Townshend Springs under Speakers

What makes me gun-shy about getting the springs is that I tried Herbies things under my 5A's (a large step backward), Vandersteen's comments, (the speakers are time aligned and float a gorgeous tone picture...my thinking is that if the speaker can rock, the timing will suffer - don't know that as fact..just wondering), also my speakers are extremely heavy and would require hired hands to complete the setup..  too much for an experiment.

stringreen,
Just to be clear, are you using Vandersteen's recommended bases at this time? If not, and he's recommending three point support, I would say look into the Starsound support platforms. They were a miracle for my floorstanders and others too. If I understand correctly, it is more of a sophisticated energy drain from the vibrations of the speaker cabinets, and it's not a subtle difference. It makes the speakers disappear.

"I thought the best results were whatever sounds best to you in your listening room"

@chayro, I agree that actually listening is the final arbiter.  Well  Richard Vandersteen did exactly  that with his speakers in two seperate rooms. He found that springs resulted in "dynamic compression " and "smearing". 

It does raise the spector of speaker enclosure construction,  rigidity, internal bracing and resistance to resonance and vibration. Given the differences between his Vandersteen cabinet implementation and say Tekton or another speaker, could this be responsible for his outcome variance compared to what others report?

It seems logical that speaker cabinet design and construction is a significant consideration to explain the relative effectiveness of springs versus  the alternatives. 
Charles 

@stringreen

...my thinking is that if the speaker can rock, the timing will suffer - don’t know that as fact..just wondering), also my speakers are extremely heavy and would require hired hands to complete the setup.. too much for an experiment.

Yes, you would probably need the help of one other person.

However, there are inexpensive tools that can help the set-up process: inflatable bladders sold on Amazon, 7" square furniture sliders, and round MoveAlls. The 7" square sliders are great for helping to slide and position speakers onto the podiums. The round sliders are great for placing under the Podium feet to easily position the speakers. When you’ve locked in the position, use an air bladder or two to raise the podium just enough to pull out the furniture sliders.

Again, Richard Vandersteen has addressed what he heard using Townshend podiums under his loudspeakers in this comment previously posted here, and originally posted in your Vandersteen forums thread.

In my rooms it caused dynamic compression and smearing because the speaker enclosure moves. It does make the sound less bright and the sound stage gets more diffuse (larger but less defined) which may sound better with some speakers especially if like most speakers the tweeter is too bright.

Will podiums have the same affect on your 5A loudspeakers in your system and room? You’ll have to try them yourself.

I’d definitely go with podiums versus bars or individual pods. Townshend advises this for better stability.

BTW...I used Starsound platforms under Silverline Sonata III loudspeakers: expansive three dimensional image floating free of the speakers, tighter and more controlled bass. You’d definitely need a few helpers to install those.

Another option are A/V RoomService EVP constrained layer footers.

@roxy54,
Star Sound platforms versus the Townshend would be a very worthwhile comparison of two highly praised products. Based on the Richard Vandersteen experience I would not be surprised if the chosen speaker/ room favors one over the other.
Charles