Townshend Seismic Isolation Podium

Designed as a range to accommodate any size and weight of speaker – standmount plus stand, floorstander or subwoofer – the Seismic Podium breaks the acoustic connection between the floor and the speaker, preventing the passage of deleterious vibrations both to and from the speaker cabinets. For a detailed explanation of why this is an absolute necessity before any speaker can perform to its true potential, read ‘Earthquakes on hi-fi’.

Floated on Seismic Isolation Podiums, speakers are freed from the ever-present seismic activity and room/floor interactions that seriously degrade sound quality. The result is simply magical, allowing listeners to hear into their favourite music in a way they were never able to previously. When under your speakers, they will give you immediate improvements in overall sound by preventing speaker generated vibration from entering the floor and sound from entering your speakers. By eliminating the resonance between the speaker-cabinet mass and the floor, the sound will be noticeably clearer, much more tuneful, controlled and natural.  Bass boom is significantly reduced and there will be a far larger, much deeper and wider sound stage. The sound becomes natural and more enjoyable.

As many have already witnessed, the improvements are a revelation and a true pleasure – not least because severing the acoustic link between the speaker and the floor allows playback at more realistic volume levels without annoying the neighbours!

Available in five standard sizes (or to special order to accommodate true behemoths), each Podium platform utilizes Townshend’s innovative ‘Captive’ Load Cell technology to provide a stable four-square footprint that extends well beyond the perimeter of the speaker cabinet. This also allows easy fine levelling adjustment of each Load Cell via a rotatable top cap while, on the bottom, is an adjustable foot to compensate for out-of true floors. The tough black steel platform has a large area treadplate that accommodates any shape of medium to large speaker or sub-woofer, with or without spikes. The Seismic Podiums are suitable for wood, tile or carpeted floors. Total speaker height is increased by only 20mm (3/4”).

The Seismic Podium is the optimum solution for comprehensive speaker support on a grand scale. Whether as part of a professional installation or domestic one, the Seismic Podiums command ultimate support for your speakers and sub woofers, with no compromises. They will give you an unprecedented performance.

The Importance of Vibration Isolation

Mechanical vibration degrades the sound of all high fidelity systems.

Vibrations affect the reproduction of sound through hi-fi systems. Although many of these are small and may go largely unnoticed, vibrations have a negative impact on the quality of sound in virtually all hi-fi components.

• Turntables are highly sensitive to vibration, which raises the noise floor, degrading the sound not to mention stylus jump due to footfall.

• With silver-disc players vibration affects the laser mechanism and the crystal oscillators introducing severe sound-degrading jitter.

• With tube or valve amplifiers vibration rattles the microphonic electrodes, especially the grids.

• Transistor amplifiers have microphonic components, including capacitors and connecting wires which move relative to one and another generating rogue voltages. All of these mechanisms will degrade the delicate audio signal.

• Computers, streamers and DACs are highly susceptible to mechanical noise as they all contain vibration sensitive crystal oscillators.

• Rigidly spike or cone mounted speakers transmit energy into the floor radiating vibration throughout the room and ultimately, through your rack and into your equipment. This seriously degrades performance as described above. Spike and cone mounted speakers cause the whole room structure to vibrate, often resulting in an unrealistic boomy bass whilst masking subtle detail. Further, this unwanted structural vibration can seriously irritate your neighbours.

Complete vibration isolation transforms sound quality.

The secret is to fully float your whole Hi Fi System independently from the speakers and the floor. Townshend have devised a complete solution that to allow this to be done in an optimum way.

The key component is the Townshend Seismic Load Cell™.

The Seismic Load Cell™ consists of a high quality alloy steel compression spring surrounded by a flexible synthetic rubber jacket with two end plates.

Screw threads in each plate facilitate height adjustment and provide attachment points. A movement-sensitive, air-resistance damper rapidly dissipates low frequency oscillation caused by disturbing the suspended equipment.

Seismic Load Cells™ are very ‘soft’ and allow free movement in all three dimensions; up/down, left/right and back/forth.
This unique solution blocks all deleterious vibration from 3Hz upwards and from all directions.

As the frequency increases, the isolation gets progressively greater, ensuring that virtually no vibration can pass from and to the suspended equipment.

As each hi-fi component is isolated, the sound progressively improves.