Auralex ProPAD-XL - 2 Pack

The award-winning ProPAD-XL™ Studio Monitor Isolation Pads feature a durable, three layer, highly damped construction that provides superior isolation from the vibrations and resonant energy created by the studio monitors. ProPADs™ are constructed with a flat Auralex PlatFoam™ base layer, and includes an additional PlatFoam™ wedge for angled applications. ProPADs™ are extremely useful for decoupling monitors and reducing structural vibrations.

ProPAD™ & ProPAD-XLs™ are a premium version of our current best-selling MoPADs™.

FEATURES

• Increased Midrange Resolution

• Deeper, more Focused Soundstage

• Improved Low-Frequency Definition

• Angle Adjustable to Optimize Listening Axis

• Significant Reduction of Extraneous Mechanical Resonance

• Dimensions: ProPad-XL™: 19″ x 13″ x 2.125″ (w/o wedge)

• 2 Platforms & 2 Angling pieces

• 1 set can accommodate 2 Speakers

• Wedge Pieces are at a 3° Angle

Why does the ProPAD perform better than competing products? What makes it different?
Any device that is intended to improve the sound of a monitor by isolating it from the supporting structure needs to strike a balance between doing its intended job without doing harm. In the case of devices that do decouple the speaker from the furniture but are too flexible, allowing the speaker to move back and forth longitudinally, the stereo image will be degraded. If the speaker is allowed to move, in reaction to the back and forth motion of the woofer, the middle and upper frequencies being reproduced by the tweeter will be increasingly blurred as you go up in frequency.

This will also negatively impact ambient and sound stage content in the recording as that tends to be more subtle and low in audible level. Alternatively, isolation devices that attempt to reduce speaker motion by increasing the mass of the platform need to avoid materials that are heavy but also resonant. The use of steel in a platform, as a mass layer, will be effective in stabilizing the speakers back and forth motion but will ring when energized by the resonant energy from the speaker cabinet. This will cause an audible shift in the spectral balance of the speaker making sound brighter. This will subjectively mask the content in the lower mid-range imparting a bright, thin coloration to the recording.

A relatively dense, but well damped material like MDF, as used in the ProPAD, is a better choice. The MDF used in concert with a dampening layer of rubber and the isolating effect of foam, with the proper density, is very effective at doing the job of isolating and stabilizing without imparting any negative spectral change to the sound of the loudspeaker or the recording.