IsoAcoustics GAIA

@emergingsoul   My Von Schweikert VR9 SE Mk2 upgraded which weigh 350lb each come with the company's engineered casters.  Easy to move and place while solid non-spiked contact.  They are on a thick carpeted floor over 12" thick 3000 psi steel reinforced floor.  

I also really like Isoacoustics for speakers.  I started with GAIA for my floor standers and they were great.  Then I had stand mount speakers in another room.  I use the Aperta between the speaker and the stand.  Not only did I get the same sound improvement but also I could add some tilt.  I think they helped here even more as my stands aren't that great.

I did try the pucks for my turntable and I have to say that was a disappointment.  I guess the built in isolation was enough.  I didn't notice any difference but still have it installed as I couldn't return them and don't know where else to use them.

I tried the Gaia  feet on a pair of B&W speakers and it made a huge improvement-much better imaging and coherence overall.  

I then moved to Magico speakers and I didn't like what the Gaia feet brought to the sound- it softened the transients too much and dulled the high's- so I went back to spike's with the Magico's.  

Iso Acoustics is yes men’s favourite accessory but not all of us agree. I tried mine under PMC speakers and decided they did not provide better sound on my bouncy floors. Sold them. 

I used the Gaias under my current 125 pound loudspeakers are over a year with good results but replaced them with Stack Audio AUVA 100 and noticed quite a difference in bass, low level detail, ambiance and image focus was much better due to AUVA's rigidity.

Wig

I found more of a differance due to the hight change then anything else when i installed them. I don't understand how a wobly system like the gia's can increase bass definition, etc,etc.

They definelty helped with noise transfer to other rooms specialy in the bass. But to me that just means they are turning bass movment (cabinet movment) into heat. So I've wondered why they dont lose resolution due to the unstable'ness of the system as a whole. I understand they are (suposedly) directional. No idea, but i use them still even though i'm not convinced they are doing anything for sound quality. 

I have an interesting story about these isolators on speakers. I was not in the market for such things until we happened upon a booth at the Toronto Hi Fi show where they had an A-B set-up with the exact same speakers, one set with these isolators installed the other with the speaker manufacturer base feet.

I was a little surprised at how it cleaned up the muddy base. I  purchased the items specific to my Wilson Benesch Squre 2 speakers at a reasonable cost discount (show special). Installed them on my speakers on hard wood floors and found these cleaned up my upper base response significantly.

There is no true isolation when on the planet earth

understanding how isoacoustics work

the footers work by enabling only a front to back motion to synchronize the drivers motion with the cabinet

I like my 200 pound speakers with their casters. They’re on a solid wood floor. I see no need for these isolation things. Gotta be able to move the speakers around. I wish these isolation companies would come up with recessed casters as part of their offerings it would be a game changer .

Been intrigued with all this stuff, really only played around with my turntable. 

My speakers are on cork/rubber blocks purchased from Amazon on the cheap. They do what you all are saying the Gais's are doing. Do you think they would be an improvement over what I got? 

My HT subs are on Hockey Pucks, works great for me. 

The Gais's are one of the most expensive tweaks that I've tried. After installing them I had instant regrets; and, not because they were bad. My results were so good, that my regret was not trusting my instincts and trying them sooner.

Of course, they won't be this successful for everyone; but, the money back guarantee means that it's a no - lose situation.  

I had a little luck with my Gaia’s after replacing them with platforms. The threading for the speakers was identical to the threading on my amp stands. So, I removed the carpet spikes from the amps, replaced them with the Gaia’s and ordered some of the carpet spikes for the Gaia’s. 

Vote for with the carpet spikes.  I ran one with one without and switched L to R channels, same test I did with and without GAIA's.

I just bought a pair of Sonus Farber speakers and haven’t put Gaia’s on them yet, but when I put them on my KEF Reference 5’s, they made an instant improvement in the presentation and the bass.

@bigwave1 Any firm opinions as whether to spike or not spike the Gaia's on carpet?

Definitely spike. The Gaia’s work best if they are firmly anchored. Your soundstage will improve when you install them. 

Slight aside to the topic, though I do have Gaia's.  Installing was made significantly easier using a couple of small inflatable liftbags about £10/$15.  You still need somebody to steady them, but nobody is having to take the weight.

