Mana - with or without 3M feet??????????

If you have read some of my previous postings you are aware that I
have a Mana two tier stand. When I purchased the stand the supplier
was out of the 3M pads that are suppose to go under the feet of the
CD player. My system is a CDX/XPS, 82Super, 135's, SBLs.

I just recently received the 3M pads for the player. I was expecting the
sound to improve from what I was hearing. The 3M pads totally changed
the character of the CDX from what I became normalized to without the
3M pads.

Without the 3M pads the sound has an extended high end with
a tight, tuneful and a harmonic tone to each instrument. I believed
this to be the Mana sound. With the pads the sound of each
instrument sound fuller but the harmonic tone and extended
high end is missing giving it a more compressed sound. The
pads however give the base more of a bouncing rythmic
presence.

I know people such as Vuk have been making rave reviews
about Mana but I would like to know who is using
the 3M pads under their player. I suspect the pads are truer to the
character of the CDX and without them there is some distortion
being created in the signal exagerating the high end. Otherwise
the pads are creating some distortion making the base maybe
more boomier and compressing the high end.