Getting The Fundamentals Right The Townshend Audio Way
Max Townshend was that rare thing in the high-end audio industry: a true, pioneering maverick who wholly believed in every product he put to market. Max would back up every claim with scientific evidence, and I have had the pleasure of watching him silence doubters on forums by freely producing cable measurement data. The Cranfield Rock, which in turn became the Townshend Rock turntable, is rightly considered one of the finest ways of extracting music from your vinyl collection. Although this turntable is currently out of production, it still enjoys a strong following and restored and upgraded versions score highly on the pound-per-sound scale, even today. Townshend Audio also went on to produce some fantastic speakers and CD players. Their current portfolio includes cables, the Allegri range of preamps, Supertweeters and, of course, supports, including the Podium Support Podiums I am looking at here, along with the F1 Fractal cables.
I had the pleasure of meeting Max on a few occasions at HiFi Shows before his sad passing on New Year’s Eve 2021. Max was highly selective over his dealer network, and so regrettably, my local dealers did not stock his products. Hence why, my journey with this unique brand began in 2022 when I reviewed the Townshend Isolda cables for another publication. I was so impressed with them that I purchased the review samples, which have remained as my reference cables until the arrival of the F1 Fractal cables we see in this review.
The Cables
Before discussing the F1 Fractal cables, let us look back at the Isolda EDCT (Enhanced Deep Cryogenically Treated) cables. These cables are built from two 20mm wide strips of high-purity copper ribbon conductors, which are spaced apart via a 0.07mm polyester dielectric. The narrow spacing between the positive and negative conductors makes the cable effectively immune to RFI. Upon launch, what made Isolda unique was the cable’s low inductance and high capacitance. These properties would initially cause certain amplifiers, which relied on high inductance, to become unstable, hence why they are supplied with a box at each end of the cable; the box to be placed close to the amplifier outputs contains inductance components, the other end is a Zobel network box. The Isolda cables are delicate and should not be bent sharply or stood upon; either action could well cause the cable to fracture, so don’t let their flat appearance fool you into thinking that they can be hidden under carpets. The Isolda EDCT speaker cables, whilst not cheap, at £765 per meter, have found their way into the homes of many audiophiles and reviewers alike.
Whilst other similarly priced cables might sound superficially more attractively lush or perhaps provide a brighter sound that is initially impressive, the Isolda EDCT cables are musically transparent and, in my experience, unmatched for low-frequency weight and depth and fullness. Crucially, they do not mess with the timing; when a system is temporally correct, the Isolda EDCT engages like few cables, even some costly ones. These cables get the HiFi niceties such as sound staging and resolution right. However, while similarly priced cables can appear superficially more impressive in this area and perhaps sound sweeter, this often comes at the expense of weight definition and timing accuracy. It was the overall coherence of the Isolda EDCT that made them the ideal reviewing tool, not to mention more satisfying in the long term, to my ears, at least.
The Townshend F1 Fractal Cables
Townshend published a white paper which explained precisely why the Isolda cables produce the excellent results we hear. Such openness over the technical details can be a great marketing approach, but it does help the competition, so Max Townshend took a more guarded approach with the F1 Fractal cables. Therefore, I cannot enlighten the differences in the conductors, but as you will read, much effort has gone into protecting the conductors from external vibration.
Priced at £2,200 per stereo meter, the F1 Fractal is not for the faint-hearted. I have been pestering Townshend for review samples of these cables for around two years. My newly acquired insight into the manufacturing process has made me appreciate why it has taken so long and, indeed, the retail price. Each set of F1 Fractal cables is painstakingly hand-produced, a process which takes several hours and indeed days for longer runs. What’s more, only three people within the Townshend organisation are trained to build the F1 Fractal cables. Essentially, the conductors, superficially resemble those of the EDCT and similarly are spaced by a thin layer of PTFE. We are not given further details regarding the conductors other than that they are copper-based and cryogenically treated. These conductors are held in place by a polyurethane polymer, which has to be poured into the housing tube around the conductors, which must be held into place during the process.
