+1 yyzsantabarbara
Townshend are superior to Isoacoustics Gaia
Reducing Resonance Between Speakers and Stands – Need Advice
My Joseph Audio Pulsar speakers are currently placed on some basic stands, which themselves sit on spikes. When playing bass-heavy material, I feel the sound doesn’t quite detach cleanly from the speakers — instead it seems to vibrate and spread sideways, as if too much resonance is being transferred into the stands.
I’m looking for something to place between the speakers and the stands that would help reduce these resonances and improve bass clarity.
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
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- 41 posts total
Could someone explain why a soft material like Blu-Tack or Sorbothane sheets might be better between a stand and a speaker than an acoustic isolator like IsoAcoustics? I’m still new to this hobby, but my intuition tells me that something soft like Blu-Tack would mellow the sound, while something like IsoAcoustics helps the sound detach from the speaker without introducing distortion from stand vibrations. |
FWIT , I used the soberthane blue dots that came with my Sound Anchor stands and they damaged the cabinets on my speakers and also damaged the finish on the Sound Anchor stands. I currently use Townsends Isolation platforms. If you can afford Joseph Pulsars get some comparable stands. Search my history and read the thread I have about not using spikes. There are at least a half dozen manufacturers to consider for speaker isolation. The only better quality speaker stand I have personal experience with is Sound Anchor. But don’t use blue dots and do use some kind of seismic isolation. The Townsends are pricy but the improvement I experienced IS outstanding. Happy Hunting , Mike B. |
From what I have read here, I would start with improved speaker stands. I am not one for flimsy stands (e.g., TonTrager/Harbeth) so suggest something strong, stiff, and damped. I second the recommendation for Sound Anchors stands by @buellrider97 and I have successfully used them with several speakers. They are as solid as it gets, and internally damped with sand. They provide a stable base and the footprint is usually wider than the base of the speaker. They accommodate 3/8-inch threaded footers or anything else you want to use. My speakers are bolted directly to the Sound Anchors stands (i.e., no worries about the speaker-stand interface material) although I believe I used a thin sheet of IsoDamp, a harder elastomer, between the speaker and stand (primarily to protect the speaker finish). The rigid connection between the speaker and stand results in the substantial weight of the stand providing mass loading for the speaker. Under the stands, I have used a variety of footers through the years including spikes (gave up on those), Herbies Giant Fat Gliders, damped springs (similar to Townshend), platinum silicone hemispherical elastomers and, most recently, back to Herbies on my carpeted concrete grade slab floor. Audiophiles seem to write off the hemispherical platinum silicone footers but I found them to be quite good. They can be sized for the weight they are supporting and, being an elastomeric material, they respond similar to a three dimensional damped spring. The problems may be that they don't cost much, aren't shiny, and don't have a complicated engineering explanation for how they function. In my system, they just worked. Good luck.
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- 41 posts total