Do pointed cones really provide good vibration isolation?
For a number of years it has been thought that a pointed cone provides vibration control by “draining” unwanted stored energy out of a component and restricting the movement of vibration up into the bottom of the component due to the small contact area of the point against the shelf surface. Some people have called a pointed cone a “mechanical diode” allowing energy to transfer in one direction but restricting the energy flow in the opposite direction. A closer look at the interface of the bottom of the component with the top of the cone, the point of the cone with the shelf surface and the material from which the cone is made and its shape will reveal the true nature of a cone’s capabilities and limitations. A component placed on a normal shelf is subject to external vibration trying to enter from underneath due to the transfer of energy from the speaker through the floor and up through the equipment rack, plus the shelf itself contains additional resonance due to its vibrating in sym
