Does anyone in the USA use Townshend isolation products.
Max is a bit of a genius, been making an eclectic range of products that have lasted the test of time, over 40 years, specifically:
Cables
Passive pre-amps
Isolation products
A turntable
a super-tweeter
They are all quite unique.
The isolation products are extremely popular over here. I use for my turntable a platform designed mainly for speakers, which gives complete 100% isolation from external vibration. There is a range dependent on component weight, and you then fine tune the spring compression using something like the Seismometer app.
My power distributor and server are on isolation bars, that provide damping rather than full isolation, but are still very effective.
I have tried various footers and have settled on EVP footers from avroomservice.com
These are multiple fibreglass sheets loosely bonded and I am using under all my equipment including loudspeakers. Actually putting these under the speakers made the biggest improvement!
@audiophilehi I tried the Gaia footers under my Avantgarde speakers but didn’t try under the BHK pre. The Gaia’s and EVP footers under the speakers gave equally good results (far better than spikes) but I went with the EVP footers as they were far more cost-effective to kit out the whole system.
Those EVP look pretty good. I’ve used acoustic foam liberally, just cut to size and very cheap. A bit ugly under my speakers, so just put in these today for about $20 for a pack of 8 and seem fine. They have adhesive tape on the flat side if you want to use it.
The VIBRAPOD Isolators are pretty good. I used them under my BHK preamp and my DSD DAC. The only downside is that they can leave marks on porous surfaces.
I went to KMR Audio and we did some testing of these and some other brands of feet (DMSD etc). Firstly, these cheaper ones were a version that IsoAcoustics used to sell through the pro market, charging audiophiles two or three times the price for the same thing with a shiny enclosure. They must have got caught out. These mini-pucks have were what I tested about a couple of years ago.
I bought some DMSD (they were heavily discounted as were a demo set) and soon sold them.
These provide a moderate amount of damping at best. If you want absolute isolation, which is probably not necessary, get a Townshend Platform or Podium. Ignore the list price, I got a big discount on a Podium new. They are the only things that do the job. It was for my turntable, I can jump up and down on my springy floor and nothing comes through. Emporium or Townshend direct should lend you one if you want to try.
Finding these pucks ineffective, I went for the standard pro approach of acoustic foam. It costs a few £. I put it directly under speaker stands. For components, just get a piece of acrylic cut to size, about £10 to £15 online. The foam can be cut to size with a craft knife.
I definitely agree with you, especially regarding the power conditioning/filtering aspect. When I replaced my Shunyata MPC-12 with a PSA Stellar PP3, I was quite surprised at both the amount of improvement and degree of alteration of basic sound of the BHK preamp that it brought about. Additionally, I’ve also found High Fidelity Cables plug in magnetic power conditioners to be excellent at further refining subtleties of sound staging, imaging, and tonal purity. At present, I’ve settled on a trio of original model Stillpoints and Stillpoint Risers on top of a 2" maple platform. After all those refining system additions, I can use numerous tubes that I thought were too bright or otherwise unacceptable. Heck, I even found RCA 12AU7 Cleartops to sound great now!
I am using the Orea Bronze footers on my BHK preamp and Direct Stream DAC.
I can’t say I noticed a difference when I installed them…but I love the way they look!
