To couple, or not to couple, that is the question


There seems to be a fundamental difference of opinion between those who would couple their speakers to the floor (e.g., with spikes), and those who would decouple them (e.g., with springs). I’ve gone both ways, but have found that I prefer the latter; I’ve currently got Sorbothane feet attached to my tower speakers, so that they wobble or "float"—much like the Townshend Platforms videos show for that similar, but more expensive, approach. My ears are the final arbiters of my listening experience, so they rule my choices. But my mind likes to have a theoretical explanation to account for my subjective preferences.

That’s where the question comes in. A very knowledgable audiophile friend insists that what I prefer is precisely the opposite of what is best: that ideally, the speaker enclosure should be as rigid and immovable as possible so that the moving cones of the drivers can both most efficiently and most accurately create a sound front free of the inevitable colorations that would come from fighting against a moving cabinet. He says that transients will be muddied by the motion of the cabinet set up by the motion of the speaker cones. And this makes perfect sense to me in terms of my physical intuitions. It’s perhaps analogous to the desirability of having a rigid frame in a high-performance vehicle, which allows the engineers to design the suspension without having to worry too much about the complex interactions with a flexing chassis.

Am I just deluded, then, in preferring a non-rigid interface between speaker and floor? Or does it depend on the kind of floor? (I get that most advice seems to favor decoupling from a suspended wood floor, and coupling to a slab; my floor is hardwood, but not exactly "suspended" as the underflooring structure is very rigid.) Or are there trade offs here, as there usually are in such options: do I gain something (but what, and how?) even as I lose something else (i.e., clean transients, especially in bass tones)?

The ears will win this contest, but I like to have my mind on board if possible. So thanks for any input you may have on this question.

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Showing 2 responses by charles1dad

@nonoise

That seems perfectly rational to me. No doubt that the preferable method of managing vibration/resonance is dependent on the particular speakers and circumstances. I don’t believe that universally one approach is superior to the other without any exceptions.

Charles

@grannyring 

I am now looking for some footers for under my Fyne F704 speakers. They are much heavier in the front and am considering both Audio Points and Townshend.
Not excited about 150 pound speakers on the sharped tipped Audio Points resting on the matched coupling discs on my hardwood floors. However, based on my past experience with the Townshend Pods and bars, these speakers are sure to be a frustrating set-up experience. I don’t think the Townshend platforms will fit/work under my speaker

 I agree with your assessment. The Live Vibe audio points are well thought out, utterly effective and excellent in actual use. For your big speakers have you considered using the larger  (More stable) footprint APCD5 discs? 4 of these per speaker would seem to provide a stable and secure base.

Charles