Has anyone had experiences good or bad with speaker isolation or isolation in general ?


hi
i have been enjoying buying and listening to hifi for some 35 years now and have seen many items come and go.I have also been interested in the audio cable discussions and i agree that cables do make a difference how much of a difference is a very individual, and a system dependent situation. There has been nothing that has got me so excited and improved the sound of my system that has ever made me want to really share it with fellow audiophiles until i started to try various isolation products.With so much choice from affordable to very expensive i found the hole subject very confusing and i did not know where to start. After trying lots of various products all shapes and sizes with very different results i decided to read reviews which is something i do not usually do to get some advise.I read a review on the Townshend audio seismic podiums they are isolation platforms that go under your speakers .This company is very famous for isolation ideas and have been around some 50 years based here in the UK they also had a factory in the USA back in the 1980s. I contacted Nick at Emporium hifi  and he agreed to install a pair for me so i could have a listen. My speakers are sound-lab dynastats which i use in quite a small room but with the adjustments give a nice sound. After installing the podiums we both sat down with jaws hitting the floor these podium things completely transformed the sound of my system to absolute perfection. After all this time trying various products under my equipment i have now isolated my speakers and the sound quality is exactly what i believe we all are chasing, my sound-labs are now transparent no more bass problems i have just got one big 3D sound stage the dynastats are now very open with deeper much better bass everything is perfect. I now believe isolating your loudspeakers is the first port of call i was so impressed by the Townshend audio seismic products i now sell them as i have never come across anything that has given my system such a great upgrade , the sound is the same as before but now its just so much better its playing deeper bass but tighter much more resolution and no boom , the midrange is so much more human sounding realistic and spacious with the top end so refined and perfect , is anyone using podiums and had the same experiences i would love to hear from you thank you john 
mains
Spike was mechanical in Newton’s time which is still where most engineers are .
 Nothing is simple, except the Truth !



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i completely agree that spikes no matter how well made are definitely not the way to get the best sound from your loudspeakers, one of the main room problems is too much bass energy , so you are advised to spend your money on room treatment , its now proven by the Max townshend that seismic podium speaker isolation is a huge break threw in treating this age old problem down to 3hz , after isolating the loudspeaker in my small room i do not fill the need for any room treatment but if someone out there believes it can still help then as an audiophile i would be interested, but the sound i am now getting from my sound-lab dynastats is simply mind blowing i have never been so happy but i will always carry the need to take my system to higher levels , i have just today ordered 3 seismic platforms for cdp and digital amps i will report back for those who are interested  
@mains before laying out for the seismic platforms you owe it to yourself to investigate a superior solution, an active isolation base such as those from Herzan. Obviously rather expensive but if you are really committed to addressing low frequency vibration these cannot be beat and my TS-150 has had a transformative effect on my turntable

I also found installing Grand Prix Audio Apex footers (a ball based system) on all my stands and upgrading the balls to Si Nitride very beneficial (the turntable is on its own wall shelf, all of the other equipment is on Monaco stands on these Apex footers)
hi 
wow it sounds like you got some very serious racks and isolation footers Grand prix audio is very highly respected in the UK some say the very best , i now some very lucky audiophiles that use the carbon fibre shelves as well i believe the system he has is the silverstone or something like that it over 20k but he can afford it and that was hes choice , i will look into the platforms you suggest thank you if they are based in Europe its not to bad but in the USA the import duty and taxes kill it unless theres some good discount involved thanks for the reply and advise 
Four years ago I Installed a set of Track Audio Speaker Spikes on the Apogee Centaur speakers (Circa 1991)  ...  Wonderful results... Set of 8 for $119 US.

They penetrated the wall-to wall carpet to the wood floor... 

Quote from review...
"The Track Audio spikes brought a sense of shape, power and energy to the music, a propulsive quality that kept things moving forward, full of purpose and intent...Just think of all the pleasure your speakers have given you. Isn’t it time you pampered them (and yourself) just a little?"
– Roy Gregory, The Audio Beat
http://http//www.theaudiobeat.com/equipment/track_audio_spike_kits.htm

http://http//www.trackaudio.co.uk/floor/floor.html