equipment on cones


i see many people place amps, cd players and dacs on 3 cones instead of the original feet. they usually set 1 in the mid-front and 2 in the back.
i have experimented with different equipment, and only about half of the time the outcome was better. using other feet/cones than the original is usually better, but not always in the most common 3 cone placement. sometimes it was way better just the other way around, 1 in the back and 2 in the front. But i found the best way that will work most of the time is to use 4 conesjust on the inside of the original feet.
what inside the equipment do one have to think about when placing cones under it? are there any rules? other than the obvious,- place them where it sounds best..
hifimannen
I use Golden Sound's DH cones under most of my gear, and the placement instructions are quite specific. Rather than try to recap the instructions, I refer you to the following page of their web site:
http://www.dhcones.com/install.html
To determine whether you put the single cone in front or in back, take two cones and place one at the midpoint of each side and see whether the component wants to tip forward or backward. Place two cones in the direction of tip (usually the back but not always.) Using three is usually better than four to prevent wobble. Note (exception): if you're working with a CD player/transport, get one cone under the transport mechanism, and the other two wherever they will provide the best three-point stability.

All that said, cones (also ball bearings, or rollers) under components (not the same as under speakers) act as mechanical "diodes" to "siphon off" real mechanical vibration in one direction but not let it come back the other way. This kind of vibration most often occurs in things with motors like CD transports/players, cassette machines, and turntables. Electronic "microvibrations" like from tube microphonics and transformer hum are more easily gotten rid of by absorbing them and converting them to heat. This is best accomplished with some kind of elastomeric compound as found in Sorbothane gel (Audioquest pucks or PandaPaws) or rubber, like in Vibrapods.

The third kind of vibration that all types of components are subject to is environmental (basically floor-borne or air-borne.) The best way to deal with those is to address the surface (shelf, rack, or whatever) the equipment is sitting on, and make sure it isolated from, or very solid and resistant to, these environmental factors. Putting stuff under the equipment itself will not help if the surface it sits on vibrates.
Nsgarch:
Assuming that everything you said above is correct (and I'm NOT in a position to judge that--too ignorant), then the above post is the single most comprehensive, yet concise and well-written explanation of vibration effects and their solutions in home audio that I've ever seen. Thanks.
Thanks hoover. BTW, there is one device I know of that combines the properties of removal (cones) and absorbtion(rubber) and that is Stillpoints. But they're pretty expensive.