Everything vibrates,from transformers to caps to resistors.
Some you can hear with the ear, like transformers when the electricity goes a bit wonky, or sometimes just because no care or thought was taken when fastening them down without a damping material,hence metal to metal vibrations.
Then consider all the other more subtle vibrations(not to mention the speakers effect and the room)and when all is factored in and added up there is a whole lot of shakin goin on.
It maybe measureable, it may not, you may notice it, or as many here would suggest you may not.
The only time you notice that it was there is when something has been done and takes some away.
In other words, you notice it because of it's absence.
Much like improving the power to your gear, it's cumulative and you only notice the improvements when you go back and re-insert the gear before the upgrades and then re-insert the improved devices.
I've used several Target racks and some nice DIY wood units and lots of butcher blocks etc.
I think most folks would say that this usually has a noticeable effect on what is placed on top of it.
I am old enough to remember the fuss that Tip Toes created.
Lots of naysayers back then, perhaps the same folks as today.
Some things never change, some people never change, even as the world changes around them.
But as good as the shelf units I used, I wasn't prepared for the calming down effect that my first real audio rack had on my sound.
Some folks like granite,and I've been scoffed at before for saying this, but I wouldn't use it under anything unless the top had some sort of damping material.
It will reflect vibrations and ringing back into the gear and not absorb it, or drain it away.
It's great for damping out external vibes,but it rings unless you damp the surface.
Some gear benefit from having weights placed atop them, like cd players.Some gear have cheap flimsy cabinets of stamped sheet metal which will amplify and transmit vibrations.Some gear is housed in thick heavy billets of aluminum,and not just to up the price as fancy eye candy.
Perhaps this can be measured, but if not it's easy enough to try for yourself.Just be sure to protect surfaces from scratches when placing the weight on top of a component.
A few years ago Micheal Green was into clamping the components to his racks to prevent vibration and transmitting it form component to component.
That seems to have slipped under the radar.
Your ears will tell you if added mass or weight to a component improves the clarity, and that yes indeed that component was compromised because of vibrations from both it's surroundings and from the component itself.
If you notice you can make out the background vocalists more clearly and actually hear the words they are singing for the first time, you'll know you are on the right track.
You'll have all the proof you need
