Wow! Truly excellent sounding isolation feet for speakers - $45
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| Posted on November 1, 2023 at 22:47:26 | ||
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Posts: 2014
Location: San Francisco Joined: September 29, 2001 |
 I have many many footers, platforms, etc for isolation and have been using them for over 25 years, some of which cost over $1,500 for a set. I've been looking for some to put under my speakers to meet the following criteria: * Must work on carpet.
Most of these footers were not well known, the most well known footers I tried were Isoacoustics Orea Bronze which cost $400 for 8. I liked a what the Orea's did for midrange and soundstage and detail. The midrange was very natural, detail was increased, and images floated independently of the speakers better than any of the others. Bass was very sculpted and dimensional, but all the bass moved back behind my speakers some distance, and bass level was substantially down, sounded almost 4-6db down subjectively. As much as I liked the other qualities, losing bass is a no go for me. Enter these Amazon Chi-Fi sprung footers for about $45 for 8 (nearly 90% cheaper than the Orea's). And have a 30 day return policy. I don't think this brand is any better than the other clones I've seen on Amazon or Ali Express. They have 7 springs in each footer, the springs fit snugly in their holes, making the footers easy to move around. I think the 7 springs make the footers a bit too stiff for a lot of applications. I removed the center spring, leaving 6 springs, this seemed to provide a bit of bounce on my 25lb speaker. If I was to use it under components that are lighter, I would probably just leave three springs in for a more bouncy action. A certain amount of spring is required for the best isolation and absorption of vibrations IMHO. I've worked with sprung isolation before and finding the right bounce is the key. I've never used springs under speakers before though, and it seems counter intuitive to providing a stable base. But in this case, it was right on the money. The result? The bass is the tightest, most tuneful and textural I've ever heard it in my system, while also extending deeper and more powerfully/dynamically than I've had before. Midbass has real slam, and the lowest notes shown through clearer and more profound. In fact every frequency simply had more clarity and transparency. Midrange was so clear, and almost a bit 'creamy'. Treble was more detailed extended and resolved, the biggest surprise is how dimensional treble became. Things like rimshots ricocheted in my room, making me turn my head and think I heard something in my home. But at the same time, there was no edge, harshness, graininess or artificiality added. It was just clarity without a downside. Downsides? Well they ain't pretty. I figure I'll paint the purple stripe black sometime. I might try some kind of glue to the bottom of my speakers to couple them better, which should improve them. Need to find one that will be hard, but also removable if it turns out to not be positive.
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