I like them all too, and also the one I own, which is mounted on a previous-owner-installed center post, and sings just fine.

I have a "theory" of the 4-piece which is aimed at getting the most varied sounds out of the relatively small kit - rack tom high for a timbale-like tone, floor lower for riding, and to be closer to the bass drum for double-bass-drum-like fills. Not all the time but nice to have for certain gigs...for rowdy rock shows the tom goes on a stand to avoid shell-cracking disasters and still sounds great.

Mitch

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I will be experimenting to see what works best. So far I have seen decent results simply using cotton balls under the hoops where the hoops rest on the rubber grips. It isn't perfect but is good enough until I can find a better solution.

It is not the tuning or the heads or the edges. I know this because when holding the drum out with two fingers gripping the rim, it sings with a long tail of sustain. But as soon as it goes on a mount/stand, it turns into a short thump.

Since this is a studio kit, not for any live setting, I think the Rims system will be a good solution.

One more thing you can try:

http://www.gaugerpercussion.com/flex-frametrade-snare-stand-isolation.html

I haven't used one personally, but I know of people that have and they love it.