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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
kennythekey
571 posts
 
Todd,

I checked out Eric's information about the IsoAcoustics Gaia feet that provide lateral isolation for speakers. I already use Symposium platforms under my speakers and they were a big improvement to the stock spikes and Herbie's discs that I previously used. I'm not sure if this is the time to throw more money at something without more knowledge.

Eric - Do you know if the Gaia feet are a solid footing for speakers, so no wobble like the Townshend pods? I could not determine this from their website info.
Kenny

mains OP
170 posts
 
hi kenny ,
before you fire the trigger weight for the review of the Townshend Audio speaker bars in hifipig, the same reviewer Dan Worth has reviewed the isoACOUSTIC Giai footers and found they were damping rather than isolating, the reviewer has been there for 6 years has a very good system and has purchased the speaker bars already the ones he is reviewing, he also reviewed the Giai footers but did not buy so that tells me he prefers the seismic bars,i do not get excited over many tweaks but the seismic isolation products have transformed my system good luck with your choice.
mains OP
170 posts
 
hi ken 

the Gaia footers screw into the bottom of the speakers they provide damping so they may have slight movement, they are directly underneath where the pods of the speaker bars are wider than the bottom of the speaker so i believe would be more stable, i could be wrong but the Bars are underneath with the pods on the outside of the cabinet so the speaker would take some serious push especially if you screw the bars to the bottom of your speakers i fancy that would provide the best option for stability i already know which ones perform better but as they say horses for courses, i prefer isolation to damping i have had some negative results damping my equipment it was Geoff that explains the difference somewhere on this discussion very interesting reading.if you want to damp your speakers you could save yourself a fortune and use the Clearlight Audio RDC cones and multi bases check them out they are cheap but very good at damping also BFLY audio from Germany offer platforms and a footer that provides damping using layers of sorbothane cork and aluminium and bamboo i believe but not cheap,
they will still not perform like the seismic bars but horses for courses good luck have a good look around, another well made footer is Track audio they are seriously well made but i believe are a type of spike and very expensive, if you are using the seismic bars for your subs and are happy with the performance i would personally stick with the same design for your speakers for system synergy i believe the answer would be screwing the bars to the holes already made in the underside of your speakers. Cerapucs and still points are quite expensive 880gbp for 4 stillpoint ultra ss, also im not to sure about stability the contact area is small it would be like your speakers are on tip toes. The seisnic bare only raise your speaker about the same height as a spike so your tweeter will be where you are used to, you can twist the bottom of the pods to level the each speaker.
kennythekey
571 posts
 
Thanks, John.

This is great information, but unfortunately I cannot use the seismic bars for isolation under my speakers. Only, a solution directly beneath and not protruding beyond the footprint of my speakers can be applied. And, that's one reason why I have the Symposium platforms. I think I will leave my speakers alone for now, because my system right now sounds pretty killer.

Now, that I have solved my sub-to-turntable oscillation problem, I am enjoying the extra benefits of SQ from the isolation bars, so thanks John.

I'm going to do some serious listening.
Kenny
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,436 posts
 

No Kenny, I just learned of the IsoAcoustic company and their line of speaker bases, the GAIA, and now Iso-Pucks (sold individually for $30 apiece, and intended for components, not speakers) . The Pucks were just introduced last month at an industry event, and haven't made it to retail stores or online sellers yet, as far as I can tell. Guitar Center is an IsoAcoustics dealer! I buy some of my drum gear there, and they discount about a third off retail prices. I'm waiting for the Pucks to show up, to have a look at them.

Like I said previously, it remains to be seen (or rather, heard ;-) how the IsoAcoustics products compare to the Townshend. The Seismic products very cleverly address vibrations coming at both speakers and components from below---Max is quite a mechanical engineer!

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