@havocman: Your most recent post tells me two separate issues have become conflated:
1 - Using individual Pods bolted onto your loudspeaker’s stock bases VS. removing the bases and placing your now-baseless loudspeakers on Podiums.
2- My unique situation of using 3 Pods bolted onto my Sound Anchor tripod-style speaker bases VS. you using 4 Pods with your loudspeakers.
Unless I’m mistaken, I believe what John is telling you is NOT that the use of individual Pods under your speakers will be unstable, but rather the use of 3 of them will be. I can confirm that 4 is much more stable than three. I first tried 3 Pods under a relatively heavy turntable (VPI Aries 1), and that was a failure. The table did indeed flop around, side-to-side and front-to-back. 4 is definitely far better than 3 in that application. 3 was also unstable under the very heavy Esoteric DV-50S digital player; 4 is much better. Interestingly, both the table and digital player have moving parts. However, under my lightweight electronics (with no moving parts), 3 works fine. Just move the Pods around until the mass is distributed between them such that balance is achieved. With individual Pods, you can even use a higher-weight rated model under the transformer end of a power amp.
In any case, you should definitely take John’s advice on all things Townshend. However, if you look at the individual Pods and the Pods attached to the Podium, you will see they are identical. The only difference is that the Podium has adjustment knobs on the top of the Podium plate, making leveling easier than it is with individual Pods. But the individual Pods are adjustable as well, just without the knob.
So if you have the dough, and don’t mind springing for the higher-priced Podium, great, go for it. But I’m telling you: four individual Pods bolted onto your stock bases will be just as stable as the Podium, ASSUMING THE BASES ARE THE SAME SIZE.AS THE PODIUM PLATE. And also the same thickness/stiffness/anti-resonant, etc. All the Podium is, is 4 individual Pods attached to a metal plate. It IS a nice plate ;-) .
The reason 3 Pods work with my loudspeakers/outriggers but is not generally recommendable is because of the unique design of the Sound Anchors stands, the mass distribution of the loudspeakers, and the front-to-back vs. left-to-right dimensions. In general, 4 is definitely the way to go. In fact, I will shortly be getting stands for my speakers (Eminent Technology LFT-8b) that Grant Mye is willing to make, and I will be bolting 4 Pods onto them. Why the Mye stand instead of the Townshend Podium? In addition to a metal base, the Mye stand has struts that extend from the base up to near the top of the LFT-8b’s planar panel, providing support and bracing to the entire structure.