Harbeth 40.3 XD + Ton Trager First Impressions

@curiousjim My room is really wide so side walls are a non-issue. However moving them further away from the rear wall increased bass-resonance - they sound much better 2ft from the rear wall which is where I had the 30’s.

This surprised me - I really thought they would like being further out in the room.

@jjss49 I’m not surprised the RW and TT’s were similar - the geometry and build quality are similar, with the TTs having a slight edge esthetically IMO.

Last night’s listening session was almost surreal while sitting in the sweet-spot.

Do you like the Maggie’s better than the 40’s?

@whipsaw The RW/TT stands absolutely decouple the speakers from the floor - the "homemade" ones for sure coupled the speakers to the floor, almost as much as if they were placed directly on the floor. The difference wasn’t subtle. You might say they don’t "completely" decouple them - maybe spikes would, and maybe the ball-feet of the RW’s do a better job than the TT’s.

@macg19 

What you seem to be reporting is that the TTs are much better at isolating the speakers than your home made ones, and that I don't doubt.

But no, they don't decouple them, let alone "completely". And neither do spikes! In fact, spikes couple stands to the floor, despite any marketing claims to the contrary.

That doesn't mean that the TT stands, or well-designed spikes, cannot improve the sound of systems – of course they can. But they don't "decouple"!

The closest that you can get to decoupling would be damped springs, such as Townshend products, or Isoacoustic Gaia, etc.

You may think that I am being pedantic, but the TTs don't come close to decoupling. I originally used high-quality spikes and pucks on my current speakers, and they sounded very good, When I switched to the Gaias, which are designed to decouple (though not 100%), the sound improved significantly.

To drill a bit deeper, I have listened to the 30.1s on the TTs both directly on the floor, and placed on Townshend platforms. The difference in sound is clear, but because some of the bass energy that is typically felt through the floor is lost, some might prefer those speakers, which are a bit bass-light, not decoupled.

With the 40.2/40.3, I would expect that there would be plenty of bass, even with greater, or *true* decoupling.

For those interested, here is a link to a video of some relevant observations and measurements, comparing spikes and isolation bases. It was produced by the Swiss company Credo Audio.

spikes vs. decoupling platforms

Their conclusions are consistent with the experience of most users of damped spring products, namely faster decays, and a reduction in smearing, resulting in clearer sound.

@jjss49 I’m not surprised the RW and TT’s were similar - the geometry and build quality are similar, with the TTs having a slight edge esthetically IMO.

Last night’s listening session was almost surreal while sitting in the sweet-spot.

Do you like the Maggie’s better than the 40’s?

in my case, yes i do

other than midrange response (which i feel the 40, with its radial driver material and lossy cabinet, do wonderfully), i hear a significantly more pure treble, plus a more even and speedy bass response from the maggies, while they both have wonderfully large, easeful presentations overall... a shared strength is they both lend a realistic scale to the music portrayed