Meek]

Thank you to everyone involved in keeping this a pleasant thread to follow. Things like this can degenerate and I appreciate you not letting that happen. Carry on. . . .

HTG Administrator

[dtb300]

Math and electrical properties/values have been tried over and over to be tied to sound we hear and/or changes in sound, but it still is not possible to absolutely positively, cross my heart, prick my finger, etc. etc. predict sound playback based solely on these values. Some to a point but again not absolute.

If a sound is different, even with controlled blind testing (gasp?!?), yet the measured numbers do not back it up, is the sound difference really there? Or is someone trying to find a difference knowing there is a change occurring?

The followers of the theories Vic proposes say no it cannot be different as it cannot be measured and due to the change people are assuming there is a change. But time and time again, measurements have not proven to produce an absolute sound playback value.

So who is right?

Who cares LOL, if it sounds good to you, go with it - damn the torpedoes!!!. Remember it is our rigs, our music and our tastes. If you like a change and you think it improves your music playback, so be it. You do not need scientific proof or absolute numbers to back up what you like.

Personally component isolation (what your stack accomplished) and resonance control has always been a benefit in my setup.

[rantzmar]

Vic...Im not going to pretend Im on the same level as you in understanding some of the things you mentioned in your posting, nor will I give it much thought. All I know is that when I elevated it up, its more pleasing to my ears. When I let down my CDP the sound is not as open...not as much body, and not as much space. I can live without understanding the why or why nots. I enjoyed my system before the discovery......I enjoy it even more after the discovery.


Do you have any tweaks you would like to share?

[dtb300]

I can live without understanding the why or why nots. I enjoyed my system before the discovery......I enjoy it even more after the discovery.

That is what this hobby is all about, enjoying your rig and listening to music.

[Victor]

Vic... I can live without understanding the why or why nots. I enjoyed my system before the discovery......I enjoy it even more after the discovery.

Do you have any tweaks you would like to share?

Do I have I have any tweaks I might want to share? That is a loaded question. I have many tweaks , - too many to list and clearly I do not remember all of them at any given time, but I do remember most of them.

I do not think that my tweaks might be of interest to you, because they are not what you expect. You need to be of a frame of mind that questions the results you get after the tweak is introduced. If you say that you do not care why things work and only care for the perceived result, then my tweaks are useless to you.

Perhaps it is better for me tell you what tweaks I do not use. Certainly I am not the one to elevate my CD Player or any other component I might have. I might though elevate my speakers (there might be benefit to that), but they are so huge and rather heavy that I will never do that.

I will never use anything other then good quality zip cord or Belden speaker wire of appropriate gauge and all my low-level interconnects are home-made Belden wire. So, no exotic cables for me. I will not use balanced connections where they are not really necessary.

My choice of electronics is 100% based on solid engineering practices and not on marketing hype. Brand names mean nothing to me. That is to say, I do not see any differences between Rotel amplifier and Bryston amplifier, as an example might be, even though they are thousands of dollars apart (my current favorite is Ampzilla amp, followed by Usher amp).

I subscribe to the notion that speakers are where the money must go, as they are responsible for the sound you hear. Power amps, pre-amps, CD or DVD players, D/A converters, all of those units contribute negligible differences. These days a state of the art power amp can be had for approximately $8-10 per watt , with absolute best for about $20-25 per watt, and a state of the art signal source for at most $700. No need to tweak them.

My tweaks are all about modifying the existing electronics or simply building it when I need a non-exiting component. All my power amps at this time are either heavily modified Bryston units or ExtremA (still in fabrication) design. For instance, I can tell you the tweaks for Bryston amps or pre-amps, - all of them, but you would need to get the soldering iron, consult the published schematics and then spend time making modifications.

I also used to use Behringer products such as DCX2496 and I heavily modified it too, - if you want details I can give them to you. I am no longer using the DCX though.

So, - that is in a nutshell, those are the kind of tweaks I subscribe to.

...regards
Vic.

[PewterTA]

I think the aspect of raising the CD player up is not so much that it's moved. but it is now that we are taking the vibration aspect from the CDP and making it hard to be effected by outside forces (ie speakers).

This goes along the same way as vibration completely effects the response of a turntable.

I do use vibrapods under my CDP and it has definitely changed the sound. And I have proven that vibrapods do absorb vibration from being transfered to-from whatever they have upon them.

