Isolation platforms for Cube Audio Jazzon speakers

What about symposium?  No drilling, but no guarantee you’ll like the sound better than what you have. Did you ever try them sitting on the floor without a platform?  

Can you put some words around symposium to aid my search?  I can't sit the speakers flat on the floor as they radiate bass from the open bottom of the speakers. 

I looked up your speakers and they have spikes on the bottom to keep them off the floor, correct?  Symposium platforms are stainless steel, so you would have to use a disk under the spikes. Look up Symposium Svelte Shelf and you’ll find it. That aside, do you find that raising the speakers up on a platform improves the sound?  I’ve met so many people who knee jerk into putting platforms and footers under everything and it’s not always an improvement IMO. 

I like Townshend isolation products too as the reviews are universally stellar in the improvements they bring, but they’re pricey as you’re aware.  That got me looking into other spring-based products that may provide similar benefits at a more affordable price point and found these.  They can handle up to 50kg (set of 4) so should work for your speakers, they’re adjustable to customize sound to your liking, users seem very happy with them, and a set of 8 is only $50.  At that price I think they’re well worth a try.  Just another option FWIW, and best of luck.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/134128587790

Chayro,

Thanks for the reply.  The Cubes have fixed rubber dome pads on the rear and come with spikes to raise the front of the speakers to provide a proper opening for bass response on the bottom of the speakers.  I don't fancy the appearance of the tilt to the speakers so i am using the rubber/foams sandwich pads under them at the moment.  The Symposium devices are nearly as costly as the Townshend gear.

Soix,

I am gonna give the Nobsound springs a whirl. I have them under my sub and they are effective and affordable.  I reckon that I will ultimately try the Townshend Siesmic Bars at the cost of about $1K.  They would solve two problem:  they have about .75" of elevation from my carpet to allow the bass response and they are stellar for taming speaker vibrations. But, I will try the springs first.  Thank you for the suggestion. 

Ha.  Shocked you already have them!  I’d be very interested in your thoughts on how they work with your speakers.  Honestly, the cynical part of me thinks springs kinda work the same way (differing tensions notwithstanding) and that these should capture a good chunk of what the Seismics do.  Then again, the devil’s always in the details and Townshend may well have some secret sauce in there that takes them to another level entirely, albeit at a much dearer price.  Gotta love this hobby. 

@whitestix If you haven’t already done so, search the Nenuphar thread for posts related to your question. Others have tackled this.

I use Eden Sound Audio’s traditional brass spikes for the fronts and their hemispikes (with adhesive) for the rears of the Nenuphars.

What’s most important is to maintain the angle of the speaker cabinet.

Milimeters of change in cabinet height will "giveth or taketh away" due to TQWT enclosure and it’s bottom porting. Your room flooring, speaker positioning, and room are also ’actors’ in this play. : )

@david_ten 

Milimeters of change in cabinet height will "giveth or taketh away" due to TQWT enclosure and it’s bottom porting. Your room flooring, speaker positioning, and room are also ’actors’ in this play. : )

Hi David,

You’ve   owned the Nenuphars speakers for sometime now and are very familiar with their set up characteristics. No doubt your contribution here is very much appreciated and valued. It’s important to recognize the necessity of maintaining the appropriate speaker front tilt alignment.

Charles 

David,

I put this same question to Cube Audio a while back and got this response:

"Hello Mark,

The simplest way is to make a platform with a slightly larger cabinet outline at a local carpenter, with acoustic polymers placed underneath. It may be a rubber element that dampens vibrations very well. 

We have often seen such solutions in rooms with long pile carpets.

I hope that this solution will be helpful."

Best regards

Ewa

David Ten infers the efficacy of maintaining the "tilt" angle with the small rubber domes in the rear of the speakers and the spikes in the front to perhaps to give the bottom-firing bass response to be optimal.  I personally dislike speakers with a tilt and at the moment have the speakers level with rubber/foam blocks from McCarr Masters under the corners resting on slightly oversized 1/2" MDF pieces of wood on my carpet.  Not addressed in the response I got from Cube Audio is the issue of whether the opening on the bottom of the Cube speakers is optimized with the factory "tilt" similar to sizing a bass port on the back of speakers, which is not trivial a matter.  

