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A speaker sounds best when it can "float" so that the cabinet can move in response to the movement of the drivers ("equal and opposite reaction.....")."
The very definition of cabinet coloration is the cabinet vibrating in response to the motion of the drivers and this is universally considered a bad thing. Taming, tuning, and eliminating this is the single biggest challenge the designer of a cabinet faces.
It is no mystery why virtually every reputable speaker company integrates spikes into the bases of their speakers. The presumption is that you're placing your speakers on a surface that isn't resonant and that anchoring your speakers to the floor will REDUCE the tendency for the drivers to induce cabinet vibration. Speakers that are allowed to float on carpet or an unstable surface generally exhibit looser, sloppier bass, muddier midrange, and a lack of precise imaging. That's most certainly been my experience.
A floating floor is a less than ideal platform upon which to place a stereo. Notwithstanding, I still don't believe in the merits of trying to decouple the speakers from the floor unless the resonances induced in the floor are so pronounced they outweigh the benefits of a proper spiking. On a concrete slab it's a no-brainer. Spike the speakers and spike everything else.
Reading through this discussion I'm a bit astounded at the lengths some will go to in the pursuit of perfection. It reminds me of the length GM went to in constructing their metrology lab at Toledo Drivetrain. They constructed a building featuring a fully isolated slab so that their measurement equipment wouldn't be subjected to passing truck and trains. I've used measurement equipment that was sensitive enough to be disturbed by floor vibrations. The Mitutoyo CMM I measured with got around this problem with air bearings. You would be very hard pressed to find better isolation.
The very definition of cabinet coloration is the cabinet vibrating in response to the motion of the drivers and this is universally considered a bad thing. Taming, tuning, and eliminating this is the single biggest challenge the designer of a cabinet faces.
It is no mystery why virtually every reputable speaker company integrates spikes into the bases of their speakers. The presumption is that you're placing your speakers on a surface that isn't resonant and that anchoring your speakers to the floor will REDUCE the tendency for the drivers to induce cabinet vibration. Speakers that are allowed to float on carpet or an unstable surface generally exhibit looser, sloppier bass, muddier midrange, and a lack of precise imaging. That's most certainly been my experience.
A floating floor is a less than ideal platform upon which to place a stereo. Notwithstanding, I still don't believe in the merits of trying to decouple the speakers from the floor unless the resonances induced in the floor are so pronounced they outweigh the benefits of a proper spiking. On a concrete slab it's a no-brainer. Spike the speakers and spike everything else.
Reading through this discussion I'm a bit astounded at the lengths some will go to in the pursuit of perfection. It reminds me of the length GM went to in constructing their metrology lab at Toledo Drivetrain. They constructed a building featuring a fully isolated slab so that their measurement equipment wouldn't be subjected to passing truck and trains. I've used measurement equipment that was sensitive enough to be disturbed by floor vibrations. The Mitutoyo CMM I measured with got around this problem with air bearings. You would be very hard pressed to find better isolation.