Isolation

[adamrobertshaw]

I've been thinking of ways to try and better isolate my speakers.

I've read some forum threads where in the main granite kitchen chopping boards appear to be highly recommended.

Has anyone tried isolation pods?

 

[CnoEvil]

You could try products from Valhalla Technology. I have some of their speaker isolation pads between the speakers and the stands. They also do isolation spike shoes, which could be used as well as the granite.

If your have Standmounts, fill the stands with Sand or Rice, which help with damping.

 

[expat_mike]

Adam,

I think that you need to take a step back first. You look like you are diving straight in, and want to discuss "solutions" on the forum. You should instead start by identifying your requirements. This includes considering your room as an overall system, and identifying if isolation is in fact the best route to go down.

By this I mean that if your room has a wooden floor, and you have neighbours living below, then you may well need to isolate your speakers - to avoid energy being transferred into the floor, and making that act like a huge speaker, and affecting your room resonances, and your neighbours ears.

If instead your room has a solid concrete floor, and no neighbours, then you may be better by reducing the isolation, and letting the energy be absorbed into, and then damped by the floor.

Just because some forum members advocate a solution as being excellent for their room, does not mean that the same solution is the best one for your room. So clarify your needs in your mind, before you start thinking about spending money on a "solution".

 

[CnoEvil]

Adam,

I think that you need to take a step back first. You look like you are diving straight in, and want to discuss "solutions" on the forum. You should instead start by identifying your requirements. This includes considering your room as an overall system, and identifying if isolation is in fact the best route to go down.

By this I mean that if your room has a wooden floor, and you have neighbours living below, then you may well need to isolate your speakers - to avoid energy being transferred into the floor, and making that act like a huge speaker, and affecting your room resonances, and your neighbours ears.

If instead your room has a solid concrete floor, and no neighbours, then you may be better by reducing the isolation, and letting the energy be absorbed into, and then damped by the floor.

Just because some forum members advocate a solution as being excellent for their room, does not mean that the same solution is the best one for your room. So clarify your needs in your mind, before you start thinking about spending money on a "solution".

Very good point.....I was certainly assuming there was a problem to sort ie. suspended wooden floor.

 

[iceman16]

Like Cno have mentioned, try the Valhalla technology spike shoes. Im using them with my floorstanding speakers on granite with very good results.Vibrations from wood and suspended floor is vastly reduced

 

[adamrobertshaw]

I'd been looking at the Townshend Audio Seismic pods ... and choked when I researched the price.

I've seen some similar products from Oehlbach. No choking during researching the price.

Just wondering if anyone had tried them?

My PMC stands have two tubes and are the only ones I've never filled, although only the front tube can be filled as the rear is for cable concealment. The bottom / top plates have a foam inner and inner-side bars are all foam-backed from the factory. Decent enough. Maybe they really need filling.

I have some MA GX50 on some GS stands. They have meaty rubber pads on the top plate, are filled to the brim and have rubber isolated spikes. Pretty good ... just too bloody ugly for my lounge.

 

[adamrobertshaw]

Semi-detached house, three storeys, no solid floors under either of my listening rooms, my neighbour has hearing problems and doesn't complain (yippee).

My Cyrus / PMC set up is on the middle floor. You can hear my stereo pretty well from any room on any floor in my house. No need for a multi room set up.

I chose my PMC as they are forward ported and don't boom. But my house was built in 1999 and is therefore not as solid feeling as some older stone houses. It's a bass amplifier!!

As per an earlier response, I'll just fill the stands to start off with.