Low-Frequency Isolation
Isolates from 3Hz upward, uniquely addressing low-frequency vibration and improving performance across the entire audio band.
The science behind Townshend Seismic
Why Choose Townshend Seismic Isolation?
Tuned Suspensions to 3Hz
Our Seismic Isolation technology is engineered to eliminate vibrations as low as 3Hz. This is in stark contrast to rigid couplers, which are often tuned higher and can make music sound edgy and overly analytical. Our tuned suspensions ensure a smoother, more relaxing listening experience, free from the distortions introduced by higher-frequency vibrations.
Mechanical Low Pass Filter
Townshend Seismic Isolation acts as a mechanical low pass filter, effectively stopping vibrations across all planes of axis. This means our system isolates not just horizontally and vertically, but in every direction, ensuring comprehensive vibration control. Conventional rigid couplers, on the other hand, typically only address horizontal and vertical vibrations, leaving your sound susceptible to distortions from other planes.
Pure Music Experience
For those who seek to experience music in its purest form, our Seismic Isolation technology is the answer. By minimising unwanted vibrations, our system preserves the integrity of the original sound, delivering an immersive, accurate, and emotionally engaging audio experience.
Pure Musical Experience
“No accessory I’ve ever purchased in my several decades as an audiophile — no tips, spikes, pucks, pods, pads, bricks, blocks, stands, platforms, weights, dampers, certainly no wire products of any sort including line conditioners and filters —has brought the transformative improvements that the Podiums have, and with absolutely
no negative consequences.”
TRACKING ANGLE ONLINE MAGAZINE
April 2024
Paul Seydor
Why True Isolation Is the Only Path to Audio Perfection – And Why Rigid Coupling Is Holding Your System Back
What You’ll Hear
Once vibration is removed, the change is immediate.
Lower noise floor and cleaner backgrounds
Tighter, more controlled bass
Greater clarity and imaging precision
Natural tone and effortless musical flow
🎶 Your music, more alive with every step.
Every high-end audio system is under constant attack.Floor-borne vibration from traffic, footfalls, washing machines, even the low-frequency pressure waves from your own speakers. Air-borne vibration from sound itself. These microscopic movements invade every chassis, every driver, every circuit board, turning your meticulously chosen components into unintended microphones. The result? Smearing of transients, bloated and sluggish bass, veiled mids, a flat and congested soundstage, and a constant sense that something is missing – the effortless realism of live music.For decades, the industry has promoted rigid coupling as the solution: spikes, cones, massive plinths, “draining vibration into the floor”.
It is one of the biggest myths in audio.Rigid spikes and cones do not drain energy away. They do the exact opposite – they couple your speakers and equipment rigidly to the floor so that every vibration from the building is transmitted straight into your cabinets and electronics with virtually zero attenuation across the entire audio band. Worse, when your woofers fire, the reaction force rocks the cabinet on those spikes, turning the floor into a giant sounding board and sending low-frequency energy into the structure of your house. The floor then radiates that energy back into the room as slow, coloured boom. Your bass becomes fat, slow and out of time with the music. Your neighbours hate you. And you never hear what your speakers can truly do.
It is one of the biggest myths in audio.Rigid spikes and cones do not drain energy away. They do the exact opposite – they couple your speakers and equipment rigidly to the floor so that every vibration from the building is transmitted straight into your cabinets and electronics with virtually zero attenuation across the entire audio band. Worse, when your woofers fire, the reaction force rocks the cabinet on those spikes, turning the floor into a giant sounding board and sending low-frequency energy into the structure of your house. The floor then radiates that energy back into the room as slow, coloured boom. Your bass becomes fat, slow and out of time with the music. Your neighbours hate you. And you never hear what your speakers can truly do.
Townshend Audio rejected that myth forty years ago.We realised the only way to hear the truth is to completely break the mechanical connection between your equipment and the outside world. Not partially. Not “mostly”. Completely, in every direction, right down to the lowest frequencies that matter. That is what Seismic Isolation does. Each Seismic Load Cell is a precision air-damped spring that turns the mass of your component into a genuine mechanical low-pass filter with a corner frequency as low as 3 Hz. Below ≈3 Hz, the platform very gently follows any ultra-slow building sway (you will never notice it). Above 3 Hz – the entire audio band – the equipment is effectively floating in space. Transmissibility falls at 12 dB/octave, reaching near zero at 10 Hz.
External vibration cannot get in. Internal reaction forces from the drivers cannot get out to the floor and back again. The result is immediate and often shocking. Bass becomes lightning-fast, pitch-perfect and visceral, because the cabinet no longer rocks on spikes – it remains almost perfectly stationary while the driver moves against it. Transients are pristine. The soundstage explodes in width, depth and height. Voices become palpably real. You hear layers and details you never knew existed. The system plays louder, cleaner, and more effortlessly at any volume because no energy is wasted shaking the building. And unlike every other “isolator” on the market that raises your speakers 30–80 mm on tall springs, air bladders or rubber towers – ruining the designer’s intended tweeter height, driver time-alignment and dispersion pattern – Townshend Seismic Podiums preserve the exact original speaker height. The springs are pre-loaded and deflect only 1–2 mm under full load. You remove the spikes, place the speaker on the Podium, and it sits at precisely the height the designer intended. Nothing is compromised. Everything is revealed.
