If anyone doesn’t hear any difference when isolators were used on solid-state equipment such as amplifiers, I would suggest that the isolators are not effective or not very good. I’ve tried Nobsound springs under all my amps and these isolators are able to alter the sound of the component that is being supported just by changing the spring configuration.
The Isoacoustics Oreas are quite common devices that people use. Nevertheless, the reception is mixed as people who tried or compared the Oreas sent them back. Some people couldn’t hear a difference with the Oreas, and there are people who find the Nobsounds to perform better than the Oreas. The Townshend Pods and Podium are claimed to be most effective. On another forum, there are folks who measured the distortion of few isolators and speaker spikes. The Townshend product showed the best measurement, followed by the Nobsounds and then the Isoacoustics Gaia, Orea and spikes.
There are few interesting videos of the late Max Townshend on YouTube explaining on the importance of isolation for audio equipment, and this includes solid state amps.
So true. Trust our ears - they seldom lie, though there are times they could. Sometimes I have led myself to believe something really works when in reality I was just deceiving myself - it’s difficult to remain objective when our emotions tinge buying decisions. So for me, I don’t rush into buying something for the sake of things till I really am convinced to spend.
I was saddened to learn of his demise, one of the UK’s icons for all his work done to help address microphony. His is obvious passion. Certainly would like to try these - good web feedback thus far on the Podiums. I caught a glimpse of these on the Forum at PeterR’s, who uses these to great and happy effect on his Fact 12 beauties in a beautifully and very carefully set-up Statement-500DR-based system.
If I could just venture the aesthetics however might seem a little challenging for sensitive souls where space is a premium [ yours truly] and I’m also unsure how the Podiums would work under larger speakers with more sizeable footprints and weight if an owner had these… a “sprawling” affair? But I have no doubt they work their magic from feedback gathered so far.
Would be nice to have owners feedback on their Townshend Podiums thus far - images would be nice!
Hi, had my Podiums at least a couple of years, supporting Kudos Titan T88s
weighing around 66kg.
The Podiums sit on carpet with a thick underlay and 22mm mdf suspended floor with cavities between joists filled with acoustic slabs.
I read this forum and others, saw many photos of manufacturers and owners using them with very expensive speakers on the web and also watched Max’s YouTube videos.
I was hoping for them to help control the bass which had a tendency to boom.
I decided to take a chance on a new pair I found on that famous auction site at a very good price, which meant I probably wouldn’t loose out on them if they didn’t work for me.
Very easy to set up, just make sure the platforms can move freely and do not rub on the adjustable springs.
In my house,with my system etc. etc. they snapped everything into focus, addressing to a large degree the bass issue,but also revealing micro detail and a bigger yet more precise soundstage. The sound felt effortless and free. No, the Podiums don’t do all this, they just allow the equipment to give of its best.
For me, the best value for money purchase in 40yrs of my interest in HiFi and I would still say the same if having paid the full price.
My system is ND555-2x PSDR,552DR & 500DR.
Hope this helps
Russ
Also using Podiums under the PMC MB2se [75 kg] on thick carpet /underlay/very thick concrete floor. Again a massive improvement in all aspects , just helps to make the speakers and room disappear.
Thank you Russ and Folkman… I’m beginning to see the light… they are growing on me, those “spider feet”… lovely speaker systems so carefully set-up!
What material is the platform made of and does it scratch the base of the speaker cabinets without using their spikes… can we use speaker spikes on the Podiums or are these not necessary?
I was originally going to purchase a used set off an auction site,from a person using them with Wilson Bensch speakers and he advocated inverted oak cones between speaker and the metal platforms.
I took the benefit of his experience, bought the Russ Andrew’s style cones off said auction site and fixed them with double adhesive tape.
I haven’t done comparisons as the overall difference with the Podiums was so big, far beyond my expectations.
I do have a set of Gaia supporting a subwoofer in an av system, in another room, and find them a pain to setup compared with the Podiums.
I should add,the person I spoke of above was selling them due to a speaker change and required a smaller size.
If still interested search the web, I got my new set for just under half price.
I believe the Podiums are made of steel and they are heavy. They have a coarse finish , possibly powder metal. Cannot see how using spikes on them would give any advantage.
I use my PMC with the supplied spiked cones removed but with a very thin felt pad between the speaker and Podium.
Thanks Gents, what was the official set-up instructions for the Podiums? To set the speakers directly on the platform without their spikes? A metal platform… interesting. Went to their site and have been browsing.
Would have done the same to show some cabinet love…
The only reason I have my speakers on spikes on the podiums is they have cap screws protruding under the base so the spikes give clearance, otherwise would have preferred to put them straight in the podiums.
My experience over the years has been that just about everything can affect the sound of a hi-fi system. It often defies any kind of logic. That’s one of the things that makes it so fascinating.
