…still remains a mystery to me…but you cannot argue with observations (or rather the audio equivalent!) in context.
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A lot of interesting info on Townshend’s site about seismic isolation and measurements of speaker cabinets / cone movement and background earth vibrations.
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…well, he makes his case. I surmise that his contention is that isolation is less deleterious than coupling…the problem for me is that the cost of verification in my own context is very high.
I agree that the cost of verification is high. However I have a track record with Max, and he is batting 5 for 5. Podiums, IC’s, SuperTweeter, Allegri+, DC47. No snake oil on Max. His stuff really works.
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…many years ago (early 1980s) I purchased an Elite (his brand) cartridge…the cantilever was slightly bent…I 'phoned him, he was chatty and amicable…new stylus dispatched with no delay. Pretty good service in my book!
Ever since I tried putting granite cutting boards under my SL2s and thereby dulling the sound considerably, I’ve been convinced by the importance of the interface betwixt speakers and floor, so I’m not surprised those Podiums have made a significant improvement to your sound quality Peter.
I watched a video on the Townsend website, and ignoring the advertising hype, their demonstration of using a seismometer on top of a speaker to register vibrations before and after fitting a Podium intrigued me. The chap I bought my DBLs from was using a pair of Mana Soundbases, which he swore benefitted the sound considerably, but as he as buying another pair of DBLs in a different finish he wanted to keep them. So I took the opportunity to measure and photograph the Soundbases, and eventually got round to welding up a pair. I remembered the Townsend video before installing them, so equipped with a Seismometer app. on my iPhone I stamped on the floor (oak boarding on top of compressed flint). Sure enough, the trace jumped up a fair old bit. Heaved the DBLs onto the “Manas”, repeated the test, and the graph didn’t even twitch. The speakers will now wave about alarmingly if you push them, but the sound is significantly improved in all directions.
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Hi Tony, well done for making the bases yourself and getting an uplift in the sound- these things do work! 
Best Peter
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Hi, @PeterR.
Delighted with the improvement and you are so happy with them. We have long been commenting on the Isoacoustic Gaia, which in a similar manner generally offer equally surprising results.
I read that you have finished your journey, I have finally finished mine too.
There’s only one thing that catches my eye, is that fidelity to NACA5 in systems of such a level. I know that Naim recommends it, and that it delegates to it the stability of its amplifiers; but looking a little, I think there are some cables suitable for Naim amplifiers and quite better. And cables, especially speaker cables, are another thing with amazing results.
Anyway, enjoy them in health, more in these times we live.
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Interested to know how peter thinks they differ to the Gaia’s, as I know Peter has demoed these at home and didn’t like them at all.
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Hi newcomer, thank for your post I am unsure if you are referring to my cables, but in case of doubt I am actually using SL speaker cable. Anyway, you keep well Peter
PS. Happylistener was here today and kindly lent me a short run of Tellerium Black Ultra just long enough to reach across to the far speaker,…
a little play for a rainy day 
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You haven’t got time to hang around here popeye🤣. In all fairness I think at the time of trying the Gaias, there were too many variables going on with my room and equipment going off. I think the Gaias could well be turning out to be the icing on the cake once all other acoustic issues have been resolved in a room. Maybe because my room treatment is now finally completed, I am now fully able to appreciate what my Podiums are doing for the listening experience. Speak soon Peter
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Not really, I can see yours as SL; I was refering to some other members in the forum.
What about the TQ Black Ultra? I don’t know if you know I finished with TQ Silver Diamond + Black Diamond full loom, with very very good results. Hoping hear your impressions soon…
Keep well also, .
There are many threads about the TQ and other cables (and discussions coming up in other threads). The search function is your friend 
Yes, thanks for info I already know, also my friend, the search function; but the conversation doesn’t go on TQ and other cables but in @PeterR trying TQ Black Ultra in his system.
All the better I just thought you were generally interested in the cable topic because of your previous general comment about many people with high-level systems still using NACA5. Sorry if I misinterpreted
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I have experience of both, having installed Townsend speaker bars in 2014. They made a significant improvement virtually every eliminating the issues I had with bass bloom, which I had assumed was due to room modes. However, they were not aesthetically pleasing in my room, and earlier this year I changed then for Gaia isolation feet.
The Gaia feet are not quite as neutral sounding compared with the Townsend bars having a more pronounced, but not unpleasant, bass, which I now marginally prefer.
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Hi Gerry, can’t help wondering if one of the benefits of maybe the Podiums in particular also is, that as microphony is cancelled into the floor structure, this also allows no deleterious energy to go up into the Fraim stacks. These are only 1.5 mtrs away in my case from my left channel. Who knows, eh?! ATB Peter
HI Peter,
I did not have the Podiums and I believe they are superior to the Bars that I had. I do not have Fraims as they would not (aesthetically) work in my room. I do have Townsend pods supporting my stands also under my turntable.
Gerry
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In my last listening room I had a real problem with the room acoustics, and bass was very unevenly distributed around the room. Stand in the doorway or a corner and there was excessive bass; sit on the sofa and there was hardly any. Because this was so obviously a room acoustics issue, I had assumed that only room treatment, speaker positioning etc. could solve it.
I was very surprised to find that a system upgrade solved the problem. Specifically, a preamp upgrade. Now I can understand that bass control should be improved by using better electronics, but I’m still not sure how it’s possible increase bass levels in the listening position and greatly reduce them in the corners without changing the room in any way.
I realise, of course, that this has nothing at all to do with isolation feet, but I think that both these experiences show that once you’ve exhausted all aesthetically acceptable room treatment and layout options, if your room still sounds wrong there are still things you can do to help.
Hi jlewis As i recall it was LINN who started the rigid spiked unmoveable cabinet trend on the basis that any cabinet movement no matter how small would add / subtract to driver movement and so to some degree render the driver motion less accurate. You could put cross head screws in the floor for instance and adjust for total speaker rigidity. I never quite under stood this as while the Bass cone is moving to a drum beat the surface of the cone is also vibrating at various frequencys producing other tones and instruments so movement is happening regardless. When a speaker is rigidly coupled to ANY floor the speaker vibrations travelling down are reflected back up to the drive units but now with a time delay this intermodulation interferes with what the speaker is now producing. On some floors this coupling will also effectively travel to the T.T. CD etc. where it is not wanted. I used my Linn Isobarik speakers on semi flexible stands ( suspended wooden floor ) to much better result to Linns steel stands and the large Monitors i have always used sit 250mm high square steel OEM U shaped stands with the open U at the front and the hinge effect creates forward and back wobble,it is quite easy to brace these by jamming wood or square metal tube in the center or at the two front corners and on either wood or solid concrete floors the effect is horrendous all aspects of reproduction being affected, so i can quite easily see how Townsends Platforms work. I did have a pair of Quads flag ship Z4 speaker here (which i have an intense dislike of) and removing the recomended spikes and replacing them with the other feet provided showed the spikes to easily work the best so it seems that with speaker designs of Today where spikes, cabinet, and voicing have been designed in OEM spikes may be a best option but that in no way means Townsend Podiums would not be better still.
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