Rigid coupling is a compromise born of misunderstanding.
Townshend Seismic Isolation is the logical, measurable, audible end-game. Stop fighting vibration.
Eliminate it. Choose the Townshend way — and finally hear what your system has been trying to tell you all along.
Townshend Seismic Isolation is the logical, measurable, audible end-game. Stop fighting vibration.
Eliminate it. Choose the Townshend way — and finally hear what your system has been trying to tell you all along.
Seismic Isolation Performance Advantages
The foundation of true Seismic Isolation.
Three-Plane Freedom
Freedom in all three planes: vertical, horizontal and lateral, allowing your system to move naturally while remaining perfectly stable.
Total Decoupling
Complete decoupling from floor-borne vibration, preventing energy transfer and preserving the purity and precision of your sound.
Turntables and Source Components
Turntables and digital sources are the most vibration-sensitive parts of any system.
On suspended wooden floors, even light footfall can make a stylus jump or add unwanted noise.
Townshend solutions:
Seismic Isolation Platform – the perfect foundation for turntables, CD players, DACs and streamers.
Four adjustable Seismic Load Cells™ isolate vibration in every direction, even on flexible floors.
Prevents stylus skipping, feedback and acoustic coupling.
Lets cartridges track precisely, revealing more musical detail.
Seismic Pods – compact adjustable isolators for DACs, streamers or smaller components.
Float your source and hear your music without interference.
Speakers and Subwoofers
Speakers generate and transmit large amounts of vibration through the floor and room, blurring imaging and exaggerating bass.
Townshend solutions:
Seismic Podium – the ultimate isolation platform for speakers and subwoofers.
Captive Seismic Load Cells™ isolate from 3Hz upward.
Maintain design height and alignment.
Deliver deep, tight bass and natural midrange clarity.
Seismic Bars – adjustable isolation bars for floor-standing and stand-mount speakers.
Two sizes fit most cabinet widths.
Let your speakers breathe. No boom, no blur, just music.
Amplifiers and Power Equipment
Amplifiers and power supplies contain vibration-sensitive components such as transformers and capacitors.
Even small movements create noise and distortion that mask fine musical texture.
Townshend solutions:
Seismic Pods – ideal for amplifiers, DACs and preamps.
Decouple equipment from racks or shelves for a cleaner, smoother sound.
Seismic Platform – for heavier or reference-grade components requiring extra stability.
Seismic Podium – ideal for large or asymmetrically weighted amplifiers, such as those with heavy transformers on one side.
Adjustable Load Cell knobs on each corner allow precise levelling and perfect balance.
Racks, Furniture and Entire Systems
Vibration travels through every structure.
To stop it completely, isolate your entire system from the floor.
Townshend solution:
Seismic Corners – isolate racks, stands or furniture.
Each corner is suspended by twin Seismic Load Cells™.
Available in two versions to suit almost any rack or furniture design.
Townshend has spent over 50 years perfecting both high-fidelity electronics and vibration isolation systems, combining practical design with scientific precision.
The Seismic Load Cell™ isolates vibration from 3 Hz and above in all three planes, delivering true broadband isolation and exceptional stability.
Created by a company that designs electronics, turntables and isolation, Townshend has tested every known method to achieve one proven result: total silence and musical truth.
Frequency range of vibration affecting audio equipment
The frequency range impacting music reproduction spans from the audible spectrum (20 Hz to 20 kHz) down to subsonic vibrations as low as 3 Hz, which, though inaudible, can degrade audio quality by introducing resonances and distortions. To achieve pure sound, comprehensive isolation must extend to 3 Hz, outside the audio band, to block all disruptive vibrations. In our video, we demonstrate this using a seismograph, which visually confirms the effectiveness of our isolation system, showing how it stabilises equipment by eliminating interference across this critical frequency range, ensuring pristine music playback.
The graph plots transmissibility vs. frequency, illustrating how effectively the Townshend Audio Seismic Loadcell Spring isolates audio equipment from vibrations compared to alternatives, with a focus on frequencies impacting audio performance. Transmissibility, the ratio of transmitted vibration to input vibration, is shown on the y-axis, while frequency (in Hz) ranges from 1Hz to 100Hz on the x-axis. The Townshend solution, featuring a high-tensile steel spring and air damping, achieves isolation from 3Hz upward, with a slight resonance peak at 2.5Hz (transmissibility 1.2) followed by a steep decline, reaching near-zero transmissibility by 10Hz and beyond, isolating critical audio frequencies (20Hz–20kHz). The readout highlights the spring’s compression rate, showing progressive damping that stabilizes equipment. In contrast, alternatives like Sorbothane or rigid cones (e.g., Stillpoints) start isolating at higher frequencies (50Hz for Sorbothane, minimal isolation for cones), with transmissibility remaining near 1 below these thresholds, transmitting deleterious vibrations that blur audio clarity. This demonstrates the Townshend Seismic Loadcell’s superior isolation, preserving sound fidelity across the audio spectrum.