As far as isolation goes there are many different approaches involving spikes, springs, energy absorbing materials etc. etc. I’ve experimented with just about all of them. Again I would say that there is very little logic involved here. Some things work best in some situations and others work best in others. There is no universally applicable answer. Of course it is impossible to try everything out at home so in the end one settles for whatever appears to work. Maybe something else would be better - but where to draw the line?
One thing Ive decided is that it’s best to keep things as simple as possible. Over-doing things with system tweaking, whilst it can certainly raise performance levels, can also lead to a sort of complex inter-dependency where one tweak rests on another, and another rests on another and so on. These sort of set-ups can be superb but also a nightmare. When something goes slightly ‘off’ then tracking down the culprit can be extremely time consuming and difficult.
My approach with isolation now is get a good rack, good speaker stands (if required) and leave it at that.
Something else I’ve noticed about many isolation accessories is that they ‘give with one hand and take away with the other’. So you may find that putting cones under a component gives a more open and airy presentation but that it reduces bass slam and solidity. So you then start to look around for a way to restore the missing bass punch so you buy something for that and in turn you now find that treble sparkle is reduced so you then… and on it goes ad infinitum.
One thing that always amuses me in reviews is that it is always perceived as an improvement when an accessory say for instance creates a bigger soundstage. Without having been at the original recording session how can anyone possibly know that this is really an ‘improvement’? It could be that the original more compact soundstage was actually more realistic and that the more spacious soundstage created by the accessory is actually just an artefact. It really is complete nonsense. This is one of the reasons why these sorts of ‘improvements’ have now become meaningless to me.
Normally, a good isolation device should isolate the component from vibrations ( which introduce noise and alterations of the signal), dissipate the inner noise of the component, and all without changing the sound signature of the component.
So, ideally, isolation devices have no coins. The sound is more open, more free flowing, more natural, with less glare.
But as you said it’s not always the case. For instance I use Finite elemente devices. Under the rack and speakers, they really improve all the characteristics, without degrading others.
But under Naim electronics and Rega tt, they tend to thin the sound.
It’s called a nightmare that becomes reality till it’s eventually solved.
Thank you Pete for your posts. On the nail!
I have met seasoned audiophile friends who go the round circle over three decades, spend tonnes of money tweaking and tuning and on component changes only to end up with “sound in no man’s land” - by which time their ears have died on them, they no longer can discern or are too tired to tell what’s going on with their system’s sonics, and hence the music enjoyment erodes to a point they wonder if they should just get a blue tooth speaker and play the music for what it is. Or they lose track of what good sound is anymore over the years because they have A-B-ed to hell and back but never could conclude if something had been added or detracted, and to what measure.
It’s a realisation about Naim components for me, and hence I am always cautious when deviating from Naim because it mostly means some gain at the loss of something else. But it’s fun mixing and matching… hence the hobby.
PhilP:
I have met seasoned audiophile friends who go the round circle over three decades, spend tonnes of money tweaking and tuning and on component changes only to end up with “sound in no man’s land” - by which time their ears have died on them, they no longer can discern or are too tired to tell what’s going on with their system’s sonics, and hence the music enjoyment erodes to a point they wonder if they should just get a blue tooth speaker and play the music for what it is. Or they lose track of what good sound is anymore over the years because they have A-B-ed to hell and back but never could conclude if something had been added or detracted, and to what measure.
Yes that’s precisely the sort of scenario that happens. I’ve been there in the past and reached the point where I was tempted to just build a huge bonfire in the garden and put the whole system on it and just start over from scratch! You completely lose all your bearings and reference points and nothing seems to sound right anymore. I’ll never go down that road again.
lol… many have been there, Pete… it’s so frustrating.
It’s a fear of mine…and hence… the notion, the idea, the premise that was Naim, and still is, as a system already matched together for us from components to cabling, nullifies our insecurities with having to “piece together” what good sound is. We just need to trust, that Naim as a system works, and then gingerly and carefully tune and tweak the set-up and room before anything else is done to introduce “outside” components and cables, if and when the itch reared its ugly head…
I have neither time, nor resources, or protracted patience for “what if I try this or that and it doesn’t work” scenarios when spending tens of thousands, or much more of my hard-earned money, for “look-hear-see” uncertainty. I just wanna get back to my listening happily after paying my money for something much more confidently assured. I was taken in by Naim’s approach for its customers 30 years ago, as a young man then. It was one of the best things that happened to me on my hi fi journey. - you pay and get “tailored sound the Naim way - and we’ll take all the guess work out for you.” [as long as you like our kind of sound for music replay…] So this approach resonated deeply with me, and I’ve been happy, as many here have been, and still are.
The flip side to this is, if we don’t explore outside of “Naim’s boundaries” if you will, we’ll never know, so whatever rocks your boat, but from my limited experience, a good 80% of what’s out there is a different type of sound that dilutes the sound I’m after, to my ears, and affects my emotional connection when listening, hence not quite my cup of tea.
I trust Naim sound, for my ears and what I prefer and connect with in my own home, and the world’s an open place all the same. Cheers.
