Newbee, I believe it is all engineering and physics. Everything affecting the sound of our systems can be evaluated and modeled using engineering laws, mechanics of materials, and psychoacoustics. What's left is psychology and personal preference. There are variables in that every designer has their own take on how the engineering affects the sound, which factors are most important when trying to achieve sonic excellence at a price point, and trying to guess at the personal preferences of their customers. Our personal preference can be affected both by the sonic traits we each associate with enjoyment, and also by other factors such as appearance and perceived value. It gets more interesting when we audiophiles are Jedi mind tricked by manufacturers who use science for profit by explaining just enough of something to make us think their product uses "new technology that is better than anything before" or by appealing to our visual perceptions by offering things like thicker cables that must be better than thinner ones, or new age materials like carbon fiber on our outlet covers. I suspect we also spend quite a bit of money for things that may make a positive difference that can be explained scientifically, but perhaps not a sonically significant difference. With regards to vibrations, I cannot argue with the practice of trying a bunch of stuff and using what you like best. Just because it isn't scientific doesn't mean it can't be fun.
Vibration Theory - Isolate or Drain?
Given that a CD Player or Transport has quite a bit of internally generated energy from the motor, is it best ti deal with vibration issues by coupling the player to a surface with spikes or cones? or decouple the player from the surface beneath it with spongy materials? Any consensus on the best approach here?