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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
larryi
4,101 posts
 

There really is no one answer as to what improves the sound of a speaker set up when it comes to damping, isolation or coupling.  In some setups, damping is the right approach, in another setup with the same speakers, it is coupling.  You really have to try various approaches.  At best, there are rough guides such as:  If you want to tighten up the bass response in a room with a suspended floor, coupling cones are not going to be good because they transfer energy to the flooring which then acts as a sounding board (energy dissipating platforms will be better).  But, even these sort of rules can turn one in the wrong direction. 

I have heard enough dry, sterile, bloodless systems that make me wonder if people are trying too hard to suppress vibration (fancy energy dissipating racks, footers, shelves, room treatments).  Maybe stuff should jiggle a little.

toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
840 posts
 
They're jiggling baby.. go 'head baby.

Sorry, had to drop some LL cool j. 
mains OP
170 posts
 
hi
Geoffkait points out theres so mainly different products and DIY solutions you could mention , i decided to investigate isolation and like most things there was lots of different companies, but not only companies but lots of different ideas and methods, i have really enjoyed every ones input , there experiences and different opinions and ideas , i believe Geoffkait has probably explained the hole concept of isolation and the very importance of trying various ideas and products to find which is your own personal systems solution, if on a tight budget you have lots of various damping solutions ie the squidgy stuff , if you got a bit more to spend you’ve got the more affordable various feet and platforms with springs and magnets , then if monies not a problem theres companies that have spent thousands on R&D and use only the very highest of materials that i believe do warrant the price if to you they are affordable and obviously do the job, the main thing i learnt during my experience was start with your loudspeakers stay away from spikes and pointed cone types , try the products that completely isolate the speakers from the floor so no vibrations can go up or down , on reading this discussion it seems no one fix is for everyone , once you have isolated your system from seismic vibrations do we then need to address the internal vibrations from the components themselves is this then the area of damping products, i read from another discussion one mans solution was spring loaded for seismic then bearing type for internal but i think whatever you end up using it seems the loudspeakers are first then the rest of the system, i would like to here ideas for the internal vibrations if anyone can help thanks to everyone for there experiences and knowledge if anyone can add anything else please do sorry no paragraphs my literature is awful thank you
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I suspect you’ll find that roller bearing assemblies are actually not intended for nor they fix on board issues. They are used strictly for isolation as they provide good isolation in rotational directions and isolation in the horizontal plane, I.e., all lateral directions. That why folks mention combo of springs and roller bearings, you know, to cover all the bases. For on board issues one must select something along the lines of those teeny Marigo VTS constrained layer dots, Mpingo discs, larger constrained layer damping devices, cork, Herbies tube dampers, etc. everything on printed circuit boards vibrate due to transformer 60 Hz hum, along with other sources. Capacities produce vibration themselves and should be dramped. No one promised you a rose garden. Ha ha. I actually think very hard cones generally work very well under speakers, esp. the diamond hardness Super DH Cones from Golden Sound, made of NASA grade ceramics.



mains OP
170 posts
 
hi geoffkait
thank you for again providing another great answer with a great solution to try from shun mook , i have just ordered 2 Mpingo discs to place one on my lector cdp and psu7 , i am waiting on the spring type seismic isolation platforms , i have 2 sets of final duramas bearing systems which i can place on each platform under the chassis of the equipment , then the Mpingo discs will be placed on top of cdp and psu7 , i will do this in three stages , springs , bearings then Mpingo discs if anyone is interested i will report back with my results , my speakers are already placed on seismic podiums with great results lets hope the platforms bearings and Mpingo discs can bring even more musical pleasure  
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