I too have been reading a lot about these Nobsound Isolation Springs lately. For quite some time we all raved about speaker spikes and tiptoes. As many of us are already aware, those are devices which present a very stable support system to whatever they are placed under (mainly speakers). I think the argument there is that you don’t want the speaker enclosure to vibrate, or resonate. Many have written positive things about the Isolation Springs, but to me, this kind of conflicts with the tiptoes argument. The same can be said about Isolation Springs supporting front end gear I suppose. Or do isolation springs possibly absorb or tame resonances?
Nobsound Isolation: Boing, boing, boing...
I've been enjoying my rig of late but got the bug to tweak. 😉 One of the things I've been somewhat dissatisfied with is my subwoofer's performance. I have an old RH Labs passive sub with internal high-pass crossover. the sub has a 10" driver which does move a lot of air from its heavy cabinet. The problem is it's not very tight and can be rather ill-defined with it's reproduction.
Enter Nobsound Isolation springs. A lot has been written about these already so I'm likely not breaking new ground. On a whim, I ordered a set from AMZN. When they arrived I simply unpacked them and installed them under the corners of the sub which rests on plush wall to wall carpet.. Now for $35/set I wasn't really expecting all that much change. I figured if anything I could return them, right? Wrong! I fired up the system and within 5 minutes i couldn't believe the difference!
From front to back:
Bluesound Node2i with Border Patrol DAC
ARC SP11 MkII
ARC VS-110
Acoustat 1+1s
RH Labs sub
Merrill cables all round
The sound was undeniably impacted. The bottom end was now tighter, more defined. Instead of just bass "sounds" there were bass NOTES to be heard. The soundtrack to Interstellar is one of my desert island performances what with it's moving melodies and the sonic fireworks of the pipe organ. I could tell not only with my ears how extended and tight the bass is now, I'll have to move the wineglasses around in the dining room next door that were vibrating!
The stand-up bass on jazz recordings now have clearly discernible notes and sound much more integrated with the Acoustats. I can't wait to play some LPs after work to see what else I can hear.
Verdict: If you feel your subwoofer is under performing, give a set of these a shot. For $35 I don't think you can go wrong.
Happy listening.
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@dpop you raise a good point about spikes/tiptoes vs. springs. In fact, now I'm curious as to the potential effect spikes might have vs. the Nobsound system. I might run out to my storage unit and get some and try it this weekend. Speaking of isolation, I have all of my gear resting on these: Reason for this is the cabinet my gear lives in. While I'd rather have an audiophile rack system to properly isolate things, for domestic tranquility my rig lives in a large Ikea amoire. I'm sure even with the door closed, the vibration from loud music would be conducted via the pressed board shelving to my tube gear and turntable. When I installed the pads I did detect a subtle improvement (placebo effect?). But make no mistake, the Nobsound Isolators made an immediately noticeable improvement. Happy listening. |
In your case, the isolation springs might be a better fit for your application. The springs might be actually de-coupling your gear from a possibly structurally weak support system (like your Ikea rack, or wooden floors if you have them), and in your case, this might be the more beneficial route! Most times spikes and tiptoes are used when there’s a much more stable floor or rack for structural support. Almost every scenario will be different due to the materials and components in the equation. As audio-enthusiasts, it’s all about trying different combinations of components, interconnects, isolation devices, tubes, op-amps, and you name it, to achieve the best possible sound. Audio performance is also subjective. What may sound good to your ears, may not sound good to mine. As is always the case, go with what sounds best to you. It’s pretty much as simple as that. Although the goal with pretty much all of us here is reaching for audio performance nirvana. |