I had Gaia’s on top of concrete blocks and the sound was pretty awesome. The bass was deep and tight, soundstaging and transparency was impressive. Due to the tweeter height I switched over to some platforms that are always said to be a step up from the Gaia’s, but to be honest the Gaia’s on concrete blocks, even with a the added tweeter height, was pretty pretty good. Would I switch from the Gaia’s knowing what I know now, probably not. 

@baylinor yeah they are very study and well engineered, I was hoping to love them.

They probably work for most speakers, but in my system I got a better soundstage and smoother sound with the carbon fiber pucks from Amazon and then a round piece of heavy duty hard rubber I had in my shop, I thought a had used sorbothane rounds but I forgot I just used some 1/4" thick rubber... 

@fpomposo 

The beauty of the gaia is their sturdiness keeping the speaker solidly anchored. With soborthane there was times while I adjusted the speaker placement that I came close to watching a 6ft 214 lbs speaker come crashing down. Now it is sound and safe.

Possibly, but obviously superior engineering than a soborthane foot.

@baylinor I'm pretty sure the rubber used in Isoacoustics is sorbothane... 

That’s not pedantic. My brain’s wires got crossed. R7 Meta is correct. I don’t know why they name their products like that.

@howardlee I know this is a bit pedantic but there's no such thing as a KEF Ref 7 Meta. There's an "R" 7 Meta, which of course is a line below the Reference line. Reference pairs consist only of models 1, 3, and 5.

There have been plenty of positive reports.  I was targeting Gaias for my own speakers, but will go with Townsend platforms as they seem the best.

I have Gaia III’s under my Focal’s and Sonus Faber’s.  I can’t tell that they make any difference in sound, but they are much more convenient than dealing with spikes.  I’m trying to get away from spikes.

My biggest complaint with the Isoacoustic Gaia’s, is the manufacturing issues of them.  I’ve purchased two sets now where the threaded holes are not completely plumb.  One set was so bad that I had to send it back for a replacement.  Some of the others are just slightly off and due to the rubber footing and the way it can offset some of this, it hasn’t been a problem on the others.

One would think for things at this price that they could at least have better manufacturing qualities though.

Cheers

I will never know about the Townshend since they won't fit my triangular shaped speakers. Very large and very heavy, with their shape they could easily tip over on a Townshend podium,  even if they did fit.

@bigwave1 

I have carpeting and I do not use spikes with the Gayas. Rather I have the speakers on plain Gayas resting on a 1 1/2" thick maple butcher block. It really is helpful in maneuvering the heavy speakers while searching for the perfect placement. Just slide the butcher block rather than the speakers. And the sound is best to my ears that way. Win, win.

The ISO acoustic Gaia are pretty good but there's something that's even better called the Townshend podiums they isolate down to three Hertz and they stopped the vibrations from going into the floor and back into the speaker and your other equipment, people that have tried both have said that the Townshend podiums are on a whole different level better than the ISO acoustic Gaia they're not cheap but well worth it When I put them underneath my monitor audio platinum 200 G2 the sound improved to the point where I thought I had bought better electronics it was that significant.

Have Gaia III’s under my new KEF Ref 7 Metas on a hardwood non-suspended floor. At 64# that is right at the top of their weight limit but sound is clear & focused top to bottom. Important to note KEFs came with default spikes and padded discs below them should you not want spikes. If you’re in that situation M8 screw-in pads of some ilk would be go-to up front.  The disc under the spikes I would consider a design flaw. The Gaia suction pads are not much impediment for positioning but carpet slides would help should that be a big deal. Installing the Gaias properly require reading the instructions and doing it during unboxing if possible as easier with them head down. 

@bigwave1  My post further up the page states I use the carpet spikes.  Sound better with them on my thick living room carpet.

I have the Gaia Titan’s and the 1’s. And even though I have a thin carpet over a concrete floor, I still think the sound is better using the Gaia’s carpet spikes.

ozzy

Any firm opinions as whether to spike or not spike the gaias on carpet?

From my experience isolation resulted in a significant improvement in "clarity" compared to spikes.  GAIA's are a great product but in my case I moved to Townshend Platforms to minimize the impact on tweeter height.  Focal Scala EVO's do not provide for adjustment.

I use them under my Legacy Audio Signature SE's. Made a noticeable improvement in bass and soundstage (deeper, better separation between instruments, just a cleaner, better focused sound.) My speakers are sitting on a hardwood floor over plywood sheeting suspended by BCI joists. So I was probably getting significant standing waves through the floor. Obviously, in this case isolation was far better than coupling.

