Couple Laminate Floor Laying Questions : Inuslation & Practical ??

g4fne

I'm considering changing the carpet in our lounge to a wood/laminate flooring but have a couple of concerns.

First one is insulation. I looked around DIY store yesterday & notice can get square "spongy" underflooring boards whch apparantly aids insulation, sound proofing & flattens out the floor
Can anyone give me an idea if its an efficient form of floor insulation & does it compared well to traditional underlay & carpet ???

Secondly : With my current carpet, its easy to hide the wires under it around the room, telephone extensions, speaker extension cables etc. I'm hoping to avoid beading by replacing the skirting at the same time (so the flooring sits under the skirting)
Is there a common solution to hiding these cables when using wooden/laminate flooring that will allow access to the cables at a later date if needed ???

Any feedback appreciated