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Has anyone had experiences good or bad with speaker isolation or isolation in general ?

hi
i have been enjoying buying and listening to hifi for some 35 years now and have seen many items come and go.I have also been interested in the audio cable discussions and i agree that cables do make a difference how much of a difference is a very individual, and a system dependent situation. There has been nothing that has got me so excited and improved the sound of my system that has ever made me want to really share it with fellow audiophiles until i started to try various isolation products.With so much choice from affordable to very expensive i found the hole subject very confusing and i did not know where to start. After trying lots of various products all shapes and sizes with very different results i decided to read reviews which is something i do not usually do to get some advise.I read a review on the Townshend audio seismic podiums they are isolation platforms that go under your speakers .This company is very famous for isolation ideas and have been around some 50 years based here in the UK they also had a factory in the USA back in the 1980s. I contacted Nick at Emporium hifi  and he agreed to install a pair for me so i could have a listen. My speakers are sound-lab dynastats which i use in quite a small room but with the adjustments give a nice sound. After installing the podiums we both sat down with jaws hitting the floor these podium things completely transformed the sound of my system to absolute perfection. After all this time trying various products under my equipment i have now isolated my speakers and the sound quality is exactly what i believe we all are chasing, my sound-labs are now transparent no more bass problems i have just got one big 3D sound stage the dynastats are now very open with deeper much better bass everything is perfect. I now believe isolating your loudspeakers is the first port of call i was so impressed by the Townshend audio seismic products i now sell them as i have never come across anything that has given my system such a great upgrade , the sound is the same as before but now its just so much better its playing deeper bass but tighter much more resolution and no boom , the midrange is so much more human sounding realistic and spacious with the top end so refined and perfect , is anyone using podiums and had the same experiences i would love to hear from you thank you john 
mains
toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
Thanks guys, great info.

Yeah, I'm a budget minded guy and find it hard to spend $400 on roller bearing units when my pair of monoblock amps cost $600..

@folkfreak I find your analysis interesting, however I don't perceive my bass coming from the floor.. i may have to try spring isolation for my speakers. Springs are cheap. However I'd need a spiked podium for the springs to rest on, as I'd imagine a spring/carpet interface is non optimal. Also, here in NW Arkansas, we do not have a problem with squishy ground, heavy industry or large transportation hubs, so I'm a bit more sceptical of the benefits, hence my desire to do it on the cheap.
bar81
791 posts
 
@jhills Thanks for sharing your knowledge.  As you opined, on a tile on concrete solid floor, I have had the best success for my speakers from spiking to the floor.  I have found that spikes do also matter - the Audio Points I am currently using are better than the stock spikes included with my speakers.
bugredmachine's avatar
bugredmachine
436 posts
 
Todd, I am on concrete. My speakers have powered woofers so there is plenty of energy being developed. I found the cheapo rubber/foam to really free up the music - bass tightened up and the higher frequencies became even clearer. For $2 of parts and $4 shipping you could give them a try first. Matter of fact, PM me and I'll send you 8 of them to try since I bought a box of 24 just to have at $0.50 each.

Going to Axpona?
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
One can't one can't help wondering why LIGO the science project to observe gravity waves didn't use an inexpensive and simple solution for their seismic vibration isolation systems? But instead as a rather complex system of heavy masses and springs as well as inverted pendulums, sapphire thread suspensions and other advanced isolation devices. I sometimes suspect audiophiles don't believe audio electronics are too susceptible to very low frequency vibration or else a certain amount of isolation, but nothing more, is sufficient to get the job done. 

toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
My scepticism arises from the huge difference in wavelengths and the law of something returns.

bugredmachine - Alas, no AXPONA for me.. I’m saving my weekend trips for climbing, mountain biking and skiing. I’ll happily send a few bucks your way to at least experiment if you’ve extra iso devices. Taking a short break from landscaping, I’ll shoot you a PM when I’m not on my my phone.
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