Hi, San Marcos. Hush Puckies would surely be beneficial, offering additional decoupling and isolation of the speakers with a little less coloration and distortion. You might not need so much of a totem pole, however, to get the best results.
VR-4 bass modules can generate a lot of mechanical acoustic energy, so you might want a little more “beef” than Hush Puckies provide. To provide superior isolation with the most sonically neutral result, I suggest replacing the spikes under the speakers with Big Fat Dots (but leave the spikes under the platforms).
I think loudspeaker reproduction is best when it is most faithful to the recorded event, not when it sounds more like wood or when it acquires any particular flavoring. Isolation/decoupling best accomplishes sonic neutrality while reducing distortion, so long as the isolation materials themselves don’t color the music or alter sonic linearity and dynamics.
Home stereo often sounds better on a wood floor not so much because of the wood’s vibrational and isolation characteristics, which can be detrimental, but because of general room acoustics. Wood floors typically have broad areas of reflective surface. A nice balance of reflective/absorptive areas can be accomplished with area rugs, furniture, etc. Concrete floors are typically covered with carpet, so you don’t have ample reflective surfaces to render the music more lively and energetic.
Though you’ll sometimes get a somewhat better vibrational interface than on concrete, coupling speakers to a maple platform does not accomplish all the acoustic advantages of a wood floor.
Steve
Herbie’s Audio Lab