Seismic Isolation Performance: Transmissibility at Rest vs. Disturbed
The graph plots resonant frequency vs. deflection, comparing the performance of Townshend Seismic Isolators against Stillpoints and Gaia isolation devices. It highlights the Townshend isolators’ superior ability to manage vibrations, achieving lower resonant frequencies (down to ~3Hz) with greater deflection control, effectively damping a wider range of vibrations. In contrast, Stillpoints and Gaia exhibit higher resonant frequencies (typically starting above 10Hz) and less deflection range, indicating limited isolation at lower frequencies. This underscores the Townshend solution’s advanced engineering for enhanced audio clarity in high-fidelity systems.
Superior Vibration Control in Action. Our advanced seismic isolation technology protects equipment by minimising the impact of vibrations, such as those from earthquakes or industrial activity and the vibrations from your other speaker. The graph below illustrates the performance of our system, plotting transmissibility (y-axis) against frequency (x-axis), comparing the system at rest and when disturbed. What the Graph Shows
- At Rest: The graph shows a high transmissibility curve when the system is at rest, indicating that without external disturbance, vibrations at certain frequencies may be transmitted more readily. This reflects the system’s baseline behaviour in a stable environment.
- When Disturbed: When subjected to external forces, such as seismic events or mechanical vibrations from the outside environment, as well as the other speaker in the room, the graph reveals a remarkable reduction in transmissibility, with only a small bump at the baseline across the frequency range. This demonstrates the system’s ability to effectively dampen and isolate vibrations, preventing them from reaching the protected equipment.
The Theory Of More Stuff by Jack Dinsdale
Vibration isolation in audio is a subject surrounded in mystery half truths and any number of wild theories. As an engineering exercise, the explanation is quite straight foreword and may be explained by the “Theory of more stuff”.
Take a surface, be it the floor or a table, on which your hi fi component is placed and it is desired to reduce the vibration from the support to the equipment. The way this is done is to put “some stuff” between the equipment and the supporting surface. There are three possible outcomes.
1 The vibration in the equipment is more than the vibration in the support. This is not possible as if it were; the energy crisis would be solved! More out than what is put in. Free power forever! Unfortunately, this scenario contradicts the first and second laws of thermodynamics, so is not possible.
Jack Dinsdale
Professor of mechatronics
2 The vibration in the supported equipment will be the same as in the case of no stuff. The chances of this are one in a million because something has been changed… it may be the same, but that is extremely unlikely, therefore, the only possibility is,
3 The vibration will be attenuated, to a greater or lesser degree, and this is the case. There are many products out there that do in fact attenuate vibration. Be it spikes on glass, wood and slate, aluminium spikes in cups, ball bearings in cups, solid plates separated by compliant sheets, lead, Bluetack, sand, marble, concrete, the list is endless. It is also known that multiple combinations of the above produce better results because there is more stuff. Eg. multiple stacked platforms.
The engineering approach is to get the best result in the simplest manner by optimizing the “stuff” and way back about two centuries ago the Victorian engineers came up with the solution…. the spring! The spring may be anything “springy”, from elastic, rubber, coiled steel, straight steel, air-bladders to flexible wooden strips, with the best being the music wire spring.. If it has sufficient spring or compliance, when optimised with an appropriate mass, a mechanical low pass filter is realised.
The ideal is to have the resonant frequency as low as is possible, ideally around 2Hz in both the horizontal and vertical planes and with a damping ratio of about 0.16. This will give an attenuation of about 25dB at 10 Hz increasing at 20dB per decade above. This will ensure excellent isolation for the deleterious audio system vibrations which are from 5Hz to 500Hz.
Max Townshend introduces his Audio innovations
Max Townshend mini lecture on vibration in audio systems
'Seismic in the wild'- Dutch Audio show
The Townshend Difference
Max Townshend, the brilliant mind behind Townshend Audio, dedicated his life to improving the enjoyment of music for audiophiles everywhere. His innovative approach to vibration isolation challenges the conventional wisdom of rigid coupling, offering a solution that truly enhances your listening pleasure.
MAX TOWNSHEND
Townshend Audio Creator
Max’s journey began after he completed his studies in communication engineering, when he embarked on his first commission as a communications officer aboard the Lockheed P-2 Neptune antisubmarine aircraft, where he worked with sensitive navigation equipment isolated
Learn more: Earthquakes on hi-fi
Bad Vibes Shannon Dixon for StereophileBad Vibes: Shannon Dixon outlines fundamentals of vibration control
MAX TOWNSHEND
Townshend Audio Creator
Jack on Transmissibility –
Ideally, you would like to enjoy your music at its natural volume level– as if you were listening to a live performance – without being irritated by vibrations caused by other equipment in the building and without annoying the neighbours!
