Townshend Springs under Speakers


I was very interested, especially with all the talk.   I brought the subject up on the Vandersteen forum site, and Richard Vandersteen himself weighed in.   As with everything, nothing is perfect in all circumstances.  If the floor is wobbly, springs can work, if the speaker is on solid ground, 3 spikes is preferred.
128x128stringreen
I did not, but could be interesting.  I have the Townshend Pod products only. 
Putting the speak on a plate of steel……would seem to make more sense to me. 
They call them Sound Anchor Stands
Springs and floppy things allow the cabinet to retain information and resonance far to long.

Actually no, that is not what happens. This has been explained so clearly so many times it is hard to see this as anything resembling trying to understand. But for those who actually are trying to understand:  

Without springs the cabinet causes the floor to vibrate. This vibration manifests as ringing that can be seen on a seismograph. It also manifests as a blurring of image focus and harmonic coloring that can be heard.   

Springs break this mechanical connection eliminating the ringing with the floor. Townshend Podiums, by adding precision damping also eliminate harmonic and tonal coloration. Both effects are easily heard. This is not at all subtle. This happens regardless of the floor material. Concrete, wood, does not matter. Same thing. This happens when the floor is solid, and when the floor is flimsy and bouncy.    

So putting speakers on springs actually allows cabinet vibrations to dissipate faster and cleaner- especially when the springs are damped as in Townshend Podiums.   

The huge improvement in sound quality everyone hears is perfectly explained once you properly understand what is going on.

grannyring,
I agree with your assessment of the performance of the Sistrum platforms which I also use. I would be curious to hear the Townshend platforms, but right now, that's a bridge too far. I do still thing that the Sistrums are pretty amazing.
Yes they are and keep enjoying them! Just different flavors of great tasting ice cream. Often comes down to personal preference and system/room synergy. Many variables as we know.