Seismic Isolation Podiums: A Game-Changer for Bass Control and Overall Sound Quality
After attending the Capitol Audio Fest, and returning home to evaluate my system against what I’d heard, I was reminded just how much I love the sound I’ve cultivated in my setup over the years. In many ways, it stood up favorably against some of the best systems I heard at the show—some costing many times more. That said, the experience left me inspired to try to push my system further and find how I could make it even better.
One issue I’ve been wanting to address is the bass boom in my room caused by my large speakers coupling with my raised floor. My listening room is on the lower level of a split-level home with an open floor plan and a suspended floor that behaves a bit like a drumhead. While I’ve installed bass traps in the corners and experimented with absorbers and isolators, I was still searching for a way to decouple the speakers from the floor entirely.
That’s when I discovered Townshend’s Seismic Isolation Podiums. I was already familiar with Townshend’s supertweeters, but I had no idea how highly regarded their isolation products were. After combing through countless reviews (seriously, I couldn’t find a bad one which was amazing), I reached out via an Audiogon listing to Townshend’s Worldwide Sales Manager, John Hannant, for guidance. He’s a really responsive guy, and he recommended and sold to me the Size 5, E-weight Podiums for my massive 250+ lb Dynaudio Consequence Ultimate Edition speakers.
The Podiums arrived in Virginia in under a week, all the way from England, and my first impressions were:
1. They’re frickin big.
2. They’re frickin solid.
3. How on earth am I going to get 250 lbs speakers onto these spring-loaded platforms
Thankfully, the process turned out to be much easier than I feared. Using Teflon furniture sliders, I carefully tilted and slid the speakers onto the Podiums, fine-tuned their positioning, and bubble leveled them according to the directions. Despite how unnerving it feels to see, and feel, my hefty speakers perched on a bouncy interface, the results speak for themselves: the bass response has been transformed.
The muddying boom I’d been battling is gone, replaced by bass that is tighter, quicker, and far more defined. It’s truly amazing how much of a difference these Podiums have made. Beyond the bass improvement, they also reduce vibrations transferring from the floor to my equipment rack, which further improves other aspects of the sound in more subtle ways. Everything is just a little better.
The build quality of the Podiums is exceptional, as you’d expect from a product hand made in England essentially of just heavy specialty coated steel, carefully chosen tempered springs and a custom rubber dampening system. While they’re not inexpensive (what is, in this hobby/industry), they deliver on every claim I read about, and can be considered a lifetime investment because there is nothing to wear out.
Townshend has truly created a stellar product, backed by fantastic customer service. The Seismic Isolation Podiums have exceeded my expectations, and I can’t recommend them highly enough to anyone looking to elevate their system’s performance, particularly if resonance is a known issue.
Kudos to Townshend for such a well-engineered solution that makes a real difference!
Note: I have no affiliation with Townshend, nor was any monetary or product provided to me to generate or influence my review.
