You won’t be suprised to know how many are confused with coupling and decoupling. The differences applicable to speaker “isolation”
Rigid = coupled. wobbly = uncoupled. Isn’t necessarily correct.
I agree. I’ve tried all 3 methods on my Dynaudios. I ‘slide’ my speakers out of harms way when not in use so I sit them on chopping blocks on top of sorbathane pads with felt. This isolates them, but also lifts them circa 50mm. Of course, this gives a sense of airiness and a larger soundstage but I don’t like the bass. I prefer them on their own rubber feet on the hard floor. Coupling them with spikes (on metal discs) tightens the bass further but to me it sounds a bit unnatural and the highs sound a bit too harsh.
All 3 methods effectively ‘tune’ the sound in my room. But my preference is as Dynaudio designed them, rubber feet on my hard floor.
Having followed this thread I decided to try Stack audio auva50 ‘s under my atacama hms2 stands ( proac d2) on thick carpeted floor over wood. I’m still a bit confused by coupling and decoupling but the overall effect on my sound was extremely positive, wider soundstage, better instrument separation, improved bass particularly at lower volume. Great enhancement all round. I took the opportunity when fitting them to “clean” my speaker plugs but I don’t think that and the very slight height difference could account for the overall improvement in sound quality and if it’s all down to confirmation bias - thank you to forum members for improving my system.
Great service from Stack audio as well.
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Mine have felt. They were delivered with the spikes as well, should I want to install them in future. Which is unlikely unless we move - our house is completely polished wooden floors, with no carpets.
Interesting. I’ve got my Auva 70s under my Finkteam Kims. I need the height that the Fraim spikes give me to keep my rack tidy (I have space for the Headline 2 and Apple TV under the base with the Fraim spikes, and would need extended M8 thread to make the Auva’s work
For the Fraim you’ll need the M10-1.5 adapter
If you email Josh I’m sure he can advise where to get a longer adapter
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I’ve had the Stack Audio AUVA 50’s here 10+ days, and I am very pleased to have them installed onto the iBLs. I have been surprised at how much everything I play through the system has clearly improved - helping to extract more performance from my loudspeakers and further raise the level of musical enjoyment, which is what it is all about.
I found Josh at Stack Audio provided first class customer service with excellent communication throughout the process - even sending 2 different sizes of spikes so I could pick the optimum length for my carpet, and with prompt delivery it was a very smooth purchase.
Certainly the iBLs are sounding their very best, revealing more from well known music and adding new delights to every listening session. For me, there are absolutely no negatives with this change and I couldn’t be happier. As my music buddy Adrian said on hearing them… “Wow”.
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Do you have to lay the speakers down to listen to them
No, it was easier to fit the Isolators and take a photograph!
I feel the joke failed somewhere. It happens often to me too.
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Do you have to lay the speakers down to listen to them
Well obviously with the drivers further apart in the horizontal plane, you get a wider soundstage 
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Thanks (and sorry for my late reply). I have cups but was thinking if there’s a better solution once we finally get a new floor…
I hope a YouTube video is allowed Richard?
Just watched this excellent video demonstrating how decoupling works using a little music box sitting on various surfaces. Rigid versus decoupled, watch to the end…or just go to 5:10 in for the meat and potatoes.
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Very interesting video. Are these items available in the UK? Also, given they come in all shapes and sizes, which items would you put under speakers?
I have not looked up the ones in the video, I use Townshend Podiums. I just wanted to show all the people that swear by spikes that they are just transferring sound to the floor, which can be heard .
Here is another video with this Norm guy and the music box.
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I didn’t realise there was a science behind the method, so to speak until watching that video, very interesting.
I bought 2 sets of Stack Audio AUVAs to go under my Spendor A7s as an experiment last year having read the online reviews, many of which favoured them over the more established incumbents. I was sceptical, given my speakers are on a concrete floor covered with Amtico vinyl tiles but there was a definite performance uplift, mainly better instrument separation and dynamics. Although cheaper than the competition, the AUVAs are still expensive for what they deliver (similar to the improvement I heard after inserting a sheet of glass with cups and balls underneath my CDX2), so just the right side of subtle in my environment.
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I have the same kind of floor (concrete and Karndean LVT), so your experience is very relevant. Thanks.
Same here - concrete + screed + Amtico LVT.
I put Auva 70s under my Kudos 606s and I think I got a very small uplift. Nothing amazing, and definitely not detrimental. In fact the small height increase from the Auvas puts the tweeters closer to ear level for me so that could be just as much factor as decoupling from the floor.
However, I have to say I got much better improvements from diffusers (Gik) on the wall behind my speakers and also a thick rug between speakers and listening position.
The Auvas stayed. An additional benefit is they make moving and aligning the speakers SO much easier than the Track Audio spikes they came with.
