Paradigm Persona 5F. MSRP 17,500
Survey on Cost of Loudspeakers Supported On Townshend Seismic Isolation Podiums
I am aware that there are people here who use Townshend Seismic Isolation Podiums below the speakers. I am interested to know the cost (RRP) of the speakers which are supported by the Podiums. I’m not sure if my speakers deserve the Podiums but they are in my wish list should I decide to upgrade something in my system in the near future.
Any input would be appreciated.
@ryder Nonsense do you see the value in isolating your speakers?
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Yes, isolation is beneficial for speakers but I don't think folks would specifically consider the product that is being discussed here for speakers with an MSRP of say $1,000 or less.
Marten Duke 2 (MSRP $8,500) Harbeth SHL5+ (MSRP $6,695) The Dukes have Isoacoustics Gaia 2 installed on them. |
@roxy54 i agree 150% |
Don't sweat the cost of the speakers. Mine were virtually free. The previous owner wanted to give them a good home. I have built my system around these speakers to see how much I could get out of them (Belle Klipsch 1978ish). The Townsend "bars" (they were too big to afford podiums) was the best investment I made for the money. The new crossover helped too, but more expensive. Go for it!!! Try the bars if you don't want to spring for the podiums. |
What is sad is the price of speakers and the here today and gone junk tomorrow status.Thousands spent with a turn around that makes the Depreciation of a new car off the lot look great. What..100’s of makes with more names than the dictionary supports. Then there’s the gear that has to be bought to make crap sound better ?? There now I feel good Lol Cheers
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I have Monitor Audio Studio 50's on size 2 podiums. These retailed in the US at $8,000, but I picked mine up brand new as an "end of range" sale for £2k here in the UK. Managed to pick up the podiums for £1.2K. The speakers, which I still have are 22 years young and are now augmented by Townshend Super Tweeters. |
I would think that if you are spending big money on a high end speaker that they (or at least should) already come designed and built with isolation in mind. I've gotta believe that my S/F Liliums come engineered to eliminate resonance and all that stuff. I could research it, but to busy enjoying the music to dabble in it. PS: Love My Vinyl |
Somewhere on Richard Vandersteen’s site there’s a paper on the subject which echoes my own thoughts. You want to minimize the contact area between the speaker and floor. You also want to secure the speaker from rocking against the force of the woofers. The motors are powerful, and the farther from the ground the easier time they’ll have moving the speaker back and forth and causing Doppler distortion. This is why sometimes something as simple as adding significant weight to the top of a monitor will tighten up the bass. |
Aerial LR5 - $11K inc. Sound Anchor Signature stands. 175 lbs each when mounted on the stands. Decoupled using springs but not Townshend platforms. I am curious why speaker cost has anything to do with it. It is more about making your speakers and system sound their best. The question becomes coupling (spikes) vs. decoupling (springs). The two heavy hitters are probably Audiopoint (spikes) and Townshend (spring decoupling). However, there are many types of springs that can be used for decoupling (such as elastomers). In addition to Townshend, common decouplers include Herbies, EVP, Gaia, common sorbothane footers, and more. Here is an informative video from Townshend discussing their take on why using springs to support/decouple your speakers is a best option. Here is another from Credo out of Switzerland, and here is one featuring Norman Varney from AV Room Services (i.e., the company that manufactures EVPs). Finally, this doesn't need to cost a lot of money. My Aerial LR5s and my similarly heavy SW12 subs are supported by regular springs such as formerly sold by Geoff Kait at Machina Dynamica. I sized them from the weight of the speakers/stands and using the tool on the Century Spring website (which has changed and is not quite as specific as when I used it). I damped the outside of each spring with thin, loosely applied heat shrink and provided holes to prevent air lock, not unlike the Townshend products, and ended up with virtually the same result. The Townshend products are great for their adjustability and for speakers not already supported by heavy steel bases but some research along with trial and error could get you to the same place sonically using individual springs for a lot less money. |
While we are all the the question of decoupling the speakers to avoid dappled distortion, has anyone used Isoaoustic GAIA I on a pair of Sibelius speakers? Or put another way, why would Pearl Acoustics make a heavt speaker stand for its speaker and still use spikes with disks if he didn't believe it would represent the best sonics? Just curious, waiting for delivery on mine. 😊 thanks |
I think part of the issue is at what point are you better off using the money to buy better speakers (as determined by you)...though if you love your speakers, and don’t want to sell then make them as good as possible...I like the Mapleshade Low Micro Point Mega Feet and maple boards, though no boards with current speakers... |
For anyone who has not heard of Townshend Townshend Audio Seismic HiFi Isolation Products Demo @ Festival of Sound 2018 |
ProAc D40Rs (original retail = $12,500 / Rosewood) on the Townshend Podiums in my 2nd-floor, wood-framed home. My impression is that they improve the bass resolution greatly and the overall image presents well at lower volume levels now. That said, I think I’d consider the structure of the listening room before I’d worry about the price of the speakers. Not sure I’d use these in a basement listening room with concrete floors. Direct-coupling via spikes might work better in that situation. Or at least, be no worse (for less money). |
I have tall thin speakers and also was nervous about the instability created with the Townshend bars/springs (I do use their platform under my turntable with excellent results). I put flat multilayer Symposium Segue Stealth platforms (custom sized) under my speakers which added a little stability (or at least didn't decrease it from the spikes/discs that came with the speakers) but more importantly improved the sound by removing the internal speaker vibration to the floor. It clarified the sound and the result was more noticeable than I expected, and kept the tweeter height the same. Supposedly these work really well with a suspended wood floor which I have. Way less expensive than the Townshend options (bars or pods or platforms). The improvement of anything you do depends heavily on your floor, environment, and speakers. |
Spring support doesn't need to cost a lot of money, but you have to get the sizing right. You could also try EVPs, which can also be DIY'ed with Owens Corning 703-705. |
I have no idea in what way your current speakers don't do what you would like them to do but I would suggest trying isolation of some sort to get an idea of what the Podiums can do for a speaker. I have Linn Akurate speakers and I was as happy with them as any of us are after living with a speaker for a while but I will tell you that the Podiums really had the effect you might expect from upgrading the speaker. Keeping the old or buying new speaks you really might want to try isolating them - to me and apparently others, isolation makes a considerable improvement.
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