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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
mains OP
170 posts
 
it is very important to get the right weight spring definitely not one size fits all, my understanding for the best results is you want the spring at least 3/4 squashed so that you are getting the best isolation from the spring system, 
i find it strange that you have probably got a great system but then you will just place foam or any spring type thing in there and hope for the best.
why not contact a townshend or some other spring isolation expert/dealer and get the job done properly the weight the springs need to carry is very important.
maybe you just got lucky with the TT check if the springs are quite squashed i believe this is what you want to see and the equipment on top can move freely in all 6 directions isolating you from seismic energy up/down, left/right and  back/forth i believe is what you need to achieve basically you want free movement in all directions 
mains OP
170 posts
 
please if you are going to use springs to isolate may i suggest seismic pods they are designed to carry all loads and can to be used in sets of 3 or 4 , and are easy to twist to level your equipment so no accidents they will also hold value for selling on if you wish to upgrade for the seismic platforms which are very well built and easier to level  
playing guesswork could have the opposite effect and ruin the sound of your system and could collapse and actually damaged ones equipment 
pls check emporium hifi for cheap prices they deliver worldwide every one puts up links of where to buy products i am merely trying to help you get the products that work cheap and are deigned to isolate your equipment down to 3hz  
keithtexas
226 posts
 

These work on my subs and tower speakers but they are very expensive ;D

http://www.ebay.com/itm/8-Penn-Elcom-Speaker-Amp-Case-Rubber-Feet-Foot-Bumpers-1-1-2-X-3-4-F1686-20-...

May try these for components

http://www.ebay.com/itm/142240386786

geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
Let’s review the bidding. There are 6 directions of motion, the vertical, the horizontal plane (which counts as two directions). Then there is twist, the rotational direction around the vertical axis, and rock and roll directions, the other two rotational directions. The reason there are rotational directions is because the seismic forces are frequently in the form of physical waves, like waves on the ocean passing under a boat. This is why granite’s stiffness is good for isolation, it resists rotational forces. It's mass is good for isolation because of its inertia - more force is required to move it.

toddverrone's avatar
toddverrone
838 posts
 
@mains   I understand the idea of buying well engineered products with a nice finish and I think it’s sweet how we’re all trying to get each other to the best sound possible.

Here’s my perspective: I’m a stay at home dad. My wife makes decent money, but we save as much as we can do she can retire and we can get our boys through college. At the moment I can’t justify spending hundreds of dollars on things that I can DIY for much less. Plus, I get a much greater sense of satisfaction ​using something I’ve built versus something I’ve bought. Let me emphasize these are my values and I judge no one what like else for their decisions on these matters. 

As for the springs I’ve been using, I calculated the sizes I’d need and the spring rate required to be stable and give me the right amount of preload. It’s not like I was just buying random springs and stuffing them under my turntable. I'm reasonably handy and have worked in various manufacturing jobs before kids, so I pay attention to the important details like structural stability and follow the implications of simple physical laws.

With regards to the conical springs: since the seismic waves we’re isolating our equipment from have such small amplitudes, does it matter that the spring rate is not perfectly linear? The amount of travel is so small I’d imagine that the rate is reasonably close to linear in those fractions of a mm. But then again, my imagination has lead me astray before..
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