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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
mains OP
170 posts
 
hi
when i was experimenting with stillpoints the dealer said it was best to start with your loudspeakers as they cause most of the vibration when playing music, which can travel to your delicate electronics , it made sense as i like to play quite load so i get the sense of a real life like musical experience .
i didn't get on with the stillpoints and was advised to try the Townsend seismic podiums which were a very new product he recommended checking out the you tube video with Max townshend demonstrating the effects of seismic speaker isolation .
All i can say is they transformed my system from great to absolutely amazing in every area , my speakers have completely disappeared every area of musical reproduction has been improved to incredible levels ,
PMC loudspeakers are a solid box type speaker used in recording studios around the world , the company is planning on building a podium platform into the design of there loudspeakers , i have not heard first hand a PMC loudspeaker on a seismic podium but hearing there plans the effect must of been similar to what i experienced , 
like all hifi you got to try before you buy all i can advise is im so glad i tried as they transformed my system , over the years i have owned some outrageous hifi , i am the only audiophile in the UK to own the Nola Grand Reference being driven by 4 of the Edge NL reference mono blocks the front end was a DCS stack which i swapped for the Esoteric PO1 with a pair of D01s and the Esoteric clock .
That was all some years ago when business was very good , all i can say is im enjoying my lector cd707 with psu7 my little Nordacoustic class D amps driving my soundlabs with Townshend audio seismic isolation and a couple of mpingo discs just as much ,
i didnt get into isolation back in the day all the money went on equipment , i still say putting my sound labs on the podiums has been the biggest upgrade i have ever heard in any of my hifi systems , i believe there is no harm in you trying good luck , check out the video on youtube explaining the effects of the podiums i found it very interesting and extremely beneficial to my system as they have made a huge improvement. 

kennythekey
593 posts
 
mains -
Thank you for the Townsend recommendation, and I have briefly looked at the isolation products for speakers/subs.
I started a post about stabalizing my rack, because I have it sitting out from my front wall on a bouncy floor. My rack is currently spiked to the wood floor, so I'm considering adding footers under the spikes (Mapleshade Heavy Feet). For example, Herbie has a heavy version of their pucks for this. Once, I pick a solution, so that my rack is at its new height, I will secure the rack to the front wall, so that it is rigid.
I will start with my rack, and then work on the rest. My table is getting an upgrade with the new feet I had mentioned and a better bearing.
Kenny

geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Kennythekey wrote,

"I started a post about stabalizing my rack, because I have it sitting out from my front wall on a bouncy floor. My rack is currently spiked to the wood floor, so I’m considering adding footers under the spikes (Mapleshade Heavy Feet). For example, Herbie has a heavy version of their pucks for this. Once, I pick a solution, so that my rack is at its new height, I will secure the rack to the front wall, so that it is rigid."

Yes I know it doesn’t sound right but rigid structures are not really good for sound. Actually the opposite is true: structures that are NOT rigid, but flexible and easy to move are good for the sound. This was the idea behind the Flexy Rack of yore. What happens with rigid structures is they ENSURE that seismic type low frequency vibrations from the wall or floor or ceiling will be transmitted MORE efficiently to the component. Remember, isolation can be defined as the ability of the structure and component to move freely in the direction of interest. So the best isolation would be using a structure or stand whatever that has the ability to move freely in all six directions, including the 3 rotational directions. For the Minus K isolation device placing a penny on the top plate is sufficient force to put the entire top plate in motion, undulating and bobbing up and down. Now, that's isolation!

Cheers,

geoff kait
machina dynamica
isolation & resonance control

kennythekey
593 posts
 
Geoff -
Here's the issue. Eliminating my power amps, so only the sub amps are on, I drop my arm on a stationary LP. As I turn up the volume on either sub, l start to get oscillation through the sub. I do not get oscillation if I do the same with my arm up. If I'm actually playing music, I have to turn the sub amps way up before oscillation, so at my listening levels all is good. Back to just the subs on and the arm down with platter stationary, I placed a half inflated bicycle inner tube under my table after I removed the feet. Repeating the original experiment, the oscillation was far worse. So, I'm not sure if I'm fighting mechanical or aerial feedback?
Kenny
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Bicycle inner tubes are not what I would call a great idea. For one thing their geometry is totally wrong and for another noone is sure what pressure to inflate the inner tube. They also lose air pressure because the rubber material is not entirely air tight; thus the inner tube must be pumped up every once in a while. I would certainly try inner tubes under the subs, for lack of something like springs. And inflate the inner tubes with sufficiently high air pressure, maybe 30 psi or thereabouts, so they don’t compress too much under the weight of the subs - and are stable. I now offer Super Stiff Springs for heavy turntables and subwoofers, speakers that are not too top heavy, as well as heavy amps as fate would have it.
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