Equipment Rack

Hello folkfreak,

It appears you are heavily vested in vibration management and we honor you for that.

The only advice I can personally provide is stick with a single technology or methodology. If the Townshend products are providing you the greater satisfaction then shoot for replacing your current rack with one of theirs.

Modifying other designs, mixing and matching technologies, theorems and products related to vibration management usually does not end well or becomes never-ending particularly when it comes to your wallet; unless you are the type of listener who really enjoys ongoing experimentation and we also have respect for the hobbyists working through the discovery process.

Thanks for the uptick on the Townshend materials. Although in agreement with the philosophy behind their products and have little doubt they do provide a positive listening result, I do have a major problem with the testing methodology comparing a dollar’s worth of generic speaker spikes to a few thousand dollars worth of speaker stand. Add to that the methods of generating floor borne excitement via stomping on the floor and tapping on a speaker which does not usually take place within a listening environment has us a bit befuddled. This display is a strong sales and marketing tool but is too one sided with too many unknowns and variables to qualify or quantify as a meaningful scientific test. Would love to compare our Sistrum Rhythm Platforms™ which are direct coupled to the flooring in order to balance the financial outlays between the two devices but also see how the seismic reactions differ when our added mass and geometry come into play and of course hear the difference in sound performance.

Obviously I am not the best advisor when it comes to other products or combining techniques but we are definitely always up to personal auditions involving your equipment and listening room should you ever have the desire.

Hope this helps a bit,

Robert

I contacted EAR-USA regarding the cost for the Townshend  seismic podiums. I was quoted $4700 for my speakers.

ricred1,

What speaker system do you own?

Thanks in advance,

Robert
Star Sound

If you still own the Monitor Audio PL500 these have an absolutely ginormous footprint (20"x25") -- bigger than the biggest stock podium so the quote may be for a custom job

Likely the Seismic Isolation corners may work best for you -- two sets of 4 in Size C should be around $3400

http://www.analogueseduction.net/townshend/townshend-seismic-isolation-corners.html

These will fit neatly under the existing spikes of your PL500

You could also explore the bars -- I'm a bit ensure on sizing (size 2?) but if you can find ones that fit these should bring the price under $3000. 

I recommend analogueseduction -- they were very easy to work with, and as these items are custom built ordering from the UK will be just as quick as ordering from the US (maybe faster if they do not trans-ship)

Hello Geoff,

Agreed that damping a chassis will have an effect on the sonic outcome however it will also change the sonic of the component and in most cases change the original musical character of the product from what the designer or name brand is presenting.

Speaking as a racking manufacturer and not a component designer, our products cannot fine tune, harmonically change or voice each component individually as we are dealing with an industry of various products, each one being unique in their sonic offering.

Our goal was to represent all the name brands of equipment performance exactly as the innovator wanted them heard. The original presentation of the loudspeaker or component without altering their sound character was the ultimate challenge. By establishing and/or improving upon the operational efficiency of the component definitely delivers more sound quality of the product without altering the original harmonics. That specific engineering goal took over fifteen years to develop with concerns to the cello and upright bass endpins. Obviously if we altered the sound of the instrument the musician would become extremely angry and zero sales along with a poor reputation would exist among the all important music makers.

We chose to use materials where the damping factors within the specific steels and brasses delivered the right dynamic as not to alter the original voice of the component or loudspeaker. This is where geometry becomes the all important factor in any design, as you are aware, too much material of any kind even that of a quality brass or steel with sink the live dynamic in a heartbeat. Once the life of the music is over-damped, it never comes back.

I am sure you are aware the majority of electronic and loudspeaker manufacturers spend little if no time on understanding the mechanical sciences or vibration management technologies where the both of us are heavy participants. The one key item we do have in common is not one of science and that is until people physically experience what we do, no matter how many positive reviews that state racking and vibration management are important as any loudspeaker or amplifier choice, rapid expansion and discovery in our sector of the industry will be a tough go.

No comment on Mike Green.

Robert

Star Sound