Cheshire Audio - Tweekery #4 - Townshend Seismic Bars

[@arfer1470]

I remember when Max brought all this stuff out I went and bought a load of very small inner tubes, I put them under my Rock turntable and also tried them under my speakers, they where a bit wobbly though so I didn't risk leaving them there. I have a concrete floor now though so not an issue. Max was a great guy, he talked me through how to fix the bearing on my Rock turntable, totally fixed it, still silent, and he didn't even try selling me a new turntable.

[@RobWhittlestone]

I have used Amazon washing machine rubber feet under my KEF Reference Three Twos and the IMPROVEMENT IS AMAZING. Max Townshend's video is what convinced me to do this. Highly recommended. All the best, Rob in Switzerland

[@boydsargeant7496]

Hi, does this work for laminated floating floors do you know?

[@batguano7526]

You can get a similar effect for much less money by sticking some rubber washing machine feet (£10 for 4) to the underside of a piece of granite chopping board (£30 each). Then sit your speakers with the spikes attached directly on top of the granite. It works very well and I've used this technique many times, it always improves the sound.

[@boydsargeant7496]

Hi, does this work for laminated floating floors do you know?

[@batguano7526]

@@boydsargeant7496 I've used these on laminated solid floors with good effects. Can't see any reason why it wouldn't offer an improvement with a floating floor as well?

[@tonyjedioftheforest1364]

Interesting. I have taken the spikes off my floor standing speakers and use foam isolation pads off eBay. They really work for me.

[@hoobsgroove]

yes you can use washing-up foam cellulose foam looks like natural foam, use 5 pieces about half an inch thick each and generally com in different colours. drum and cymbal dampeners good as well and cheap

[@jazzlouise]

I have the Townshend Podiums and consider them an essential product. I tried spikes, no spikes, spikes on limestone and gliders. This was on a second story suspended wood substructure and got rid of the boom and bass nodes. I will always use these with any speaker I get.

[@boydsargeant7496]

Hi, does this work for laminated floating floors do you know?

[@johnshaw359]

Using a known system resonance to filter unwanted movements at higher frequencies seems quite clever. I had the Isolda capacitive speaker cable for a while, so called because he spent hours soldering them up with the inductor network boxes on the ends.

[@AntoninPassemardPaintings]

You can do it with drummer's sky gel damper pad. Very cheap and very similar result.

[@boydsargeant7496]

Thanks, very cheap, what do you place on them? Only speakers? Turntables, amps, CD etc?

[@saudade369]

Is this much the same way a building that is rigid will be more likely to collapse in an earthquake because the seismic waves have no way to dissipate and so get amplified within the stiffness of the building ? Whereas modern skyc4aper buildings have something like a pendulum weight in their centre so they move within the limits of the seismic , sound waves and remain stable , it’s the pendulum that moves while the building stays still . I m no sound engineer or physicist but it seems to be the same principle Max Townshend uses in the speaker isolation ?

[@DrWrapperband]

Can't wait till "more albums I can't listen to" comes out.

[@paulbatstone112]

Bought some speaker isolation pads from a hi fi show in the 90s, Mrs said I had been robbed at £30 for 8 pads, but put them under the Kef q500s and she went that was money well spent, cheaper than a new set of speakers :-)

[@rayfordham9230]

Many years ago I was at the Bristol show and I had a quiet chat with a demonstrator there and we were talking about speaker stands and floor standers and he said I shouldn't be telling you this but take the spikes off of any stands or floor standers and just as an experiment buy some softish felt pads between a solid floor and the 'speakers or stands and if on carpet a pair of cheap granite chopping boards and put the speakers or stands on them, and you'll probably find the warmth will come back into the sound along with a slightly more confident bass it's a dam sight cheaper than spending wads of cash and getting virtually the same result, well I did and it does, warmer smoother sound but still with a surprising amount of push. I've been doing it this way for 30 plus years and not felt the need to change even as these days I need hearing aids and if you get those wrong things can get very harsh very quickly. Now I come to think of it it it was probably one of the Heathrow shows back in the 70s/80s.

[@vinylrulesok8470]

I have a pair of Townshend Podiums under my very old Living Voice Auditoriums and they have given the speakers a new lease of life, they really worked for me but they are on a suspended floor not concrete floor.

