Price Paid:  $200.00 from Direct

Summary:
There's some good sense and some horseplop contained in the preceding reviews. I've been gradually dealing with the problems of vibration over the last few years, having biult a pretty good setup with quality cabling and mains treatments. Distortions caused by vibration are the biggest single enemy of fidelity. Bicycle inner tubes give (at best) maybe 60% of what is available from a seismic sink platform. That may seem like the law of diminishing returns appplying with vigour, but I suspect that those of you who are pursuing genuine fidelity will realise that the closer you get to 'natural' sound, the more small differences are audible, even to spouses who may have started out as skeptics. The sinks work less well with equipment whose mass is unevenly distributed, as the feet carrying most of the mass have to be raised, which compresses the air sac under that corner. With some degree of skepticism, I bought one of the new VSSS racks, and matching speaker stands. The combination, though going against the accepted wisdom that speakers must be rigidly coupled, is staggering. It ought to be, because you are looking at around £2,500 for the pair, but after listening to a system sitting on them, only the cloth-eared would deny that vibrations need to be tackled. The soundstage is immense, and the bass is totally integrated into it, rather than from the 'room' in which you listen; fine detail is improved, as is midrange fluidity and sweetness in the treble. Bass acquires the sort of tautness only experienced live, and consequently timing is spot on. Soothing music soothes, exciting music becomes truly invigorating.

Ignore the naysayers; 'Good Vibrations' is an oxymoron...

Weaknesses:
See above.

Similar Products Used:
Ditto.

Price Paid:  $60.00

Summary:
What is there to review? The concept that vibration isolation is needed and at all an issue in digital reproduction is an audiophile inanity not supported by the simplest empiric test nor educated logic. It is solely supported by people trying to sell you needless things and by magazines like Stereophile that seek to convince the untutored that vibration isolation is a sure fire way to audio nirvana.

I bought the thing for cosmetic reasons, and to shock isolate (via mass loading) my light little DVD player from floor bounces. That it does.

Strengths:
It is a nice little stand on which to place your player

Summary:
I endorse the positive comments here so will not repeat them. I use CD Sinks under transport, dac and preamp. I use small bicycle inner tubes under my monoblocks. Do not get suckered into believing Vibapods or Sorbothane feet are in the same league - they most certainly are not. One negative comment - I also have one of the larger heavier seismic sinks and I have never gotten it to sound good anywhere. In particular it robs the upper bass of leading edge and therefore pace and rhythm suffer badly. This is a shame because the improvement on vocals (over the CD sink) is remarkable.

I find the best context for the sinks is; use a rigid welded steel rack that is firmly spiked to the floor. Then use rigid but damped shelves. Glass or perspex is not damped enough and most MDF shelves are usually too compliant or add too much 'mud'. I use 15mm perspex bonded to 6mm MDF, with the MDF on top. Then place the seismic sink on top of the shelf. Then use suitable cones between the component and the sink (BDR, Walker etc). More than one very compliant thing is too much so the cones are needed to bypass the component's rubber feet. Use the sink as the one and only compliant item in the vibration control system and the results are fantastic. I have tried a lot of things but this is the best of its kind for now and so 5 stars. But I would like to be able to get the gorgeous mid and treble textures of the big sink together with the better pace and rhythm of the CD sink, if that was possible.

Summary:
Followup on CD Seismic Sink.
The CD Seismic Sink has now been re-engineered to MK II. The basic top plate damping has been changed to three level constrained layer damping. This greatly reduces the effect of air borne and equipment generated vibration. When added to the air suspension isolation from groumd borne vibration, which is unchanged in the MK II version, the performance of the Seismic Sink is now better than ever.

The prices for the Seismic Sink are $220 #1, 17" W, 30lb max and $260 #2, 19"
W, 45lb max.

The US agent for Townshend Audio is Sound Advice, 1624 Sunset Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90405. Tel/Fax (310) 396 1919 dmeinwald@loop.com

Regards, Max Townshend

PS. I now have to give stars, so it's 5.

Summary:
Date July 2 98
Dear Audiophiles,

Thank you for your interest in the CD Seismic Sink. Yes, unfortunately, Townshend Audio Inc, Houston, is out of business. But we, Townshend Audio UK (Head office) are still very much in business, manufacturing the CD Seismic Sink MK II (improved) in two versions:- one for 17" gear and one for 19" gear. We also manufacture the quite outstanding (if I say so myself (modestly)) Seismic Sink Stand. see http://ds.dial.pipex.com/townshend.audio/ We are about to update this site in about two weeks where we will have listed the outlets, in the USA, where Townshend Audio products may be obtained.

The Seismic Sink Stand is the equivallent of 4/5 Vibraton planes (or whatever they call the $2,500 microscope isolation table that is raved about in TAS) AND A RACK for (about) the same price. Each shelf of the Seismic Sink Stand has at least 100 times MORE isolation than a CD Seismic Sink which results in an amazing improvement as ALL source components are isolated to a much higher degree. See IAR (International Audio Review) Hotline! 76-79: Master Guide to the Best of 1998. Class 1 Accessories. Townshend Seismic Sink Stand:- "This is the first shelving unit to do it right, the first one worthy of high end audio. Suddenly, all other shelving units are obsolete. . . ." (concludes) . . . "That's why the Townshend Seismic Sink Stand is a necessary audio component. The only necessary component. Choose whatever power amp, preamp, program source you want. But put them on this stand."

There will be loads more reviews on the updated site. Thanks for your patience.

kind regards,

Max Townshend.

I can't vote for my own product, so I will not!

Good listening