Conventional so-called rigid supports (spikes or cones) aim to hold the speaker cabinet ‘still’ at audio frequencies. However there will be a resonance set up by the mass of the cabinet reacting with the unavoidable springiness of the floor, even concrete floors. This can cause vibration of the whole building structure in the audio band, which can be very audible to your neighbours. This ‘rigid coupling’ is shown by the black line in the transmissibility graph – a transmissibility of 1. Rigid coupling also transmits building-borne vibration back into the speaker cabinet and thence to the speaker driver baskets where it is superimposed onto your own music and also into other components in your audio system.
The solution is to isolate your speakers from the building structure using a low-pass filter, in other words to let them ‘float’ throughout the audio waveband. This can be achieved by using Townshend Seismic Load Cells.
They work by coupling the mass of the speaker cabinet to the building structure, usually the floor, via a spring. At very low frequencies, the supported mass (speaker cabinet) follows the (slow) movement of the floor with a transmissibility of 1, just as with the rigid coupling. As the frequency of movement of the speaker cabinet (caused by reaction to the movement of the speech coil as it plays music) rises, a point of resonance is reached where it oscillates a large amount for a small input, 3.5Hz in the example in the graph. This large resonant oscillation can be tamed by damping. As the frequency rises further, the movement of the speaker cabinet reduces, ultimately at a rate of 12dB per octave, the orange line in the transmissibility graph. For audio systems, this reduction in coupling between the speaker cabinet and the building structure should start at about 5Hz. This resonant frequency of oscillation depends on the mass and spring rate, but it can be shown to be 3.5Hz if the compression of the spring when loaded is about 30mm. In this way a spring can be selected for any speaker cabinet to give a resonant frequency of 3.5Hz.
Since Seismic Load Cells are bi-directional they also reduce the effects of building structure vibration from entering your speakers. Furthermore, they act equally in all three planes, thus counteracting all aspects of building structure vibration.
For large displacements and without any damping, the speaker cabinet would oscillate for quite a long period, as is common with undamped sprung turntables. In the Seismic Load Cell this oscillation is rapidly damped by the turbulence of the air passing through the hole in the bellows/small-hole resistive damping arrangement, as shown by the dotted orange line. When at rest there is no resistance, and full isolation performance is realized. The orange shaded area in the graph shows the high level of isolation achieved by using Seismic Load Cells, compared with that from spikes and cones.
As a listener, you experience the Townshend Floating Effect – the sound improves dramatically and becomes independent of the speakers, providing wider stage width and greater depth, together with tighter and more realistic bass, thuddy boom now eliminated. You will be able to enjoy your music at its natural volume level – as if you were listening to a live performance – without annoying the neighbours!
For a more detailed explanation of this phenomenon, see the article “Bad Vibes” Stereophile…..
Rigid devices such as cones and spikes do not isolate, they couple. Springs made of rubber compounds, such as sorbothane, are partially successful, but they don’t act as springs at frequencies below about 50Hz, and much of the musical energy which can stimulate vibration of the building structure is contained at lower frequencies, at which these compound springs act effectively as couplings with a transmissibility of 1, as shown by the green line on the transmissibility graph. The effectiveness of sorbothane speaker mounts, shown as the green dotted area on the graph, is thus severely limited. Magnetic repulsion ‘spring’ mounts are only partly successful because they cannot operate in all three planes without some form of mechanical restraint (Earnshaw’s theorem), which detracts from their effectiveness. Unlike these, and all spikes and cones, Townshend Seismic Load Cells act equally in all three planes.
Choose seismic isolation that fits your needs
And finally – HAPPY NEIGHBOURS!
Large cone excursions cause your speaker cabinet to act like a “tuning fork,” with the floor as the sounding board. This vibrational noise can often be felt during loud bass passages, particularly on suspended floors, and can be heard in adjacent rooms. This impure sound mixes with the desired sound, resulting in overpowering “fat” bass.
Break the link to the floor with Seismic Isolation
and eliminate this noise.
Enhanced Sound Quality
Enjoy a more natural sound with improved attack and decay of notes.
Relaxing Audio Experience
Say goodbye to the harsh, analytical sound of rigid couplers and embrace the smooth, relaxing tones of your favorite music.
Comprehensive Vibration Control
Isolate vibrations across all planes of axis for a truly pure listening experience.
Stack AUVA 100's vs Townshend Seismic
Testimonials
frequently asked questions
Townshend Audio’s mechanical low pass filter exemplifies true decoupling, offering a level of vibration isolation that far surpasses conventional attenuation methods. By effectively isolating components from vibrations down to below 3 Hz, Townshend ensures that high-fidelity audio systems perform at their best, free from the distortions caused by external vibrations.
