[bdp24]

hey  folks, just a quick follow up  on  this topic...
After trying  pretty much everything we could think of,   the customer went ahead and  ordered a set of Townshend Isolation Bars for his subs.   Here's  a copy of  his email:
"I just received my Townshend Isolation Bars and stuck them under my subs. My oscillation issue is 100% cured, even at the sub amps full volume! It doesn’t matter if the rumble filter is on or off or where I set the frequency switch or any of the controls. Highly recommended for all those vinyl guys with subs."



jay

The owner of the OB/Dipole Subs has posted on Audiogon about the success he had had in curing the problem caused in his turntable from all the new bass the subs are producing, by putting the subs up on the Townshend Seismic Bars pictured. Little by little, audiophiles are learning of the sub! Great job of assembling and finishing the subs Jay, done to match the owners speakers.

[jschwenker]

Hi Folks,

Just now noticed this thread.  Here's a description and pictures of a 1 Hz isolation stage contraption I built years ago for a TT wall mount to solve this same problem.  Been working fabulously for me ever since.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82514.msg1306519#msg1306519

Cheers,  John

[bdp24]

Hi Folks,

Just now noticed this thread.  Here's a description and pictures of a 1 Hz isolation stage contraption I built years ago for a TT wall mount to solve this same problem.  Been working fabulously for me ever since.
http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82514.msg1306519#msg1306519

Cheers,  John

Geoff Kait, frequent contributor on Audiogon, proposes hanging a turntable shelf from the ceiling with bungee cords!

[poseidonsvoice]

A set of the Townshend Seismic Pods (the things bolted onto the ends of the bars pictured above---they are available separately) are at the top of my list of "buy as soon as possible" items. They're not cheap, but they are worth their price. There is a new product that may give them some tough competition, the Isoacoustics Iso-Puck.

Indeed. But there is something better than the puck.  The Isoacoustics modular design is both inexpensive and custom designed for your particular sub, a patented design with credible measurements. I would recommend the customer return the Townshend and purchase the Isoacoustics. Many of the Isoacoustics products are inexpensive with the exception of the "pretty" looking GaiAs because they primarily cater to pro audio (and the GaiA's cater to oddeophiles). I use their stands for all of my subs. Although the stands come unassembled it takes just 30 min to build them.

http://www.isoacoustics.com/home-audio/

Best,
Anand.

[roscoe65]

I'll second this.  I use Isoacoustics in three of my systems.  They are really effective and mostly inexpensive.

[bdp24]

Indeed. But there is something better than the puck.  The Isoacoustics modular design is both inexpensive and custom designed for your particular sub, a patented design with credible measurements. I would recommend the customer return the Townshend and purchase the Isoacoustics. Many of the Isoacoustics products are inexpensive with the exception of the "pretty" looking GaiAs primarily because they primarily cater to pro audio. I use their stands for all of my subs. Although the stands come unassembled it takes just 30 min to build them.

http://www.isoacoustics.com/home-audio/

Best,
Anand.

Thanks for the tip Anand. I've been looking at the IsoAcoustics website, and Guitar Center is a dealer! That usually means significant discounts---I buy some of my drum gear from them, and they sell it at about a third off list. What attracted me to the GAIA is that it can be bolted onto the Sound Anchor stands I have my speakers mounted to. But I'll look into their other products too. The new (they're not in stores yet) Iso-Puck is made for not speakers, but for components, and they are about $30 apiece, much less than the Townshend Pods.

[corndog71]

I use the Isoacoustic stands too.  Not fun to move but effective.

[Danny Richie]

One thing you guys need to keep in mind with these devices is the type of floor that you have.

If you have a wood floor, suspended floor, and any type of floor that can move, then these devices can really help keep the speakers from mechanically moving or flexing the floor. And the benefit can range from minor to significant as the flexing or moving floor in turn moves the speakers, electronics, turn tables, etc.

And they aren't technically isolating the speakers from the floor. The speakers are still coupled to the floor. What they are doing is applying a damper. It is just like the car that you drive. The shock absorbers damp the ride and give you a smooth ride. But the car is not de-coupled from the road. The car is still coupled to the road via the wheels and tires. Likewise these stands are still coupled to the floor but there is an added damper or shock absorbers.

However, if you have a solid concrete floor then your best option is to spike the speakers straight through the carpet and onto the floor so that they do not move.

[jtwrace]

Indeed. But there is something better than the puck.  The Isoacoustics modular design is both inexpensive and custom designed for your particular sub, a patented design with credible measurements. I would recommend the customer return the Townshend and purchase the Isoacoustics. Many of the Isoacoustics products are inexpensive with the exception of the "pretty" looking GaiAs primarily because they primarily cater to pro audio. I use their stands for all of my subs. Although the stands come unassembled it takes just 30 min to build them.

http://www.isoacoustics.com/home-audio/

Best,
Anand.

And you can see here how they're shipped and then assembled. 

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=149780.msg1605230#msg1605230

[bdp24]

I have always spiked my speakers to the floor, my last couple of houses having a concrete-floored listening room. But my new (and final!) room has a suspended wood floor, and it's a kind of bouncy one. I'm going to crawl underneath, and see if I can add some pillars (4 x 4's) to brace it stiffer. At least my turntable, SACD player, and tube electronics are right up against an exterior wall, the stiffest part of the floor.

[gregfisk]

I wonder how these The Isoacoustics modular stands would work on a speaker like the Super V?

[mlundy57]

I wonder how these The Isoacoustics modular stands would work on a speaker like the Super V?

Don't know but they definitely add height.  When I used their calculator to determine what modular stand the NX-Otica Monitor/dual 12 H-Frame combo needed, the recommended stand was 5-1/5" high.

I would expect the Super Vs to be the same.

[gregfisk]

Don't know but they definitely add height.  When I used their calculator to determine what modular stand the NX-Otica Monitor/dual 12 H-Frame combo needed, the recommended stand was 5-1/5" high.

I would expect the Super Vs to be the same.

I didn't think about that, I can't have mine any higher than they are as they are already taller because they were built to look like the Super 7. They aren't that tall but taller than a normal Super V.

[poseidonsvoice]

Don't know but they definitely add height.  When I used their calculator to determine what modular stand the NX-Otica Monitor/dual 12 H-Frame combo needed, the recommended stand was 5-1/5" high.

I would expect the Super Vs to be the same.

All the Modular custom Isoacoustics stands are 5.5 inches in height. So you have to accommodate for that or try one of their other stands which are height adjustable from 3 inches to eight 8 inches. The other option is just getting the GaiA footers which are more expensive due to looks and marketing but not due to performance.

Best,
Anand.

[bdp24]

If the stand allows it, having the back of it a little higher than the front will point the speakers down toward the listening position, solving the height issue.

[poseidonsvoice]

If the stand allows it, having the back of it a little higher than the front will point the speakers down toward the listening position, solving the height issue.

Some of their stands allow for tilt adjustment like you suggest, but the Modular series isn't one of them. The ISO series, and the Aperta series do.

Best,
Anand.