As well as providing isolation, the polyurethane polymer protects the conductors, making the F1 Fractal cable more resistant to damage caused by twisting or standing on it. Like the Isolda, unequal lengths of cable can be used without compromising performance, but the boxes fitted to each end of the F1 Fractal cable contain the same internals, hence making them non-directional.
Front Row Performance
To use a Formula One analogy, these cables are more Alain Prost than, for example, Nigel Mansell, who loved to hustle his racing cars. Prost was nicknamed ‘The Professor’ because he knew how to win races by making the right moves at the right time. His uncanny smoothness meant that his devastating speed often went unnoticed. The F1 Fractal cables are not laid back or recessed in any way, but they deliver detail without drawing attention to themselves and, like Prost in his prime, can display phenomenal speed upon demand. Unlike many HiFi components, they track dynamics without emphasising the leading edge of notes; systems which do this can sound initially impressive but can ultimately prove tiring. There is an uncanny fullness and body to the music, which they pull off without sounding thick due to their outstanding resolution. In HiFi terms, they tick every box, notably delivering an enormous, three-dimensional soundstage and a tremendous sense of scale. Surprisingly for me, the bass is both bigger and weightier than the Isolda, which was already class-leading in that regard.
These cables have an incredibly low noise floor, which manifests itself in superior focus and retrieval of fine details, not to mention transparency. If the rest of your system is up to it, the F1 Fractal allows your speakers to effectively disappear to a greater extent than with any other cable I have tried. I thought that my system already had this quality nailed, but the F1 Fractal cables allow this to happen more often, with more recordings, and within a wider ‘sweet spot’.
The F1 Fractal will deliver your system’s full tonal capabilities. If the system and recording are rich and textured, that quality comes through unfettered. Of course, cables do not have a dynamic range, but when they have the speed, bandwidth and timing accuracy of the F1 Fractal, dynamics do appear to hit harder.
To sum up, while it is undeniably expensive, the F1 Fractal is at the pinnacle of cable technology and will allow your system’s full performance to reach your speakers.
Seismic Isolation Podiums
I confess that for many years, despite having seen live demonstrations of the Seismic Podiums, which included measuring vibration levels of the floor surrounding the speakers placed upon the Seismic Podiums, which was comprehensively lower than that of rival products, I shied away from trying them at home, as my Totem Forest Signature speakers already sit on outriggers, which incorporate an isolation system. Fast forward to last summer when Jes Kerr, designer and proprietor of Kerr Acoustics, brought over his K320 MkIII speakers for me to review for another publication. He had mentioned when we scheduled the review that he would also bring a set of Seismic Podiums, which were custom-designed for the K320 speakers by Townshend Audio.
Having been highly impressed with the K320 MkIII and the time came to pack them away to return, I briefly placed them on the granite slabs, which my Totem speakers are usually placed on. Sans Podiums, much of the speed and bass control that had so impressed me, not to mention transparency and soundstage dimensions, were diminished. This experience would not leave me, and so a chat with Townshend’s Toni Natalucci followed, where he noted details of my speaker’s dimensions and weight and, in turn, agreed to send me the review sample, which arrived with the F1 Fractal cables.
The Seismic Podiums are available in five standard sizes, with six different load cells, for speakers weighing between 5kg and 200kg. Townshend Audio is more than happy to build your Podiums in custom sizes, as they have done for Kerr Acoustics in this case, to avoid unsightly overhangs. Prices start at £1,400 for ‘Size 2’, and ‘Load Cell C’ came in at £1,700.
As you may grasp from the photos, the Podiums consist of a black steel plate fashioned to allow for spring dampers at each corner. You can place your speakers directly onto the plate or, as in my case, with your speakers’ existing isolation system in situ. Personally, I would avoid using spikes, which may transmit energy between the speakers and the plate, but it is possible should you feel the need. The custom versions facilitate securing the speakers to the base of the Seismic Podiums via the spike or footer threads.
The springs are adjustable in level to allow for variations in floor level or, indeed, give you a slight angle if desired. Your speakers will wobble when pushed, but they are less likely to topple over than if on spikes or rubber feet, especially if you go for custom and bolt your speakers to the base of the Seismic Podiums.