- Conventional Attenuation: Devices that merely attenuate at higher frequencies, typically at around 14Hz are limited in their ability to control low-frequency vibrations, which can still interfere with the performance of sensitive equipment.
When we float the speakers in the audio band on dampened low pass filters we free the music from the constraints of a speaker and the room. It’s magical
Yes, Seismic Isolation technology can be used with virtually any audio system. Townshend Seismic Isolation products are designed to be versatile and compatible with a wide range of audio equipment, including turntables, speakers, amplifiers, and other components. By minimizing unwanted vibrations, our technology enhances the performance of your existing setup, delivering a clearer, more immersive sound experience. Whether you have a high-end audiophile system or a more modest setup, you can benefit from the improved sound quality that Seismic Isolation provides.
Ideally, you would like to enjoy your music at its natural volume level—as if you were listening to a live performance—without being irritated by vibrations caused by other building equipment or annoying the neighbours!
Conventional so-called rigid supports (spikes or cones) aim to hold the speaker cabinet ‘still’ at audio frequencies. However, there will be a resonance set up by the mass of the cabinet reacting with the unavoidable springiness of the floor, even concrete floors. This can cause vibration of the whole building structure in the audio band, which can be very audible to your neighbours.
Rigid coupling also transmits building-borne vibration back into the speaker cabinet and thence to the speaker driver baskets where it is superimposed onto your own music and also into other components in your audio system.
The solution is to isolate your speakers from the building structure using a low-pass filter, in other words to let them ‘float’ throughout the audio waveband. This can be achieved by using Townshend Seismic Load Cells.
They work by coupling the mass of the speaker cabinet to the building structure, usually the floor, via a spring. At very low frequencies, the supported mass (speaker cabinet) follows the (slow) movement of the floor with a transmissibility of 1, just as with the rigid coupling. As the frequency of movement of the speaker cabinet (caused by reaction to the movement of the speech coil as it plays music) rises, a point of resonance is reached where it oscillates a large amount for a small input, 3.5Hz in the example. This large resonant oscillation can be tamed by damping. As the frequency rises further, the movement of the speaker cabinet reduces, ultimately at a rate of 12dB per octave,
For audio systems, this reduction in coupling between the speaker cabinet and the building structure should start at about 5Hz. This resonant frequency of oscillation depends on the mass and spring rate, but it can be shown to be 3.5Hz if the compression of the spring when loaded is about 30mm. In this way, a spring can be selected for any speaker cabinet to give a resonant frequency of 3.5Hz.
Since Seismic Load Cells are bi-directional they also reduce the effects of building structure vibration from entering your speakers. Furthermore, they act equally in all three planes, thus counteracting all aspects of building structure vibration.
For large displacements and without any damping, the speaker cabinet would oscillate for quite a long period, as is common with undamped sprung turntables. In the Seismic Load Cell this oscillation is rapidly damped by the turbulence of the air passing through the hole in the bellows/small-hole resistive damping arrangement,
When at rest there is no resistance, and full isolation performance is realized.
As a listener, you experience the Townshend Floating Effect – the sound improves dramatically and becomes independent of the speakers, providing wider stage width and greater depth, together with tighter and more realistic bass, thuddy boom now eliminated.
You will be able to enjoy your music at its natural volume level – as if you were listening to a live performance – without annoying the neighbours!
Rigid devices such as cones and spikes do not isolate, they couple. Springs made of rubber compounds, such as Sorbothane, are partially successful, but they don’t act as springs at frequencies below about 50Hz. Much of the musical energy which can stimulate vibration of the building structure is contained at lower frequencies, at which these compound springs act effectively as couplings with a transmissibility of 1, as shown by the green line on the transmissibility graph. The effectiveness of Sorbothane speaker mounts, shown as the green dotted area on the graph, is thus severely limited. Magnetic repulsion ‘spring’ mounts are only partly successful because they cannot operate in all three planes without some form of mechanical restraint (Earnshaw’s theorem), which detracts from their effectiveness. Unlike these and all spikes and cones, Townshend Seismic Load Cells act equally in all three planes
Seismic isolation prevents vibrations from the environment—such as footfalls, traffic, or even low-frequency earth movements—from entering your sensitive hi-fi equipment. By isolating your audio components, you reduce unwanted interference, improving sound clarity, imaging, and overall performance.
Townshend Seismic Isolation products use a patented technology that decouples your hi-fi components from vibrations as low as 3Hz. They employ precision-engineered dampers and springs to absorb both airborne and structural vibrations, ensuring that your equipment remains stable and unaffected by external disturbances.
Townshend Seismic Isolation blocks vibrations from a wide range of sources, including: – Low-frequency ground vibrations (like seismic activity or heavy traffic) – Structural vibrations (from footsteps, building movement) – Airborne vibrations (such as soundwaves from speakers)
Virtually all hi-fi equipment can benefit from seismic isolation, including: – Turntables (especially sensitive to vibrations) – CD players and DACs – Tube amplifiers – Loudspeakers – Pre-amplifiers and phono stages – Any other sensitive audio gear
Yes, seismic isolation can dramatically improve sound quality. By reducing external vibrations, it helps improve bass definition, tighten imaging, and enhance detail retrieval. This leads to a cleaner, more accurate soundstage with better dynamics and reduced noise or distortion.
