Townshend Seismic Sink

Posted by: Ben Giles on 05 September 2003

Can't see if anyone's discussed this before. I was given a seismic sink a few years back by my dealer to try out and have use of. After not hearing any discernible improvement at the time (OK, my system was relatively basic at the time) I stuck it in the loft and forgot about it. It was when we moved recently that I rediscovered it. No, this is not a tale of revelation in detail and undiscovered nuances in my listening experience. More of a slightly cynical surprise. The seismic sink, which has exhortations NEVER to open the unit on pain of chemical death or something, had actually fallen apart - the glue had gone. So what did I find inside the 2 pressed metal parts of the case? Carefully hewn blocks of unobtainium? No, 2 pieces of chipboard and a bicycle inner tube. Yep, that's it.

So what's my point? I'm not doubting for one moment that this thing brings various audio benefits, but I can't help feeling that if I had bought this unit I would have felt rather ripped off in retrospect. And the dangerous chemical substances inside? I guess that'll be the hot plastic glue they used to put it together - can't help feeling there's another reason they don't want you to look inside...

Ben.

Posted on: 05 September 2003 by prowla

Just think of the R&D they had to go through to come up with that world-winning combination!

Paul Rowlands

Posted on: 05 September 2003 by David Stewart

When you bought it, did you not wonder why it came with a puncture repair outfit

David

Posted on: 05 September 2003 by prowla

Bet the price was inflated!

Paul Rowlands

Posted on: 05 September 2003 by Mick P

Chaps

Strangely enough, the sink actually works. I got one under a CD3.5 and on top of a Soundorg rack.

It is better than the **** table it replaced.

Only problem is that you have to blow it up a little bit once every month or so.

I like it.

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 06 September 2003 by Mick P

I have heard similar statements to yours, so obviously there is more than a grain of truth in it.

I have heard that the best results using a Townshend come with using it under a CD3, CD3.5 and a CDX.

I placed the Townshend under the CDS2 and preffered it without it. The CDS2 has its own suspension, or so I have been told it has, so possibly you have to experiment a bit.

All I can say is that the Mana improved the sound from the CD3.5 but the Townshend did it a lot better. That view was confirmed by my son as well as the wife.

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 06 September 2003 by HansW

I believe the idea for the Seismic Sink came from a reviewer called Richard Black. To support his TT he used an inner tube from a tyre and put a slab of concrete on top. The TT rested on top of the concrete.

Hans

Posted on: 06 September 2003 by garyi

My Finace is an electron microspist.

It sits on a big air platform which is continuously fed air from another room

Posted on: 06 September 2003 by HansW

Joolz and Garyi

I have heard about Vibraplane and know that the technique has been used elsewhere in industry. Similar solutions have no doubt also been used by audiophile tweakists before. I do however believe there was a fairlyt direct connection between the the home-made Richard Black set-up and the Townshend products.

My real point, however, which was not so well made I see now, was that the idea behind the Seismic Sink was the inflatable inner tube Ben Giles was surprised to see inside the product.

Hans