Isolated Performance
It is hard to overstate just how much better my Totem Forest Signature speakers sound with the Seismic Podiums under them. As expected, the bass is tighter and faster. I had feared the music might sound overly lean, perhaps due to the euphoric colouration of the bass being removed, but that fear proved unfounded. Deep bass notes are more pronounced and nuanced and far easier to follow, especially during dense passages.
As with the F1 Fractal cables, placing my speakers on the Seismic Podiums has lowered the noise floor, revealing details previously buried within complex mixes. Listening fatigue is much reduced, allowing me to enjoy even compressed recordings, such as Spiritbox’s latest album, The Tsunami Sea, at high volume levels. The Guardian’s review of this album suggested the production is lacking in low-end power; well, maybe the writer should have put their speakers on Townshend Seismic Podiums! The compression used here is a creative choice made by the production team, which is typical of the metalcore genre. Whilst it is far from audiophile fodder, the production conveys the musical message well. If your system is capable of resolving the vast amounts of information in a mix like this, then our brains will make sense of it, and this is precisely what these products allow to happen. Sans Seismic Podiums, this music can be overly congested in parts, but with them in tow, the effect was akin to pulling back the curtains on a sunny day. The increased musical organisation, transparency and sheer resolution allow you to hear into this dense mix, and whilst you still may decide this kind of music is not for you, you will at least of heard it as the artists intended.
The soundstage has taken on a sense of absolute solidity and organisation that I did not realise these speakers were capable of reproducing. Massive Attack’s 100th Window was misunderstood upon release and rarely scores highly in ‘best of’ polls, but I find myself enjoying it on a regular basis. It is a great album to help demonstrate precisely what the Seismic Podiums do for an already well-sorted system. The album’s bass will sound deep and full on any half-decent system, but it was not until I employed the services of the Seismic Podiums that the intricacies of the lowest frequencies were revealed. The additional punch and dynamics revealed by the Seismic Podiums made for a thrilling listen. The F1 Fractal cables had already allowed the soundstage to expand into a three-dimensional extravaganza. Still, the Seismic Podiums brought increased definition, focus, micro-dynamics, rhythmic control and timing accuracy to the party. The results are enthralling and forced me to sit through this album twice in succession when I should have been getting on with review work.
Max Townshend explains the technical side of how the Seismic Podiums help good Hifi Systems to achieve true sonic greatness here, far better than I can on the links here and here.
I will add that isolating your speakers from the floor not only allows them to reach their highest potential but also helps to prevent vibrations from your speakers from reaching your source and amplifier, which will prove especially beneficial if you listen to vinyl. Equally, if you have neighbours or even fellow house dwellers living below or even next door, you are less likely to hear complaints if your speakers are isolated from the floors.
Conclusions
Extravagant claims about products such as cables and supports are commonplace from both manufacturers and indeed reviewers. We often hear differences following a change in our system, which are soon forgotten as they act like tone controls rather than offering fundamental musical benefits. These products from Townshend Audio are exceptions in that they allow our systems to be their best selves. Whilst the entry fees required to keep these products are significant, I have dug deep and bought both review samples as attempts to listen to music without them in my system proved too painful an experience.
The question here must be which you should purchase first. Well, this depends on your system and existing cables and supports. For me, Isolda EDCT cables with the Seismic Podiums would be preferable to the F1 Fractal cables with my speakers on their previous granite slabs, but your experience may vary. Both are truly exceptional products that deserve your audition, and I urge you not to wait as long as I did to do so. The improvements provided by each of these products will, in many cases, exceed those obtained by a major component upgrade. Indeed, the Seismic Support Podium and F1 Fractal cables are both now a significant part of my system, which I can see comfortably outlasting every component within it.
Prices
Townshend F1 Fractal Speaker Cable £2,200 per stereo meter – £4,400 for the 2m pair tested
Townshend Seismic Podium Speaker Bases, from £1,400 – £1,700 as tested
Full details on the Towshend Audio website.
These Products are available at Future Shop through these Paid Affiliate Links
Townshend F1 Fractal Speaker Cable
Townshend Seismic Podium Speaker Bases