There are several options. I know that several companies are now making isolation mounts that surround the tension rods like RIMS do, but in different ways. Some grab 2 on the top rim and 2 on the bottom. Some are imitations of RIMS and they work exactly the same. I even saw one that grabbed 2 lugs from the top and then braced the tom by a rubber piece in the center of the shell (um...duh...where the most resonance occurs! Wonder how THOSE sound? HA!).

Or, there's the old standbys:

snare stand (which kills your resonant head unless you tune it sky-high)

through-the-shell mount

Go with what sounds good to your ears. RIMS sound good to mine, but others seem just as content with the sound of holding a drum half-way under water...

I've used the Pearl ISS mounts with good results. In some cases you don't have to remove the mounting hardware or the hoops from the tom (clip mounts for example), but that will require a second mounting bracket for each drum and may require hanging from a cymbal stand or tom stand.

I dont think that using a snare stand kills the resonance of a rack tom too much, given you dont over-tighten it. That's been my experience, anyway.

My experience has been that if you tune a tom to its medium-high to high range, putting it on a snare stand, or even mounting it with a tom mount that attaches directly to the shell, it won't affect the tone or resonance that much. However, if you tune a tom anywhere from JAW to its lower-medium pitch range, then a RIMS-style mount makes all the difference in terms of sustain. If the resonant head is tuned low to match the batter head in this range, the weight of the drum itself resting on the snare stand will have a negative effect on the tuning of that head (it will raise the pitch, but in an uneven fashion), and result in a drum where the heads are not in tune with themselves, thus killing the resonance or creating some weird warbly overtones.

I've experimented a LOT with my 3-ply Ludwigs and my Slingerland kit I used to have. If you tune your drums to "jazz range", then it makes no difference if you use a snare stand to mount your tom, or if you have somebody bear-hugging the drum while you play it for that matter. But, if you tune your drums to the stereotypical "rock range", then the tom mounted on a snare stand starts to sound like a cardboard box. As for me, I put my drums through the gamut, so I use a RIMS mount on my toms so that I can get any tuning out of them I need for the particular gig/session/room I'm playing.

You mean those?

http://www.sonor.com/pbas/Sonor_FE/sonor/english/kategorie.html?a-quicklink-n_katid=884

I have them and they sound quite nice. Also, I don't think that tiny hole and piece of rubber can choke the resonance so much. But I haven't got much experience with different systems (except for classic pipe-into-shell).

Wayne, I think I've decided to go with Pearl opti-mounts on my Ruby Strata kit. They cover up less of the drum and the mounts can be switched. I'll have to drill for an L-arm mount, but not a big deal.

I won't get them at GC, but here's a link for what I'm talking about..

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Pearl-Optimount-Tom-Mounting-System-100555952-i1140612.gc

Thx all....got my head out of the sand anyway!