Spikes

Spikes are one of the most economical and best methods of isolating audio equipment from the surroundings.

Here’s the physics:

Electrical currents in analogue equipment and speaker cabinets create unwanted micro vibrations inside them. Apart from these, the driver of each speaker dissipates energy in the form of vibrations that are also carried to the cabinet walls causing ringing. These internal vibrations are infact the bad actors polluting the music signal. Hence standard isolating devices like springs, rubber feet, sand, magnetic suspensions, or air bladders don’t help. These products trap the vibrations inside the component instead of draining them, exacerbating muddying of the signals, especially in the bass frequencies.(known as bass bloom)

By design, spikes do the opposite. Rigid and massive, they lock the component to the shelf below using single-point contact. The spike infact acts like a “diode” (i.e allows or drains vibrations from your equipment to the rack but does not allow vibrations from the rack to reach the equipment). It transmits waves and vibrations only downwards through the point and perpendicular to the equipment Thus becoming the most efficient way of isolating.

Experiments also show that the wrong footer material (or too little mass, or the wrong shape) can reflect distorted vibrations back into the equipment. That’s why improperly designed footers can yield sound that is dulled and lifeless or piercing and shrill.

Brass and Stainless Steel Alloys are by far the best: much more dynamic, vibrantly warm and more detailed.

We normally offer unattached spikes in sets of 3. Using four unattached footers requires leveling of one to compensate for the inevitable slight unevenness of the surface below. Using three requires no compensation and there’s no sonic advantage to using four. In case of very narrow tower speakers though, we recommend four only to add stability.

By correct utilization of a spike one is sure to dramatically improve clarity, stereo imaging and tighten up the bass response.

Music will sound strikingly more live and more gripping. Bass sounds deeper and more articulated,. Drums are crisper; cymbals sound brassier and ring more brilliantly.

Spikes are particularly effective on Hollow furniture racks and cabinets, and flooring with thick carpets and hence are a “must have”