Isolation pad warning

[Blutarsky]

A couple of years ago I put a couple of isolation pads under the front of my Horizon center speaker.

I don't remember the brand but they were made of squishy material.

I tried to remove them yesterday and they had fused with the speaker finish.

The speakers have a satin black bamboo finish which was dissolved by the pads.
There is still a sticky residue.

Live and Learn

[monkuboy]

A couple of years ago I put a couple of isolation pads under the front of my Horizon center speaker.

I don't remember the brand but they were made of squishy material.

I tried to remove them yesterday and they had fused with the speaker finish.

The speakers have a satin black bamboo finish which was dissolved by the pads.
There is still a sticky residue.

Live and Learn

You may be talking about "IsolateIt" sorbothane bumpers. Unfortunately I had the same experience but with the Sierra 2's I recently purchased... grrrr... I initially used those between the speakers and stands and then less than a week later I decided to just use the little foam pads Dave included with the speakers instead. When I tried to remove the IsolateIt pads, two of them were stuck on so tight that they also pulled off the paint from the speakers. The others did not pull off the finish but they left marks that I could not remove.

Luckily they are on the bottom so it isn't visible but just knowing that they messed up the finish like that irritates me. I also have the black satin bamboo finish.

Like you said, live and learn. :(

[eyecatcher]

I was going to go with sorbothane like isolate it or vibrapods but decided not to based on this issue. I recommend using foam for the center, I used the auralex foam pad under the horizon and Herbie's Audio fat dots under my SRT's between the plinth and they work well.

[monkuboy]

I was going to go with sorbothane like isolate it or vibrapods but decided not to based on this issue. I recommend using foam for the center, I used the auralex foam pad under the horizon and Herbie's Audio fat dots under my SRT's between the plinth and they work well.

Yes, DON'T use sorbothane! Another alternative is to use Quake Museum Putty (available on Amazon). I've used this in the past and it works very well. It holds the speakers on the stand to the point where you can turn them sideways or even upside down, yet it comes off and leave no marks. Just be sure to follow the instructions and don't use more than the recommended amount otherwise it is like using bulldog cement (from an old I Love Lucy episode in which the glue she used was so strong it couldn't be removed). I found out the hard way. Even if you do use too much it doesn't leave marks; it is just nearly impossible to separate the speaker from the stand. Once you do (it was a real struggle), it came off cleanly. Auralex pads are also safe although they depend on friction and weight to hold an item in place.

[Mag_Neato]

......... Auralex pads are also safe although they depend on friction and weight to hold an item in place.

So, as long as you don't have a layer of Teflon between the speaker and stand, nor experience a loss of gravity, you will be fine!

[curtis]

Yes, DON'T use sorbothane!
I agree 100%.

They contain some kind of moisture/substance, that is bad for at least some finishes. I had issues with it and my very first Ascend speakers.

[Blutarsky]

If you use the blue museum/quake putty, use a tiny amount under each corner (<pea size). The stuff slowly spreads out and adheres like mad. I pulled a splinter off of the bottom of a speakers years ago.

[davef]

I too have had issues with Sorbothane and Sorbothane-like material. It does leave an oily residue of some sort. In my case, it permanently damaged a nice piece of furniture :(

I stick with museum wax / quake hold these days. Works great and has yet to damage a finish...

[Blutarsky]

Sorbothane is a urethane polymer. If the speakers are finished with urethane it might be melding with the coating.
All I know, is it sure isn't going to come off of my speaker with anything that won't remove the finish further. An unhappy disclosure on Audiogon.

[Johnny_Mac_III]

I've just been using the pads that came with my 340s. Should I be using something else to eek every last bit of sound from these speakers on my TP-24s?