Another Hi-Fi holy cow put out to pasture . . .

[Sue Pertwee-Tyr]

I think that some people are too fussy about equipment stands....

Is that the original Seismic Sink?

 

[AndrewM]

Because energy created in the loudspeaker cabinet needs release. Some have mentioned how they don’t see how a spike decouples a speaker stand, it doesn’t! It couples it, allowing energy transfer.
The floor should facilitate a mechanical earth giving the speaker a rigid fixed position.
Given that as much energy that you hear is balanced by energy that you don’t want to hear. Doesn’t it make sense that robbing the speaker of a destination for the energy to be released is going to blur and distort the sound, when it finally finds its way out

No, I'm sorry but it really doesn't work like that, vibrational energy doesn't flow round a system like water or build up or drain away. True, a rigid coupling creates a single higher mass object, with overall a lower fundamental vibrational mode and requires more energy to vibrate, but if one of the component of the system, such as a speaker panel is free to vibrate at a higher frequency and is excited by a particular frequency exhibited by the source, that energy isn't going to transfer itself onwards unless it matches harmonics across the couple. To damp the vibration in the panel you need to change its mass or its elasticity eg by mass loading it or bracing it.
A spike acts more like a filter, it will only pass vibration across if it can excite a vibrational mode in the floor, coupled into something like a concrete floor, it is actually is more a barrier to any energy passing than a drain.
Perhaps the real advantage of spikes is that they have a very high point loading force and thus help to keep the whole structure rigidly placed on the floor.

 

[hifi-dog]

I’ve just done a back to back listening with my atc scm19 blu tacked then on the correct stiffness sorbothane.
The blutac made the mid range recessed and the bass lighter... my preference by some margin is sorbothane followed by atacama gel pads...

 

[Dougunn]

No, I'm sorry but it really doesn't work like that, vibrational energy doesn't flow round a system like water or build up or drain away. True, a rigid coupling creates a single higher mass object, with overall a lower fundamental vibrational mode and requires more energy to vibrate, but if one of the component of the system, such as a speaker panel is free to vibrate at a higher frequency and is excited by a particular frequency exhibited by the source, that energy isn't going to transfer itself onwards unless it matches harmonics across the couple. To damp the vibration in the panel you need to change its mass or its elasticity eg by mass loading it or bracing it.
A spike acts more like a filter, it will only pass vibration across if it can excite a vibrational mode in the floor, coupled into something like a concrete floor, it is actually is more a barrier to any energy passing than a drain.
Perhaps the real advantage of spikes is that they have a very high point loading force and thus help to keep the whole structure rigidly placed on the floor.

Agreed. Possibly another factor here, when using something like Sorbothane, is that it converts vibrational energy into heat - thus reducing it within the system. In this sense a more effective 'drain' than spikes.

D

 

[AndrewM]

Possibly, but I suspect the amount of energy is very small. IMO virtually all stray energy is either damped and turned into heat within the material of the speaker cabinet and any filling or reradiated into the air where of course it ultimately becomes heat as well.

On a solid surface such as concrete, I personally doubt if there is much difference. On a resonant surface such as a suspended wood floor, the sorbothane probably does a better job of isolation, as there is more chance of the floor amplifying vibration through the rigid coupling, a bit like the bridge on a violin allows the sound box to resonate in harmony with the strings.

 

[Ayya Khema]

Agreed. Possibly another factor here, when using something like Sorbothane, is that it converts vibrational energy into heat - thus reducing it within the system. In this sense a more effective 'drain' than spikes.

D

spikes act as very rigid springs
literally the contrary of sorbothane. spikes couple, sorbothane decouples

Possibly, but I suspect the amount of energy is very small. IMO virtually all stray energy is either damped and turned into heat within the material of the speaker cabinet and any filling or reradiated into the air where of course it ultimately becomes heat as well.

just put your hand on the speaker stand while the speaker plays bass, then adds sorbothane. you should feel a big difference.

 

[sunbeamgls]

Anyone heard the IsoAcoustics Gaia demo at a show? They have 2 pairs of Focal Sopras set up as pairs that are equidistant. One pair on spikes, the other on Gaias. The Gaia is a foot with a polyrubbery inserty thing that allows a certain amount of compliance between speaker and floor. They come in 3 sizes to suit speaker weight ranges.
In the demo the Gaia equipped speakers sound more natural, less forced, image better and have a tautness to the bass lines in comparison with the spiked pair.
They say that this is because spikes into the floor allow the bass to reflect back up into the speaker cabinet and this causes a time and imaging smearing effect. If that is true or not is something to be debated or perhaps measured, but they do seem to have a generally positive effect. They're not cheap but they're a lot cheaper than the Townsend stands.

 

[david ellwood]

The next time you spend a good amount of time listening to music loud, afterwards, feel the cabinets, and tell me if they get warm?

 

[suzywong]

Anyone heard the IsoAcoustics Gaia demo at a show? They have 2 pairs of Focal Sopras set up as pairs that are equidistant. One pair on spikes, the other on Gaias. The Gaia is a foot with a polyrubbery inserty thing that allows a certain amount of compliance between speaker and floor. They come in 3 sizes to suit speaker weight ranges.
In the demo the Gaia equipped speakers sound more natural, less forced, image better and have a tautness to the bass lines in comparison with the spiked pair.

If that was the Naim demo at the Indulgences show (I think the year before last?), then I echo sumbeamsgls’s thoughts. Very obvious difference in SQ, and very repeatable. The bass especially surprised me.

Interesting, and goes against all the flat-earth principles I’ve grown up with...everything is spiked.....

OTOH spiking is better for the carpets

 

[MikeMA]

I use those sorbothane feet under most of my kit, including speakers and some very heavy valve amps. I think they make a difference. I try to ensure that they are correctly rated and that there are enough of them for the weight of the kit, but even then they slowly collapse over time, becoming really sticky and gooey, and need replacing. They aren't in my experience just fit and forget.

 

[Yomanze]

The next time you spend a good amount of time listening to music loud, afterwards, feel the cabinets, and tell me if they get warm?

He he, the heat produced is not something you can warm your hands with, it is practically undetectable unless using lab grade gear.