If your listening room is prone to vibrations (e.g., due to traffic, nearby trains, or foot traffic), or if your equipment is located on a less-than-solid surface (like a wooden floor), seismic isolation can make a noticeable difference. Even in more stable environments, the precision of seismic isolation may enhance overall sound quality.
Yes, Townshend Seismic Isolation can often be integrated into your existing setup. For example, Seismic Pods can be placed under individual components, or Seismic Bars can be added to an existing rack to provide vibration isolation for the entire structure.
Townshend Seismic Isolation products are designed to accommodate a wide range of weights. Each product comes in various load ratings to suit different components, from lightweight DACs and phono stages to large, heavy amplifiers and loudspeakers. Check the specifications of each product to match it with your component’s weight.
Installation is generally straightforward. Most products are designed to be placed directly under your equipment, and no special tools or modifications are needed. For instance, Seismic Pods or Platforms can simply be positioned beneath your components, while Podiums and Bars are placed under speakers or racks.
Yes, Seismic Isolation is effective for both stereo and home theater setups. It can isolate components like AV receivers, subwoofers, and even large speakers, ensuring that all audio sources benefit from vibration-free performance.
No, the products are designed to be maintenance-free. Once installed, they continue to provide reliable seismic isolation without the need for adjustments or upkeep.
Traditional isolation feet or pads only provide limited vibration control, often targeting higher frequencies. Townshend Seismic Isolation is uniquely engineered to address a broader range of vibrations, including low-frequency disturbances (down to 3Hz), which many conventional solutions cannot handle effectively.
Choosing the right product depends on the type and weight of your equipment. For individual components, Seismic Pods or Platforms are ideal. For speakers, Seismic Podiums offer the best performance. Townshend’s website or dealers can help you select the right product based on your equipment’s weight and configuration.
Townshend Seismic Isolation products are built with durability in mind and made from high-quality materials. They are designed to last many years without degradation in performance, providing long-term vibration isolation for your hi-fi system.
Seismic Isolation can actually enhance speaker placement by stabilizing the speakers and preventing vibrations from interacting with the room or floor. It helps preserve the clarity of the soundstage, allowing for more precise imaging and better overall room acoustics.
While regular speaker stands aim to elevate the speakers to the correct height, Seismic Podiums not only position the speaker but also isolate it from vibrations in the floor. This added layer of isolation dramatically improves bass clarity and overall performance, which is not possible with standard stands.
Seismic Pods are individual isolators that can be placed under the feet of your components or speakers, while Seismic Platforms are flat platforms that incorporate Seismic Pods into a broader surface. The choice depends on your equipment and setup preferences.
Yes, turntables are especially sensitive to vibrations. Seismic Isolation can dramatically reduce unwanted resonance and feedback, ensuring that your turntable plays with greater clarity, precision, and noise-free operation.
Townshend Seismic Isolation products are available through authorized dealers, selected high-end audio stores, and directly from Townshend Audio’s website
Understanding Hookes Law
Townshend Audio’s seismic isolation products, such as the Seismic Podiums and Platforms, are a practical application of Hooke’s Law and the principles of physics to improve audio quality.
- The Problem: Floors and buildings constantly vibrate with low-level microtremors from traffic, footsteps, and other activity, which can interfere with sensitive audio equipment like speakers and turntables, muddying the sound. Standard rigid supports (like spikes) transmit these vibrations directly.
- The Solution (Hooke’s Law in action): Townshend systems use springs to decouple the audio equipment from the floor. By carefully selecting and compressing the springs to match the weight of the equipment, they tune the system to have a very low natural resonance frequency (around 3Hz). This is much lower than typical environmental vibrations (10-20Hz+).
- The Result: Because the system’s natural frequency is so low, it acts as a low-pass filter, effectively absorbing and isolating the audio gear from most floor-borne vibrations. This prevents the vibrations from reaching the equipment’s delicate components, allowing for a clearer, more detailed, and three-dimensional sound experience.
In short, Hooke’s Law allows Townshend Audio to predict and control exactly how much their isolation products will compress under a given load, creating a “floating” effect that stops disruptive vibrations from interfering with the sound.
We don't just reduce vibration- we eliminate it at the sourse by turning the spring system to resonate far below the frequencies that affect audio
At Townshend Audio, we use precision-engineered, damped springs that are perfectly matched to the weight of your hi-fi equipment. This isn’t guesswork’s physics applied with purpose
Our Seismic Isolation platforms work by decoupling your equiment from floor-borne vibrations- the tiny tremorst that travel through buildings and degrade sound quality, even when you can’t feel them.