Now from this same aspect, I've also gotten the same results with solid pieces of granite and wood (maple for example). They absorb the vibration and this has/does effect the sound quality. All tests I've ran have shown very similar results as to what rantzmar is experiencing.

To me, I'll test (just about anything) within reason (mainly $$$) to see if it changes the sound for the best or worse.

For me speakers & electronics go 50/50 in how a system sounds.

One example I always use, is I have used Bi-wire for my speakers, I didn't notice any real difference in the sound quality of my speakers, however, when I use two wires, running from two different binding posts off my amp... I notice a huge difference. Why, I believe I know why due to the backwave signal off of the motor in the bass drivers...but to me, biwire should accomplish the same thing, but I didn't notice it. I even borrowed a set of biwire to test after I found this out and got the same results of it being not as good as the two seperate wires running from the amp.

As long as one hears an improvement in their sound, I think that's all that really matters.

[wkhanna]

But if my system is playing,
and I'm not there to hear it,
does it sound the same as when I am there? :W

[rantzmar]

Vic...thanks and hopefully no hard feelings. Do continue to dialog and engage me. Im sure I could learn much from you.

[rantzmar]

All tests I've ran have shown very similar results as to what rantzmar is experiencing.

Thanks PewterTA...good looking out.

[rantzmar]

But if my system is playing,
and I'm not there to hear it,
does it sound the same as when I am there? :W

Dont know....you should go hide and listen.... :rofl:

[chrispy35]

I'm going to go with Victor on this topic so far. Here are some questions that have come to my mind (not all relate directly to the elevation tweak):

1. When mechanical isolation is used, what are we isolating the component from? Vibrations in the air or from the ground? I don't think it's from the air since most isolation tweaks I've seen tend to provide for some sort of equipment 'flotation' that decouples the component from the rack.

2. That said, aren't there more vibrations that arrive via soundwaves from your speakers than through groundwaves via the floor/equipment rack? In my case anyways, the vibrations I feel tend to be all over and not just through my seat.

3. In regards to elevation, if a little separation is good, is more better? How do you determine what is optimum? Would two people with 'discerning ears' independently come to the same conclusion about optimum height? My guess would be 'no'.

Chris P.

[rantzmar]

Now try your ceramic blocks on the frame of the player and not touching the feet. See if you like that better or worse.

dtb300...I like it touching the feet better.

[rantzmar]

I'm going to go with Victor on this topic so far. Here are some questions that have come to my mind (not all relate directly to the elevation tweak):

1. When mechanical isolation is used, what are we isolating the component from? Vibrations in the air or from the ground? I don't think it's from the air since most isolation tweaks I've seen tend to provide for some sort of equipment 'flotation' that decouples the component from the rack.

2. That said, aren't there more vibrations that arrive via soundwaves from your speakers than through groundwaves via the floor/equipment rack? In my case anyways, the vibrations I feel tend to be all over and not just through my seat.

3. In regards to elevation, if a little separation is good, is more better? How do you determine what is optimum? Would two people with 'discerning ears' independently come to the same conclusion about optimum height? My guess would be 'no'.

Chris P.

Chrisp P....IF you ask me, I think you are over analyzing this thing a bit to much. Its about the synergy between the music your machine produces and your soul. If I could hang my CDP from rubber bands attached to the ceiling and got the sweetest sound from my music and had the greatest synergy from listing to Yo Yo Ma, I would not waist any thoughts analyzing why....I'm just sayin...

[dtb300]

dtb300...I like it touching the feet better.

Cool. I have always stayed away from stock feet with my isolation feet. But glad to see you tried it out and found which YOU like better. Enjoy the music!!!

[Bob]

Possibilities include: the change in acoustic environment due to CDP elevation (much like moving the furniture and detecting different sound), physical change in listener position relative to speakers, change in an emotional state of the listener leading to a different bio-electrical filter alignment inside listener’s head and finally imagination. There are other reasons, but those are a few that come to mind. By the way, this is what in scientific circles called bias, and the bias must be removed in order to see the truth.

No, it's definitly the elevation. We can't all live in the mountains but, just try putting your CDP in the attic. You'll hear a huge difference. Your jaw will be on the floor. Even your wife/girlfriend will hear it from the other room. You will say, "Wow". Your feet will start tapping to the music. The difference in PRAT will be beyond question. Or, maybe it's just the exertion of going up and down the ladder.

