Sonus Faber Guarneri - will any aiddtional isolation be beneficial?


Hello, couple month ago I bought new Sonus Faber Guarneri Evolution speakers with their matching stands. They reside on a hard flood floors. Did anybody tried and got effective results by adding additional isolation under SF Guarneri granite bases? The granite bases have small rubber footers at the corners. Is that possible to remove them so granite bases can be directly attached/coupled to the something like symposium svelte shelves?

Thank you for your help.


denon1
I cannot say specifically about the SF Guarneri, but, with a lot of speakers, the use of an energy absorbing (vibration dissipated as friction/heat) platform does make a big difference.  Whether or not that difference is a positive, depends on the particular situation.  In my case, putting the bottom of my speaker in contact with a svelt shelf, instead of using footers, had a positive effect on the sound (tighter bass, greater clarity).  I have heard several other setups where svelte shelves or other energy dissipating platforms were used in lieu of cones or other types of footers, and in most cases, the results were positive.  I suspect that they work best when suspended wooden floors are involve because sharp cones would have the effect of coupling the floor to the speaker and making the floor act like a giant sounding board.

The only way to know if this is the right way to go is to actually experiment.  Perhaps, if you can find cheap sorbothane pucks, you can at least make a rough comparison of coupling to the floor, vs. decoupling and dissipating energy.
One option you may wish to explore is using the Townshend Seismic Isolation Platforms. I recently installed a pair of these underneath my Magico Q3 floor standers and they really transform the performance of the speakers by fully decoupling them from the floor, removing all transmission of micro vibrations to, and as importantly from, the surroundings. They are not cheap but given your investment may make sense, they are also relevant in any room setting/floor type. Some more details can be found in the thread I created on this topic and in my room description
Hi Folkfreak,

I am looking at upping my isolation game by using something like the Townsend Podium or Corners in place of the Svelte Shelf I currently use.  I would need the largest Podium (24" wide), and even that would not have the full depth of my speakers so they would have to overhang the bottom plate.

Do the Podiums you use allow for tilting the speaker at an angle (raising the front two corners)?  For my setup, a mild rake angle would be desirable.  Townsend's website says the feet are adjustable for leveling the speakers, but, I am concerned that deliberately tilting the bottom platform might interfere with the movement of the springs that provide the isolation.