Townshend Audio Seismic Isolation products use the principle behind Hooke’s Law to create a mechanical low-pass filter with an extremely low natural (resonant) frequency, thereby effectively decoupling audio equipment from detrimental ground-borne vibrations.
Hooke’s Law and the Townshend System
Hooke’s Law states that the force required to extend or compress a spring is directly proportional to the distance of that extension or compression (F = Kx), where k is the spring constant. Townshend Audio utilises this linear elasticity in a highly engineered mass-spring system (the “Seismic Load Cells”) to support the weight (mass) of audio components or speakers.
The system’s design involves:
- Spring Compression: The springs are carefully matched and compressed based on the specific weight of the supported equipment. This compression is crucial for tuning the system.
- Achieving Optimal “k” value: The spring constant (kk) and the mass (m) determine the system’s natural frequency. By selecting and compressing the appropriate spring for a given mass, the designers can precisely tune this frequency.
- Air Damping: The system incorporates a small-hole resistive air-damping mechanism (a bellows arrangement) to prevent the equipment from oscillating wildly at this low natural frequency, ensuring stability.
The Importance of Natural Frequency
The natural frequency of a mechanical system is the frequency at which it tends to vibrate when disturbed. This matters immensely in audio isolation for the following reasons:
- Decoupling from Environmental Vibrations: The primary goal is to isolate the audio equipment from ground-borne and airborne vibrations (e.g., footfalls, traffic, speaker feedback), which typically range from 5 Hz upwards. By tuning their systems to an ultra-low natural frequency of around 3 Hz (or lower), the Townshend isolators act as a mechanical low-pass filter, effectively blocking the transmission of higher-frequency disturbances.
- Avoiding Resonance: Resonance occurs when an external vibration frequency matches the system’s natural frequency, which would amplify the vibration and severely degrade sound quality. By ensuring the system’s natural frequency (3 Hz) is far below common environmental and audio frequencies (20 Hz–20 kHz), Townshend avoids this amplification in the audible range.
- Improved Audio Fidelity: Decoupling the equipment from vibrations prevents microtremors from introducing jitter, noise, and distortion into the delicate audio signal path. The result is a dramatic improvement in sound quality, including tighter and more articulate bass, enhanced clarity, a lower noise floor, and a wider soundstage.
In short, Hooke’s Law provides the physical principle for creating a precisely tuned, low-frequency mass-spring system, and achieving that specific, very low natural frequency is why the Townshend isolation works so effectively to eliminate disruptive vibrations and preserve pure sound.
why does 3 Hz matter to townshend?
The 3Hz natural frequency is critical to Townshend Audio’s isolation design because it places the system’s resonant peak well below the frequency range of most environmental vibrations and, more importantly, the entire audio spectrum. This design choice is fundamental to achieving effective decoupling and superior audio performance.
Here is why 3Hz matters to Townshend:
- Effective Low-Pass Filtering: A mass-spring isolation system acts as a mechanical low-pass filter. For isolation to work, the natural frequency of the isolation system must be significantly lower than the frequencies you want to block. By achieving an ultra-low 3Hz natural frequency, the Townshend system effectively filters out almost all harmful vibrations that occur at higher frequencies (from 5Hz up to 500Hz).
- Avoiding Resonance in Critical Ranges: Resonance occurs when the frequency of an external vibration matches the system’s natural frequency, leading to an amplification of that vibration. Most conventional attenuators (like hard spikes or certain polymers) have natural frequencies that often fall within or close to the audible range (e.g., 10Hz-50Hz), which can actually amplify footfalls or floor resonances, degrading sound quality. The 3Hz tuning ensures this resonance peak is in a range where there is little to no musical information or significant environmental disturbances.
- Decoupling from Environmental Vibrations: The majority of damaging environmental vibrations, such as those from footsteps, traffic, HVAC systems, and structural tremors, occur in the 1Hz to 500Hz range. Townshend’s 3Hz isolation effectively “floats” the audio equipment, preventing these common disturbances from entering the sensitive components like turntables, CD players, or DACs.
- Enhanced Sound Quality: By eliminating this background vibration and floor resonance, the audio equipment can perform at its best, free from external interference. This results in measurable and audible improvements, including:
- Tighter, more articulate, and less “boomy” bass.
- Greater transparency and clarity in the midrange and highs.
- A wider and deeper, more focused soundstage.
- The elimination of tracking errors or “skipping” in turntables caused by footfalls.
- In essence, tuning to 3Hz is a design choice that maximizes the performance of the isolation system, allowing listeners to experience a purer, less distorted, and more realistic sound.
Limitations of Polimers in audio vibration control
- Inconsistent Natural Frequency: The main limitation for high-performance hifi is the challenge in achieving a consistently low natural frequency (like the 3Hz of the Townshend system). The natural frequency of a polymer foot depends heavily on the specific weight of the equipment and the polymer’s stiffness (durometer). Using the wrong durometer for the weight can lead to poor performance or even amplification of certain resonances.