I started with the factory tilt on my thick wool carpet and it clearly muffled the LF response.  Leveled up on the wood platforms with rubber/foam blocks on the corners yielded a massive improvement in the LF as might be expected.

Any thoughts, David?  

@whitestix  Mark, your approach will be (should be) dictated by the type of flooring you have. As you found out with your thick wool carpet having that platform makes sense. What you put under the platform is really your call. I'd encourage you to experiment with platforms of larger square areas and even material...should you be up for it. : )

I know you know this, but writing this out for others who may come across your thread: the reason for the platform is for dispersal of the sound waves from the bottom port (IF the Jazzons / Nenuphars are in a carpeted room, the thicker / deeper the carpet the more critical this becomes).

Regarding the second half of your above post...with respect to the tilted design.

I think we can infer that there were clear headed reasons why Cube chose the design approach they did as they developed these speakers.

HOWEVER, this is a personal hobby and we make our compromises and trade-offs and have our aesthetic preferences.

IF you want your Jazzons LEVEL keep them level.

If, at some point in the future, you want to change things up...it is both an easy fix to make and an easy one to evaluate as an audiophile.

David,

A very reasonable and erudite response, pointing out alternatives.  You and Charlesdad are always helpful with your responses.  Thanks very much... I will experiment.  

I had my Dynaudio C1 Signatures playing for a week and loved the directness and detail of their performance, but I like the Jazzon's even more.  The Cubes just sound more like musicians playing in the room and not like speakers playing music in the room, to put it one way.  There is such an effortlessness and ease to the music with the Cubes and they love Don Sachs/Lynn Olson's new 300b monos.  

There is such an effortlessness and ease to the music with the Cubes and they love Don Sachs/Lynn Olson's new 300b monos

Sublime I have no doubt.

Charles

Gents,

I ordered the Townshend Seismic Sound Bars today for my speakers. They are less than half the price of the Seismic Platforms and might be nearly as efficacious.  I am sure that they will be a nice improvement.

My Italian friend with upgraded Nenuphars has recently purchased the new Qualio speakers and prefers them his Cubes. The Qualio's have gotten fab reviews in 6 Moons and elsewhere and are half the price of the Nenuphars.  I'd be keen to hear them sometime.  

Check out this thread, in the Misc section for another option.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/stack-audio-auva-isolator

ozzy

Thanks Ozzy, these seem quite affordable and effective, but there is no way to attach them to the bottom of the Cubes, so the Townshend Platforms or Sound Bars are the best alternative.  

This comment from the company seems very dubious:  

Here is what Stack Audio replied to my question.

"The AUVA Loudspeaker Isolators have a burn in time to let the particles settle. We estimate around 6-7 hours although customers have noted continuous improvement up to the 20-hour mark in the past."

"Just a follow up note – I should also mention that several customers comment that no burn in time is required and there is an immediate impact. I think it varies on a case-to-case basis.

ozzy

I ordered the Townshend Sound Bars which are expected to arrive in a few days times.  I remember when I put Iso-Acoustic GAIA footers under my Spatial Audio M4 Triode Masters whereupon the improvement in SQ was instantly apparent.  I am hopeful for the same improvement with the Townshend Sound Bars.   

I got them today and  am having a hard time trying to get my speakers levels with the adjustments with these Sound Bars under my Cube Audio Jazzon speakers.  Information from Townshend has not been helpful.  I sorta got them leveled and frankly don't hear any noticeable improvement in the SQ.  I used the sandwiched rubber pads under the Cubes prior and they might be more efficacious that I might have thought.  

Any tips on the setup would be most helpful as well as any comments on their performance would be very welcome.  In contrast, putting Iso-Acoustics GAIA footers under my Spatial Audio speakers yielded a fantastic improvement in SQ...  immediately.  I am not hearing anywhere close to the same improvement with the far more expensive Townshend Sound Bars.  

Heck of a deal, my Townshend rep called me just now and opined that the solution to the problem of my inability to level them can be solved by higher-capacity load cells in front Sound Bars.  He is getting them out to me without a concern of payment so I give props to him and the company for their excellent response.  I am really hopeful that this solves the leveling issue.