Townshend Audio Seismic Isolation Podiums can hold floorstanding speakers, stand-mounts and subs!

Aimed at high-end users, the Podiums provide isolation for your speakers to ultimately lower the noise floor and let more detail through to your ears. They are designed to hold any size and weight of speaker. Paul Rigby looks to lower his noise floor.

TEST RESULTS

MAX TOWNSHEND SPEAKS!
I asked designer and company owner, Max Townshend, about the designs. I wondered why he had invented the Podiums at all. Especially when there are so many speaker solutions on the market, “The traditional solution of spikes and cones, etc. for speaker suspension relies on the naive notion that rigid coupling and one-way energy transfer are achievable. They are not,” he added, other forcefully. Then continued, “A little isolation helps a bit and is very popular with the abundance of the fancy polymer/Sorbothane isolators and high-mass configurations, that proliferate today. However, as we found 30 years ago, this form of partial isolation down to 10-15Hz, is no way good enough. To isolate the critical audio band properly, it is essential to go down to 2-3Hz. This is only achievable by a properly engineered, progressive air-damped, spring/mass, mechanical low pass filter. This we incorporate in all our current range of seismic isolation, because it works.”

PATREON
The page arrives with a growing range of BUYER'S GUIDES.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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IMAGE CREDITS:
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Photo by Sora Shimazaki from Pexels
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Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels
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OTHER CREDITS
Old Bossa by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution

REFERENCE SYSTEM
Pro-Ject RPM 3 turntable
Funk Firm Little Super Deck
Audiolab 6000A amplifier
Trichord Dino phono amplifier
Audiolab 6000CDT
Benchmark DAC
Monitor Audio Silver 300 speakers
Tellurium Q cabling
Blue Horizon Professional Rack System
Harmonic Resolution Systems Noise Reduction Components
Air Audio AC-2K Balanced Transformer
Russ Andrews RF Router Mk.II

[colmandonnelly]

Great review Paul
A few years ago I bought a second hand Seismic Sink Hi-Fi rack from the late 90s, that came without instructions, I got on the Townshend website to put in a request for them around lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon. 30 minutes later my phone rang, it was Max Townshend, on a Saturday!, to help me properly set the rack up and tell me about his new product that he was so excited about, the Podiums. I haven't got them yet but they will be my next purchase when funds allow, got a pair of upgraded Wilson Benesch ACT ONEs waiting. Max was such an absolute gent and true Hi-Fi hero that I had to share this with you all.

[AnilAdvani]

Waay back, during a visit to London, I bought a pair of Seismic Sinks by Tounshend! I still use these under various audio equipment. I took a couple of photos but don't know how to post these here.

[MrPompanoman]

I totally agree with you little things make a huge difference I put sixteen sorbathane bumpers under a 1.5 inch butcher block cutting board and placed my amplifier on it and noticed a immediate difference in sound quality more focus more energy it seems idk but it was a nice difference for not much dough.

[vinylrulesok]

I bought a pair in 2019 and they completely transformed the sound of my speakers which I’d owned for over 20 years so I thought I knew their sound. The podiums made them sound so much better in every area. Probably the most impressive upgrade I’ve experienced

[alistairwilson]

Great review Paul. I'd been toying with the idea of these for a while but couldn't justify the price to myself, then moved to a flat with a flimsy floor and a seismograph for a downstairs neighbour...hmmm, time to do something. So, off to ebay and got a set of the cheaper speaker bars for a great price. Result! Neighbourly relations more harmonious and my system now sounds amazing. Interestingly, l'd been having great results with Black Ravioli feet, collected over the years from ebay and l must say that the two combined have a great synergy. The Townshend bars and pods isolating brilliantly and the BR's acting as tuned absorbers working to great effect under anything with a transformer in it for resonance control. I have drunk deep from Max's Koolaid for a while now;have had a pair of his Supertweeters for a while and finally took the leap last year for his Allegri Reference preamp and his Fractal interconnects. All l can say is WOW! Max is a genius, and the other end of my room has disappeared, not just the speakers or the system. Some of my mates have found the effect positively spooky-l love it!

[robertyates]

Any material change under a piece of equipment will alter the sound, not necessarily for the better. Townshend products are very good. Balls and cups also work very well to reduce seismic vibration, for best results the balls/cups need to be combined with springs or pneumatic tubes for vertical vibrations.

[johnschofield]

Max stayed at my house once and I told him about speaker coupling decoupling and did a demo with some JBLs to prove it. He ran with it and made some 💰

[mrpositronia]

After hearing the difference in much cleaner and tidier bass, I'd be happy to get a pair eventually. Especially as I have suspended floorboards in my living room.

[fletchermunson]

Thanks Paul, I for one enjoy your learned, complete, and in depth reports. You have imaginative descriptive powers.

[kceateva]

I want to try a bike tire and a chunk of cutting board for my jbl 570 and see if i get good results.

[preservedmoose]

Paul, did you have your 'speakers pointing straight forward (looks like it from the pictures) or were they toed-in?
I'm just curious how that works - normally straight on is more open but less defined, of course.
I have mine toed-in and a pair of podiums are on their way. As my speakers are large and heavy, it would be good to know in advance if it is even worth trying them pointing straight forward or I should just use the toe-in that I currently have.
Thank you.

[titntin]

Thanks for this. With my speakers spiked into a concrete floor, I still find it hard to believe this kind of upgrade would make a significant difference, so i guess ill never know, as the entry cost means im unlikely to take a punt! Shame, as im always up for trying stuff xD
I am thinking of trying an isolation platform under my Naim Atom, which currently sits on sorbathane half domes, but of course thats looking to fix the effects of microphany and its a different issue than what you are trying to do for speakers.
Always lots of respect for this company and their products.

[MrPompanoman]

So I'm a poor man but I did purchase a set of feet for my speakers. they are two pieces of aluminum with springs in between I no longer feel the floor vibrations and the music seems more focused thank you sir everytime I isolate components it seems to makes a positive difference

[hartgemini]

Hi Paul- I’m looking to add isolation to my Avalon PM1 speakers and are looking at both Stillpoints and the Franc Audio Fat Foots, just wondered how these compare as they are similar money?

[chrisrichards]

I have a question, once you put your speakers on the podium when they're leveled for the floor do you undo the top adjustments all the way to let them float freely and then I adjust them after that for level?

[Justin-fyxk]

Hello Paul, I bought Nobosound springs which are slightly cheaper. They also suspend the speakers off the floor. They are now bobbing around. Not sure if im that impressed. I was going to try these but I guess these work in exactly the same way. What do you think

[seanlefebvre]

Excellent Video - well done :) I'm looking forward to getting my podiums soon!

[alexandrospavlakis]

Great review! Any chance of comparing them to isoacoustics' gaia range? The townshend must be better but I'm looking for a more economical upgrade for my scm40s and I'm curious:)

[Toki]

I heard many successful stories about this even for those speakers with stands

[mrtim]

Did you use the blue horizon spikes in addition to the isolation platforms? I am not clear on that.