"You do not use the spikes for the plinth that come with Salk speakers on carpeting? I have wood floors underneath my carpeting and I was thinking of trying isoacoustics GAIA's with carpet spikes.
Can you explain in greater detail?"
I just got my speakers yesterday, and I didn't install the spikes. My old speakers were spiked, and they were a royal pain to move.
I have no clue as to whether treatments (spikes or whatever) would make any positive difference on a concrete slab with short berber carpeting on top.
Not an expert, I can offer this; the cabinet is a resonating box. As stiff as any mfg'r makes their cabinets, they do resonate. BY spiking them, you are not necessarily draining that resonance but changing it based on the interaction of the spike, floor, and weight of the cabinet. Now I'm 100% confident Jim doesn't design the cabinets hanging by cables if you're headed there.
I always used Jim's spikes on all 6 of the 7 pairs of Salk's I owned. I ended up with Gaia's on the Exoticas after I started with the solid copper feet and then on the Wilsons and really liked how they cleaned up the bass. The Wilsons weigh about 200 lbs each so that changes things. The Exoticas were heavy, and mine were more so with my steel plinths. YMMV I'll never have a carpeted floor again under my stereos because I'm sold on the Gaia concept (they don't glide btw, they stick to the floor. Almost like suction cups.)
Funny story: I took a left speaker to Jim twice because it kept buzzing. He couldn't find anything wrong with the speaker. Turned out the spikes were not quite all touching evenly and when I cranked her up a skosh, the spike would buzz on the floor. It was not touching on all 4 points (my bad). So something to spend a little more time on, especially with carpet, pad, and concrete. I was going direct to a laminate floor.
If you have carpet then use the spikes if you don't want to mess with an interim plate. The speaker is not going to sound 100% different either way. That's a fine tuning thing you can always do later. Spike them and play them. Get to know them before tweaking.