[@alistairwilson5344]

In the same boat,moved from a concrete floored cottage to suspended wooden floor flat-with a grumpy seismograph downstairs. Went for the cheaper bars and harmony was restored with downstairs and my LV's sounded way better-then l tied out the Townshend supertweeters-that took the LV's to the next level. Give them a try if you get the chance.

[@hugobloemers4425]

Here is a tweak that at least we can envision an interaction with the a HiFi component. The question remains, it this a more dramatic improvement than doubling the budget for your speakers?

[@Phil_f8andbethere]

These totally work, but being a cheapskate I put Iso acoustics pods under my standmount speakers and it makes a noticeable difference.

[@boydsargeant7496]

What type of floor do you have? I have a new room that is a laminated floating type, I’m wondering if to isolate over spikes?

[@Phil_f8andbethere]

@@boydsargeant7496 Floorboards with laminate on top, I have speaker stand spikes sat onto special spike discs that i blu tac into place to stop movement. Iso pods on top plate with speakers on top. It's the best solution I have found so far.

[@Phil_f8andbethere]

@@boydsargeant7496 Floorboards with laminate on top. I have speaker stands spikes sat into blue horizon floor protectors which are blu-tac'd into place to save movement, when Mrs is hoovering!!. I have the iso pods on the top plate and the speakers on top. It's the best solution I have found after experimenting with all kinds of other ideas.

[@boydsargeant7496]

@@Phil_f8andbethere thanks Phil!

[@gregoryhardesty6522]

How about suspending the speakers from the celling with shock cord?

[@vinylrulesok8470]

Origin Live have developed a speaker which hangs from a stand so your suggestion isn't that far fetched 😀

[@billedifier8584]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJXOqnp6prpqrqM

[@hoobsgroove]

don't think it is as good has open cell foam tho! what you can put a block of foam under your speakers just make sure it's open cell foam cellulose foam. covering the whole base of the speaker 2-3" thick depending on weight. a good hack specially for small stand speakers is to build a sound resonance box bored, it's really helps in the lower frequencies registers below 700 Hz of course depending on the size of the resonance board but long and wide as possible and tuned to 311 Hz to give a balanced output. you need a centre ich block inside that can be adjusted by having some slits in the bored, same principle as a violin bridge, speaker needs to be attached with double-sided tape 5 square pieces on the corner and one in the middle over the block the base needs to be raised from the floor drum dampeners something like Moongel dampeners and they are good for speakers as well and turntables. not expensive about £6 a pack of 6.

[@billedifier8584]

I use a method suggested by another you tuber: a stack of cork floor tiles. Very effective.

[@hoobsgroove]

@@billedifier8584 try taking some of those cork and sticking them to the platform on the top and underneath, that help a lot that's the biggest problem for the turntable is resonance, and you're putting it on a resonance board rack or any type of furniture cause amplification. concrete or marble/granite would be better option but still dumped but foam is like putting it on air.

[@billedifier8584]

@@hoobsgroove The cork is under the speakers to reduce resonance through the floor.

[@hoobsgroove]

@@billedifier8584 yes sounds good

[@iancasson62]

Can’t see any foam or cork working if you want to genuinely to improve your sound for the Best Buy the right iso acoustics pods that are right for your spks no brainer how do I know

[@Trebor2024]

I understand your reason for not looking at comments posted. Had you thought about turning off the comments facility, as some KZbinrs do?

[@billedifier8584]

If he did that, you wouldn't be able to make your comment. Oh the irony!

[@Justin-fy7xk]

@@billedifier8584 yes I say keep the comments. They are sometimes more interesting than the video. As he said he just chooses not to look at them himself. Though on some videos there are a few thousand comments. I dont see the point of having that amount of comments. i guess they should limit them to about 200 so we dont get too carried away.

[@barneyrubble9309]

im no tweaker but these actually work...particularly under sub-woofers. Ideal if you live in a flat as they stop the bass going into the floor structure and the bass is much tighter and faster. Just wish they were a bit cheaper. And for those thinking concrete floors mean they dont work watch Max's video clip kzbin.infoUgkx3yyXypCg8YEH84mPEkroXO3rSZs1SYlA

[@rongreen1538]

Where does that leave the theory that moving speakers smears the sound stage? Surely the speakers move on the Townsend bars!

[@jozefserf2024]

The reduction in cabinet resonance is more than worth the tiny loss of detail. Drive units work better mounted in lower resonating surfaces.

[@rongreen1538]

@@jozefserf2024 Interesting, I wonder if it’s ever been tested to confirm or deny the theory.