SVS SoundPath Subwoofer Isolation Feet


I like to have these feet around to play with on various speakers/subs and I even put them under an AV cabinet. I just bought two new sets and noticed they’re SIGNIFICANTLY stiffer or "harder" than previous versions. Older ones are more "squishy". Has anyone else noticed this? It kinda shows me there was zero thought or engineering to them except to make something rubbery and bouncy and charge a bunch of $ for it.

 

dtximages

Well maybe they improved it.i try a bunch of these years ago, and they were kind of bouncy.  I tried them under my heavy  Tannoy speakers,  but they rocked too much. They worked great under my heavy Kenwood turntable however as good replacement for the feet.

I’m not worried about rocking as most of the way more expensive versions from IsoAcoustics and Townshend Seismic Podiums rock alot as well. I guess theoretically the more rocking the more isolation is being able to be acheived.

For isolation feet, I expect there to be a general preferred "squishiness" and would expect SVS to have offered a product that met those expectations. Well they changed drastically so did their opinion as to the appropriate amount of firmness change? Or is this a total afterthought for them and they take whatever their distributor sends them and called it a day? I suspect the latter.

I like to have these feet around to play with on various speakers/subs and I even put them under an AV cabinet. I just bought two new sets and noticed they’re SIGNIFICANTLY stiffer or "harder" than previous versions. 

I’d ask SVS if they changed anything, but this sounds very much like a possible situation of break-in.  You may just need to give them a little time to loosen up. 

@soix yeah I've got some older ones that were never used and they're definitely softer.

"there was zero thought or engineering to them"

The engineering is in the shape, the metal reinforcing shell, the size, the material, and the hardness. Their description, "optimized durometer elastomer feet" doesn’t describe the materials used, or the hardness. A durometer is simply an instrument used to measure the hardness of elastic materials, like tires for example. When they say, "optimized durometer elastomer" what they are saying is that these are manufactured to a specific hardness - or, durometer value. They do not share whether the material is rubber, sorbothane, silicone, or something else. However, customers who purchase the SVS feet really seem to like them - hard to argue with success. Here are similar products but less expensive, in silicone and in sorbothane.

At that price, maybe you get what you pay for?  Seriously,  how much engineering and materials can go into any product that sells for $10 per unit ?

@mitch2 If they were so successful why change the hardness of the rubber so much?  So which product do they stand by?

You nailed it exactly. You can not isolate a subwoofer. Bass is extremely powerful. Play a 30 Hz test tone at 80 dB and walk around you house, go outside and walk around your house. The whole house will be rattling. Glasses on shelves, silverware in drawers, the walls, everything will be rattling, a symphony of rattles. And, there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it. Fortunately, the loudest sound always wins and with the entire system playing the rattling is masked. Anything that is not masked is usually easy to find and stop. (like my movie screen) 

@dtximages 

My expectation is very low when buying products that drastically undercut the price of the main players.  If I want a good product I never buy the cheap product.  I might not buy the most expensive product either.  Also, in this time of supply issues, a lot of the junk Chinese products as well as high quality products need to source components based on availability.  For a product like the one you discusses, the main/only driver in sourcing components is price.

@mitch2 If they were so successful why change the hardness of the rubber so much?  So which product do they stand by?

Although the SVS website shows the footers have a 5-star rating, based on 711 reviews, I have not used them so cannot speak to how successfully they perform. 

Since SVS unfortunately do not report the hardness value of their elastomer (or the material used), there is no way to confirm your suspicion that they actually changed the hardness of their product, except for asking them. 

As to what they stand by, I suggest asking SVS your questions directly - as indicated on the website, you can call, email, or chat with them.