Just felt like being silly. Truth is, some things improve or degrade audio playback that don't seem to make sense. Doesn't mean that the physics won't be figuered out latter. And, it doesn't matter if it is just audio imagination. If you feel better about a change through some strange tweek then you should just ignore the naysayers.

Art Dudley at Stereophile has written some very amusing articles comparing the people that care about what they hear or, think they hear, v.s. people that only care about the technical specs. I don't care what aspect of the audio reproduction chain you are discussing both types will always disagree.
One thing always stands out to me. The "I can hear it" crowd always seem to be more open and seem to be having more fun. The "You can't hear it, the math doesn't work" crowd always seems to want to spoil the other crowds fun.

[rantzmar]

Well I can hear the difference and am enjoying my system more because of the elevating. I mean the gear seems to disappear while listening to music. It my third love behind God,and family (wife, kids and dog.)

[Gump]

Maybe it's just happier being elevated. You know a happy CDP always sounds better than a grumpy one.

[gimpy]

Well, I don't think that it matters at all if the sound is "proven" to be better or worse by numbers. It doesn't really matter if the cost is minimal or not. What matters, in the end, is whether the "owner" likes the sound/setup.

I say, go for it. Don't worry about what others say. That's what this is all about. Different strokes for different people. I like the way my setup sounds/looks, but that doesn't mean that you will. But, that's OK by me.

[audioqueso]

You know, I bought wooded pyramids and rubber blocks two weeks ago... but I still haven't had the chance to test it out. Hopefully I can sometime this week. I wanted to find small ceramic blocks and marble just to test out different elements.

[rantzmar]

Cool...let us know.

[audioqueso]

Ok, so that's just weird. It worked!
I FINALLY tried it out.
I did 6 test.
Marantz on the floor with no feet, rubber feet, and wood feet.
Marantz on the AV rack with no feet, rubber feet, and wood feet.
Both rubber feet and wooden feet were used upside-down from the way you see it on the picture.
Rubber feet (same kind like what you see used for audio components, but bigger). I don't know if I heard a different on the floor or on the rack.
The wooden pyramids did make a difference. Night and day? I don't know. It was a quick test. But the resolution and imaging definitely were noticeably different. Things like a snare, or a glass breaking, sounded better... a bit more real. And certain parts of the music made the soundstage seem more vivid.

I am surprised. I didn't really expect to hear anything, but the wooden pyramids did work. Am I going to keep them and use them? No. It would require my placing my Marantz on TOP of my rack. I don't want that. For someone with enough space, it's not a bad tweak. Pretty nice!

[dtb300]

Do you know what type of wood the pyramid's are made of? Different types of wood can give you a different result. Softer wood, harder wood, etc. Instead of the pyramids, you could also use squares of wood.

For a slightly higher expense, Herbie's Audio also offers "Footers" that you may want to try out under components. I am a big fan of Herbie's stuff - Footers, CD Mat (Black Hole), and Tube Dampeners.

[audioqueso]

Why? I don't really care for my own use. I said I wouldn't keep it in use. It's too cumbersome. I just bought it to try it out and give some feedback to others. I was just curious.

[rantzmar]

Ok, so that's just weird. It worked!
I FINALLY tried it out.
I did 6 test.
Marantz on the floor with no feet, rubber feet, and wood feet.
Marantz on the AV rack with no feet, rubber feet, and wood feet.
Both rubber feet and wooden feet were used upside-down from the way you see it on the picture.
Rubber feet (same kind like what you see used for audio components, but bigger). I don't know if I heard a different on the floor or on the rack.
The wooden pyramids did make a difference. Night and day? I don't know. It was a quick test. But the resolution and imaging definitely were noticeably different. Things like a snare, or a glass breaking, sounded better... a bit more real. And certain parts of the music made the soundstage seem more vivid.

I am surprised. I didn't really expect to hear anything, but the wooden pyramids did work. Am I going to keep them and use them? No. It would require my placing my Marantz on TOP of my rack. I don't want that. For someone with enough space, it's not a bad tweak. Pretty nice!

Yes I know it works and I am not delusional. I am very happy to read about your report. If I knew how to upload pictures I sure would show you my ceramic blocks. My systems sounds so much better with them. I'm looking to get a Marantz reference sacd player, cant wait to try it with the blocks.