Best material for inexpensive amp stands

Cork is a selective absorber, not a broad-spectrum absorber. It operates at specific frequencies and not outside them. This is great if it happens to target the frequencies that bother your amps, not so great if not.

I have tube monoblocks on maple platforms 3 inches thick. The amps are supported by very heavy brass cones and the platforms are on Herbie's thick grungebuster pads.

The result is very good but I don't know yet if this "draining vibration" approach is the best way to go. An alternative approach would be isolation and absorption, with things like IsoNodes, Vibrapods and Herbie's IsoCups. You can find out more about these on the makers' Web sites, and more about the maple-and-brass system at Mapleshade.

I am in a Cul-de-sac with a slab floor. Not much traffic. Thanks for the butcher block suggestion. Thaks TVAD...

I agree with Tobias about trying both the absorption/isolation and draining approaches.

I have found each can be effective, an neither is universally applicable.

The efficacy of each approach can vary depending on whether the gear is tube or solid state, IMO.

TVAD... Agreed

The purpose of the dynamat was to help with any resonances in the mdf.

The brass cones should couple directly to the mdf..

Might have been more helpful if i had actually said all that originally huh?

:-)

Now I am really confused. Are we more concerned with draining resonance away from the Amplifiers or should we be more concerned about isolating the amplifiers from floor vibrations from either the bass notes or that train going by?

Seems like with vinyl the concern is about 50/50, but with electronics not so much. The bamboo sounds nice, not a big fan of MDF. Maybe an old desk top from a garage sale cut in pieces would be good. You might sandwich two pieces with three 1/2 pieces of a handball, don't use racquet balls, they are two soft.

Isn't anyone working today?

sounds like a fun project.