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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
lou_setriodes's avatar
lou_setriodes
688 posts
 
Back in the day, in the mid 80's or so, Mod Squad came out with Tip Toes.  For about $7 for a 1.5" metal triangle cone that looked like a large silver Hershey Kiss, I had them under my amp, preamp, TT and speakers.  They were amazing and made such a huge sonic difference.  The threaded ones on my TT were like $10 each.

Then other mnfr's started catching on and things went nuts.  The same cones were now $50-75 each or more.  Were they any better then the $7 ones, Don't know, I never listened to the more expensive ones, but I had my doubts.  I gave them to a friend to try and never got them back.

Nowadays, I have very small light mini-monitors.  Instead of spikes, I went to Lowe's and have hard rubber stoppers under my speakers that cost me like $1.50-$2 each and use 3/speaker.  For heavier larger monitors, I bought larger cork stoppers under each speaker.  I think they sound great lifted up an inch or so off the floor or shelf.  

Spikes may sound better, but for me, it's like splitting hairs.  I'm quite content to spend a few bucks on hard rubber stoppers and it seems to make a huge difference and looks very nice as well.  
Lou
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 

lou_setriodes
"Back in the day, in the mid 80’s or so, Mod Squad came out with Tip Toes. For about $7 for a 1.5" metal triangle cone that looked like a large silver Hershey Kiss, I had them under my amp, preamp, TT and speakers. They were amazing and made such a huge sonic difference. The threaded ones on my TT were like $10 each.

Then other mnfr’s started catching on and things went nuts. The same cones were now $50-75 each or more. Were they any better then the $7 ones, Don’t know, I never listened to the more expensive ones, but I had my doubts. I gave them to a friend to try and never got them back."

This hobby has a lot of examples of evolution of the species. Cones and footers are a good example of how the early Tip Toes evolved into a whole industry. However where we disagree is what you are getting when you purchase footers or cones that are more expensive than the aluminum Tip Toes. Materials, geometry/shape and expense do play a role in the sound. Let me briefly summarize my results with years of experimenting with footers and cones. (Cones should always be points down no matter what anyone says.)

The best cones are made of the hardest materials, aluminum and steel are pretty good, relatively speaking, brass and carbon fiber not so good. The best by far are the NASA grade ceramic Super DH (diamond hardness) cones from Golden Sound. And although they are the same basic size/weight the Super DH Cones are superior sonically to the Jumbo DH Cones, the only difference being shape. The Super DH Cones have a shape very much like a ballistic missile. Even the smaller sizes of DH Cones are superior to almost everything else! Even to the excellent Marigo cones, the ones made with diamond dust, and the $600 Goldmund cones. I did my experiments with a great many types of cones for use with my Nimbus Sub Hertz isolation platform. When used with isolation devices differences in cones are VERY obvious, the better ones being much more open and dynamic and natural. So, the progression of cones from the early days to more modern times is similar to other audio progressions, fuses, cables, isolation, what have you. Thus, it’s a long long way from Tip Toes to Super DH Cones. It’s a long way to Tipperary.

kennythekey
593 posts
 
Okay, everyone. Back to real world results, because that's what counts, right?

John, Geoff - Thanks, for chiming in on my rack stabilization post and pointing me to floating isolation. In particuar, the Townshend isolation products.

My isolation bars for my subs arrived yesterday late afternoon, and I quickly set them up under my subs. This is not a review, but just an initial statement and observation. Experimentation and serious listening to follow.

For all you vinyl guys out there with subs, these isolation bars completely cured my oscillation problem caused by mechanical feedback through my floor from my subs, and up through my rack to my turntable. I can turn the sub amps up full volume and kill the rumble filter, and no oscillation. Problem solved. My hat is off to the folks at Townshend Audio.

What I have initially observed regarding sound, is that some level of distortion has vanished, revealing the resolution already inherent in my system. Clarity. It's now become perfectly obvious to me, that proper power management and isolation in the beginning, will reveal truthfully how one's system can sound. Too bad, my approach came ass- backwards, but now I can do better.
Kenny


kennythekey
593 posts
 
Bob (gdnrbob) - I didn't want to miss thanking you for your Townshend recommendations as well!
Kenny
mains OP
170 posts
 
hi kenny,
I am so glad your problem is solved, i installed the seismic corners bars type S 125 kg load under my Copulare stand and bang same type sound improvements as the Seismic Podiums achieved, i now have 3 seismic platforms no longer required.
DIY is fun and a great feeling of achievement if your project works out, but seriously guys Max Townshend has some 50 years behind him, designing the Seismic Isolation Products he has hit the ball out of the park this time,
As always trust your own ears, if you are using speakers that are still spiked you owe it to yourself to at least audition the Seismic speaker bars or better still the Seismic Podiums, or as Geoff pointed out to me you can start with your equipment and isolate each individual component with Pods or Seismic platforms, i have just achieved incredible results installing the Seismic corner bars under my rack, my rack is now floating like my sound-labs are,
the character of sound from my kit which is all digital is now far more like a high end vinyl rig, with buckets of natural resolution and dynamics that make me jump, very spacious the sound stage has grown in all directions with buckets of resolution across the board, i have never heard a top end like this its incredible, like i mentioned at the start of my post the Seismic Isolation Products have given my system an upgrade like i have never experienced before,
I am using mpingo discs which Geoff recommended my system is so transparent and open i can here the discs perform further miracles with the musical realism especially the vocals you can now hear right down the throat of Willie Nelson and Neil Young the sound is so realistic every instrument is located in a big 3D holographic clear picture, my system has gone from a standard digital picture to a 4D HD much deeper black with colour and resolution to die for thats the best way to describe it i can listen all day high volumes and still want more,
What i have learnt is installing high end isolation for your hole system is a must do, sit back and enjoy, you can really start to tweak the sound to what you recognize as realistic and believable, as i mentioned at the beginning i am now going even further upwards into hifi heaven good luck with your journey.   

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