Townshend Springs under Speakers

Couldn't find the Wilson reference, but this review is with Magico S7s which are at the edge of the art for cabinet construction:
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/review-townshend-audio-speaker-podiums

@charles1dad not sure if it was this thread or the other Townshend thread, but there was a Wilson speaker owner who found the Podiums a profound improvement over spikes.
I think Wilson would fall into the 'inert cabinet' group, so I think that busts your theory.

FWIW here is another reference to using the Podiums with Magico speakers:

vac_man13 posts06-29-2021 12:39pmI just recently replaced Isoacoustic Gaias under my Magico A3's with the Townshend Podiums, and I must say, the results have been astonishing. The bass is much tighter, faster and articulate; in contrast -- and I have to admit that I did not really appreciate this before making the change -- the bass was kind of bloated and did not have the degree of control that I now hear. More importantly, though, the mid-range and high frequencies became much more open and detailed, and with that, better imaging and a much improved soundstage. It's as if I just substantially upgraded my speakers. The Townshend Podiums work, and they work extremely well.

@charles1dad  I didn't read your comments as a criticism of either the spike or isolation approach.
I was commenting on this postulation:

I could easily imagine that people with “I’ll say better made” speaker cabinets, prefer spikes and mass to pin them spatially.And that the isolators may help actually people who’s cabinets tend to excite the floor.

My point was the Townshend Podiums have been reported to work with speakers having both very inert/dense/rigid cabinet materials and more conventional MDF cabinets - and speakers of all shapes and sizes for that matter. So not sure if construction can be used as an accurate barometer for predicting the performance of one approach over the other. 
My podiums are scheduled arrive next week, so at the moment I can't express an opinion on their performance, but I have prefered the Herbies isolators over rigid coupling in my room/system (hence my intrest in the Podiums).

And without some measurements, then even a “valid opinion” may not be a provable fact. It’s still anecdotal at best.

Did you think this was ASR?
Subjective impressions are the mainstay of this forum.
Nonetheless I think that in this case there is measurement available - even live at shows - that demonstrates the isolation offered by the Townshend devices. Whether or not this is preferable is up to the individual. 
I don't see any evidence of the isolation or 'mechanical sink' capabilities of the spiking approach.
Apart from 3rd hand reports from Richard Vandersteen (albeit weighty opinion in relation to use with Vandersteen speakers), it does seem to me that the naysayers are made up of people with no experience of the Townshend products - some with another axe to grind.
Most everyone who has used them or heard them demonstrated has a positive opinion, anecdotal as that may be. 

OK… What is ASR?
Do you recommend it?

Audio Science Review. A forum where only measurements are considered and subjective opinion is pretty much ridiculed and shouted down.
Personally I think it is useful for the measurements - some of which I've found to corroborate my subjective opinion of components I've owned and got rid of (years before), but subjective assessment doesn't count on that forum. 

So what makes his speakers less responsive to springs?

Don't know. Given the wide range of speakers that have had positive endorsements, if it doesn't work with Vandersteen speakers they would seem to be an outlier. 
The other question is whether Richard tried the Podiums on a range of his speakers or just one of his top models which had been highly optimised for another approach?

I am not a total naysayer, I just want to know how they work… and whether they would work with my speakers. (Before I spend the money.)

That's wise. I've experimented with other (cheaper) isolation options and found them more effective than spiking for my equipment/room. That, along with people using the Podiums with same brand/type of speaker to excellent effect, gave me sufficient confidence to bite the bullet.
I'd advise to read/research as much as you can and attend a demo if possible (wasn't for me).

Also odd non Vandersteen owners take issue with his listening and measurements…of springs… all are free to listen and decide for themselves…

If you're refering to me, for the record I have no issue with Vandersteen's listening or measurements.
I haven't seen the measurements, nor would I dispute a person's personal preference. 
Again I have "no idea" why spring isolation would be less effective with Vandersteen speakers. Others have postulated reasons.

@rixthetrick They are Vicoustic DC2 diffusers.
Many hfi shops and outlets stock them.
The ceiling mounted diffusers made a surprising improvement. Not exactly great aesthetically, but luckily my wife lets me (mostly) do as I please with that room.

@tobes not aimed at you at all.

Ok, I thought my post may have been misinterpreted so just wanted to clarify.

Nearly every other dealer on this forum has the class, business ethic, and decency to make full disclosure on products they support with a business relationship.

Assuming this is fact, what if the dealer opportunity came up recently? I mean it's hard to believe MC was courting this arrangement from his first Townshend post. It would hardly be the first time enthusiasm for a product led to product representation.
I realise how it looks, but is that unethical? 

Man...this thing is still being discussed....wow...if you needed springs, I would think the speaker manufacturer would have provided them or somehow implemented them into the design. Still ain't putting slinkies under mine. My tannoys sound great as is....

I thought the same about my ATC's.
It's unfortunate that this thread has become about personalities rather than the topic under discussion - because the Podiums actually work as described.

@jollygreenaudiophile2, you're a bit late to the party.
As posted earlier by @nonoise this guy would probably be able to explain better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW2LvQUcwqc

Oh.....jollygreen was serious??.....I thought he was taking the piss. Wow. 

Actually if you follow track and field you'd find that the springiness of insoles is controversial and has to be carefully governed to prevent athletes gaining an unfair advantage. 
Some consider the spring provided by current shoes to be already  cheating. Springiness is the new cutting edge. ;-)

benzman, will be interested to hear your thoughts on adding the pods to your other equipment. 
I'm continuing to enjoy what the podiums have brought to my setup - the layering and greater depth perspective along with the greater image palpability and uncovering of more recorded inner detail. 
I'm noticing that differences in recordings/tracks are more stark - i.e. the differences between recording techniques and indeed the quality of the production is more obvious. 
The upshot is that it makes listening to music more compelling - hearing further into recordings and getting closer to the artist.
IME these types of changes always seem to follow genuine improvements.

The Gaias represent higher value than the Townshend equivalent although the latter is sonically superior.

Not sure I agree.
In Australia the Gaia 1 to suit my speakers were A$2.2K and the Podiums were A$3.3K delivered from UK. So 50% more for the Podiums.
I tried the Gaia 1 but thought they were disappointing at the price and returned them.
In my system the Podiums made a much more emphatic and obvious improvement justifying the higher cost.
So, regardless of the higher cost, my experience is the Podiums are better value - though like most things this will probably be system, listener and possibly location (RRP) dependent.  

In the US the gaia 2 are $289 for a set of 4

Yeah, current street price for Gaia 2 in Aus is about A$449 (per set 4) which equates to about US$333. So not crazy different.
Gaia 1 is typically selling for A$999 in Aus at the moment, about US$741 per set.
Unfortunately I required the more expensive Gaia 1.

Sounds to me like the least rigid came out best, and by a lot.  

MC I think questforhifi was suggesting that speakers with more rigid cabinets may benefit more from the podiums (i.e. not that rigid connection to the floor is better).

Makes sense. In practice though it seems, if anything, to go the other way. But full disclosure, I have only a very few examples to go by.

Certainly there have been Wilson and Magico owners that have found big improvements over spike coupling.
I think the take away is that both conventional MDF cabinets and those made from rigid exotic naterials benefit.