It all makes a difference, but a fancy rack will not address other shortcomings in set-up (Audioguy) and may not compensate for springy floors (Mike L). I briefly had the Finite Elemente rack designed for my turntable (the big Kuzma) and it wouldn't overcome the springy floor. The solution turned out to be a massive old Chinese prayer table, and a combination of HRS platform and big chunks of sorbothane. Looks good, works great, given the floor, but I can't wait until I can set it up on a concrete platform.
I have had great success using the Grand Prix Monaco stuff with all the bells and whistles, the carbon shelves, apex footers, etc. You could clearly hear a difference in the use of different ball bearings in the footers. But, at that point, we are not talking cost effectiveness, instead tweakism of the sort that makes some skeptical (I do have a stash of Peter Belt stuff, but that's a whole other story). All those little pucks, cones, etc. make a difference, whether better or worse, depends on the equipment and what you are trying to achieve. I also bought some of the Grand Prix stuff used, which was a big cost savings- just make sure to refresh the little isolation pads since they lose their resiliance over time.
I have had great success using the Grand Prix Monaco stuff with all the bells and whistles, the carbon shelves, apex footers, etc. You could clearly hear a difference in the use of different ball bearings in the footers. But, at that point, we are not talking cost effectiveness, instead tweakism of the sort that makes some skeptical (I do have a stash of Peter Belt stuff, but that's a whole other story). All those little pucks, cones, etc. make a difference, whether better or worse, depends on the equipment and what you are trying to achieve. I also bought some of the Grand Prix stuff used, which was a big cost savings- just make sure to refresh the little isolation pads since they lose their resiliance over time.