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Auralex ProPOD™ Acoustic Decouplers
A Real-World Review
By Barry Rudolph
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| Auralex ProPOD Acoustic Decouplers |
Auralex ProPODs mechanically decouple microscopic vibrations from monitor speakers in your studio or home theater. These small "shock absorbers" stop a vibrating monitor speaker or subwoofer's cabinet from unnecessarily conveying energy to other fixtures, furniture or any objects in the same room that might start to vibrate sympathetically at certain frequencies.
Those resonating objects "add" to the overall sound stage by decreasing clarity and adding an unwanted coloration. The ultimate goal here would be to have a loudspeaker-its drivers and cabinet--emit sound freely without mechanical connection to the stand, console meter bridge, floor or whatever surface they've been placed on. By decoupling, you'll notice improved clarity and better stereo imaging, especially at louder playback volumes. Loud monitor speakers tend to exacerbate this common problem greatly--especially with full frequency range monitors with punchy bass.
A pack of four Auralex ProPODs placed at the four corners of one loudspeaker or any audio component will handle up to 50 pounds (22.68 kg). You'll need two packs to handle left and right stereo speakers, or one pack for a single floor-positioned subwoofer. Made in the USA, ProPODs are 2 inches in diameter and add only 1 inch to the height of any speaker or subwoofer.
Each ProPOD has just two parts; they come in either matte black or white. The outside shell is made from machined steel that is strong enough to contain an inner disc of a viscoelastic polymer material that has a gooey texture but doesn't compress with the weight of the speaker or sub. The polymer also makes whatever you have on top of them seem to stick to the surface. Each ProPOD weighs just shy of 5 ounces (.14 kg) and looks stylish. In matte black they disappear; in white with the black polymer, they stand out.
Later, I found effective use of four ProPODs under the corners of my very sensitive Technics SL 1500 MKII Turntable. Feedback from the low frequencies from nearby monitor speakers is always a potential problem with turntables, leading to howling and skipping. With the ProPODs in position, the turntable is much less susceptible to low-frequency feedback and rumble caused by my main monitors playing at even louder levels.
A couple of ProPOD four-packs are a path to an instant improvement in the sound of your monitors!
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