First impressions of the Isoacoustic Gaia 1’s

@havocman: Your most recent post tells me two separate issues have become conflated:

1 - Using individual Pods bolted onto your loudspeaker’s stock bases VS. removing the bases and placing your now-baseless loudspeakers on Podiums.

2- My unique situation of using 3 Pods bolted onto my Sound Anchor tripod-style speaker bases VS. you using 4 Pods with your loudspeakers.

Unless I’m mistaken, I believe what John is telling you is NOT that the use of individual Pods under your speakers will be unstable, but rather the use of 3 of them will be. I can confirm that 4 is much more stable than three. I first tried 3 Pods under a relatively heavy turntable (VPI Aries 1), and that was a failure. The table did indeed flop around, side-to-side and front-to-back. 4 is definitely far better than 3 in that application. 3 was also unstable under the very heavy Esoteric DV-50S digital player; 4 is much better. Interestingly, both the table and digital player have moving parts. However, under my lightweight electronics (with no moving parts), 3 works fine. Just move the Pods around until the mass is distributed between them such that balance is achieved. With individual Pods, you can even use a higher-weight rated model under the transformer end of a power amp.

In any case, you should definitely take John’s advice on all things Townshend. However, if you look at the individual Pods and the Pods attached to the Podium, you will see they are identical. The only difference is that the Podium has adjustment knobs on the top of the Podium plate, making leveling easier than it is with individual Pods. But the individual Pods are adjustable as well, just without the knob.

So if you have the dough, and don’t mind springing for the higher-priced Podium, great, go for it. But I’m telling you: four individual Pods bolted onto your stock bases will be just as stable as the Podium, ASSUMING THE BASES ARE THE SAME SIZE.AS THE PODIUM PLATE. And also the same thickness/stiffness/anti-resonant, etc. All the Podium is, is 4 individual Pods attached to a metal plate. It IS a nice plate ;-) .

The reason 3 Pods work with my loudspeakers/outriggers but is not generally recommendable is because of the unique design of the Sound Anchors stands, the mass distribution of the loudspeakers, and the front-to-back vs. left-to-right dimensions. In general, 4 is definitely the way to go. In fact, I will shortly be getting stands for my speakers (Eminent Technology LFT-8b) that Grant Mye is willing to make, and I will be bolting 4 Pods onto them. Why the Mye stand instead of the Townshend Podium? In addition to a metal base, the Mye stand has struts that extend from the base up to near the top of the LFT-8b’s planar panel, providing support and bracing to the entire structure.

@curious Jim: No. The Podium is fitted with 4 Pods. If you get the Podium, you obviously don’t need individual Pods.

So, the choice is to either remove a loudspeakers’ stock base (if any) and set the speaker on the Podium, or, if you are happy with the stock base/outrigger of your speaker, use 4 individual Pods in place of the (presumably) stock spikes.

Talk to John at Townshend, and follow his advice is my advice. He expressed to me his reservations about my idea of using 2 "C" Pods on the front of each of my Sound Anchor stands and 1 "D" Pod on the rear (in place of the 3 stock spikes), but I decided to give it a try. It may not be the best choice in most applications, but works in mine.

@curtousjim: No, the Townshend Podium does not screw into the holes of ANY loudspeaker or it's bottom plate. The Podium is just a metal plate with Pods bolted onto it. If you want to keep the Reference 5's bottom plate (I would), just install a set of Pods in place of stock spikes. You COULD remove the stock plate and set the now-baseless speaker on the Podium, but why?

The "magic" of the Townshend Seismic products is in the Pod itself, not in the Podium or Platform plate they are bolted onto. The Podium and Platform models are offered for loudspeakers which don't have a bottom plate or base; yours already do. As I said above, I bolted Pods onto the bases Sound Anchors makes for my loudspeaker, in place of the stock spikes.

There IS that consideration, @ozzy. The Sound Anchor speaker stands I bolted the Townshend Pods onto are even more stiff and rigid (and filled with sand) than is the thin sheet of steel used in the Podium and Platform. For lighter components (phono and line stages) I don't think the lack of a platform is consequential, but that is just a hunch.

With my Townshend Rock turntable, I set the table on a Torlyte shelf (who's old enough to remember Torlyte? ;-), the shelf on a set of four Pods. The final incarnation of the Rock (the Mk.7) incorporated a set of Pods into its' structure, using the Pods as the tables' suspension.

For those with enough $, sure, spring (ha ;-) for the Podium/Platform. Me, I gotta do it on the cheap. For the price of a single set of Podiums, one can get three sets of Pods.

@jafant: I actually don't have any IsoAcoustics GAIA's. I learned of them from VPI's Harry Weisfeld, who raved about the improvement they wrought when installed under his KEF Blades. So I investigated them, as well as the Townshend Seismic Pod. I have for years owned and used a number of Townshend's earlier Seismic Sinks, and decided to go with the Pods rather than the IsoAcoustic products.

If you look into the design of the GAIA (and the other IA models), you will see that the isolation they provide is that afforded mostly by the rubber material inside the GAIA housing, the housing itself serving only a structural/supportive role (as well as cosmetic). That rubber material may be proprietary, or just Sorbothane or Navcom (or similar). Those rubber products provide isolation down to at best 10Hz, then drop of rapidly. 10Hz is, imo, not good enough. Vibration isolation: the final frontier ;-) .

I installed a set of Pods under the CD/DVD player, which sat on the top shelf of one of my Solid Steel racks. When I added another turntable to my system---which required that top space---I moved the player to the second shelf. The height of that shelf isn't sufficient for the height added by the Pods, so I use instead a set of Geoff Kait's (missed by many here ;-) small springs, which themselves are imo superior to rubber isolation products. By the way, after getting the Pods I sold all but one set of my Sims Navcom Isolation Pucks, which I preferred to Sorbothane.

I guess I’ll say it again, though perhaps again to no avail ;-) . The Townshend Podium cost multiples the price of the IsoAcoustics GAIA II and III (though not the GAIA I), but a set of Townshend Seismic Pods doesn’t. In fact, a set of 4 Pods costs less than a set of GAIA II, and far less than a set of GAIA I.

@jafant: An Esoteric DV-50S. I bought Arthur Salvatore's personal example of the CD/SACD player from him at a good price. Everything else in my system is tubed, except for a couple of spare SS power amps.

@havocman: How much do your speakers weigh?! The individual Pods are the same as the Pods that come on the Podium and Platform, available in six weight capacities, the "F" model Pod capable of supporting up to 50 kilograms. Four of the Pods can therefore support 200 kilograms (440 lbs.). If your loudspeakers weight more than that, I hope you have a concrete floor!

By the way, I bought a bunch of sets of Pods from John (for my loudspeakers, turntables, CD player, phono and line stages, and power amps), and came up with the idea of using different capacity models on my loudspeakers’ Sound Anchors outrigger-style tripod base (the single rear Pod twice that of the two front Pods). Works great!

For those who balk at the price of the Townshend Platforms: imo the individual Seismic Pods can work just as well, and are considerably lower in price. If your loudspeakers have outrigger bases, the Pods (or the IsoAcoustics GAIA) can be installed in place of the stock spikes.

No outriggers, and you want a larger footprint base for your speakers? Get a 3/4"/19mm piece of Baltic Birch ply, cut two identical pieces, put a piece of ASC Wall Damp between them, screw together, paint, attach the feet of your choice, and install. Best upgrade for the money!