- “Over-Damping” Effect: Some audiophiles report that excessive damping from polymers can make the sound appear “mushy,” “flabby,” or “overdamped,” potentially losing focus and transient attack.
- Compression and Wear: Over time, polymers can compress (creep) under a static load, reducing their effectiveness and requiring replacement.
- Temperature Sensitivity: The mechanical properties of some polymers can be affected by temperature changes, potentially altering their performance characteristics in different environments.
In summary, polymers offer good, cost-effective vibration control, primarily through damping. However, they struggle to achieve the ultra-low, precisely tuned natural frequencies that advanced spring-based systems use to completely decouple hifi equipment from the most problematic low-frequency vibrations, which is why brands like Townshend pursue different engineering solutions for ultimate performance.
Silicone limitations in vibration control
Silicone’s effective frequency range for isolation depends on the specific design (e.g., hardness, shape, load) and is not a fixed spectrum.
- Isolation Begins Above Natural Frequency: Like any isolation system, isolation only truly begins at frequencies above the system’s natural frequency. Below this point, vibrations are actually amplified.
- Typical Ranges: In general applications, silicone isolators are effective for blocking mid-to-high frequencies. They are less effective at isolating very low frequencies (e.g., below 10Hz) compared to dedicated low-frequency isolation systems unless they are part of a specialized design.
- Low-Frequency Challenges: Achieving the kind of ultra-low natural frequency (around 3Hz) that specialized systems like Townshend Audio use requires specific engineering (often involving complex shapes or air pockets, as Stack Audio does with a 12-layer silicon structure with a floating design). Off-the-shelf silicone pads typically have higher natural frequencies, making them better for damping higher-frequency internal component vibrations than isolating from low-frequency floor resonances.
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Visit www.townshendisolation.com to explore our innovative solutions and bring the pure sound of music into your home.
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7 Bridge Road, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 9EU, UK. - mail@townshendaudio.com
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Seismic Isolation
Understanding Hooke's Law – Simply and Clearly
How We Isolate Your Equipment
At Townshend Audio, we use precision-engineered, damped springs that are perfectly matched to the weight of your hi-fi equipment. This isn't guesswork – it's physics applied with purpose.
Our Seismic Isolation platforms work by decoupling your equipment from floor-borne vibrations – the tiny tremors that travel through buildings and degrade sound quality, even when you can't feel them.
Key idea: We don't just reduce vibration – we eliminate it at the source by tuning the spring system to resonate far below the frequencies that affect audio performance.
Hooke's Law – The Foundation
Hooke's Law describes how a spring responds to force. In simple terms:
F = -k \cdot x
Where:
- F = restoring force exerted by the spring (in Newtons)
- k = spring constant (stiffness, in N/m)
- x = displacement from equilibrium (in meters)
- The negative sign shows the force acts opposite to the displacement
Natural Frequency – Why It Matters
The natural frequency of a spring-mass system determines how it responds to vibration:
f_n = \frac{1}{2\pi} \sqrt{\frac{k}{m}}
Where:
- fn = natural frequency (in Hz)
- k = spring stiffness
- m = mass of the equipment
Critical insight: We tune our springs so that fn is extremely low – typically 1–3 Hz. This means any vibration above ~4 Hz (which includes all audible frequencies and most structural noise) is isolated by over 90%.
Result? Your turntable, amplifier, or DAC floats in near-silence – free from micro-vibrations that smear detail, compress dynamics, and blur soundstaging.
Why We Avoid Silicones, Polymers & Steel Balls
Many isolation products rely on viscoelastic materials or rolling elements. These seem clever – but they sweep the problem under the rug rather than solve it.
Silicones & Polymers: Damping, Not Isolation
- They absorb energy by converting it to heat – but only after the vibration has already entered the equipment.
- Performance is highly frequency-dependent: good at mid-frequencies, poor at very low frequencies (<5 Hz) where floor bounce and footfall dominate.
- They store and release energy over time (hysteresis), creating timing smear in audio signals.
- Aging and creep: They harden, soften, or sag over time – your £10,000 turntable ends up sitting on an unreliable mush.
Steel or Ceramic Balls: Motion Conversion, Not Elimination
- They convert vertical vibration into horizontal motion – but that motion still couples into the chassis.
- No low-frequency isolation: Balls have near-zero stiffness vertically at audio frequencies → vibrations pass straight through.
- They rattle and resonate under micro-vibration, adding their own noise.
- Require perfect leveling and are sensitive to load distribution – impractical in real homes.
Our springs? They prevent vibration from reaching the equipment in the first place. No energy storage. No frequency blind spots. No degradation over decades.
The Townshend Difference
Independent tests show our Seismic Pods achieve:
- >99% isolation above 10 Hz
- >90% isolation from 3 Hz
- No resonance peaks in the audio band
- Zero maintenance – springs don't wear out
Hear blacker backgrounds, sharper imaging, and effortless dynamics. This isn't marketing – it's physics, properly applied.