Isoacoustics I meant.

Sometime back, I installed isometrics on my PMC Fact 12 floorstanders, and heard an immediate improvement to the base and better synergy with all frequencies. My floor is concrete slab on grade with short hair carpet and pad, so I used the spikes. Great overall improvement at a modest cost.

Long time Isoacoustics dealer, they work extraordinarily well, never found them to not make a noticeable improvement in every loudspeaker tried.

the pucks under components help but not as much as the critical mass footers

this forum shows a much more enlightened group then many of the face book groups where these guys mock tweaks that they have never tried.

In audio you need to experiment and a well tweaked system can create a much more realistic approximation of a live musical event

tweeks which work:

power conditioners, power cords.

shakti stones on top of your breaker box,

footers

furutech ncf cable lifters

acoustic system resonators

novum resonators 

shakti hallographs 

Dave and Troy

audio Intellect N

And soborthane is in no way superior to Gaias. And I used to strictly go with soborthane to isolate. I guess we do not have anywhere the same experiences. Whatever works for you...

@snilf 

I strongly disagree with your assumption. Isolation is better than coupling regardless of the floor material. My experience tells me that in spades. My house of stereo is built purely for listening to music and features a concrete floor and foundation 4" thick with crisscross rebars every square foot. So solid it is. Yet isolating the speakers is far superior for sound than coupling to floor with spikes.

@baylinor : "Isolation is key, not coupling." As I understand it, the choice here has to do with the type of floor you have. If it's suspended wood, the floor becomes an uncontrolled resonator. It that case, you want to isolate the speakers' vibrations from entering the floor. If, however, you have a concrete slab floor, spikes are a better idea in order to keep the speaker enclosure from moving at all. Ideally, one wants the speaker cones only to move. But every action produces a reaction, so motion of the cones will be communicated to the cabinet, which then moves in the opposite direction, the result of which will be a slightly muddied sound on transients.

@fpomposo : I also have found sorbothane superior to GAIAs. I tried GAIAs, borrowed from a friend. Got some of the improvements others describe here, but so expensive. Then I found a company that sells various sizes and densities of sorbothane on eBay. Got round feet with threads that screw into the speaker's spike receptacles. All the improvements the GAIA made, and more: tighter and better defined bass, deeper and wider soundstage, better separation between instruments—in general, a clearer, more transparent presentation. Now, however, the tall speakers wobble a bit at the touch, as if they were on Townshend platforms. 

Same here. Gaias work with Legacy too. Tighter bass in a bass-forward speaker is more than welcome.

My system is in an upstairs room that has suspended wood floors. I used the GAIA isolators under my 99lb speakers and noticed a definite improvement, especially a tighter bass and improved imaging and soundstage. Later, I got even more improvements by replacing them with Townshend platforms. I now have the Gaia's under my Maplewood amp stands.

I installed them on my KEF Reference 1 stand’s, the difference was positive. Better soundstage and everything tightened up. Recommended for those with hard floors. 

Got them under my 200+lbs PBN MONTANA XPS speakers. Once you find a way to install them, they are so much better than the spikes they came with. Isolation is key, not coupling.

Yes. I use them with my stand-mounted Fink Team KIM speakers, and to similarly good effect. Aside from tightening up the base, the reduction in "smearing", which was previously unnoticeable, has had a very positive effect.

No harshness whatsoever in the mids or highs, and I would argue that reduced vibration would never directly have that effect.

I tried them on my JBL ti2k and like you say the bass got a little tighter, but also leaner, and the mids and highs got a little harsher... I ended up sending them back and going to carbon fiber speaker spike floor pucks on top of high duro sorbothane rounds from Amazon for $100 all in and got a much better result than the $550 isoacoustics...

I say hard pass on isoacoustics, on my components I have Ganymede Isolation bearings which are absolutely amazing, but they are no longer made.

I have the same Gaia II's under my SF Olympica III's and certainly experience the same sonic benefits you describe.  I also run SVS Sound Path subwoofer isolators under my Rel's.  With both of these isolators in place, I can now hear a defined bass replete with micro dynamics, harmonic resonance, and decay.  This allows me to easily follow and enjoy each plucked or bowed note on a double bass or like acoustic instrument.  These subtleties were missing before these feet were installed.  I listen to a lot of Jazz and Chamber music.

I use the GAIA 2 with my GE Triton Reference speakers, definitely brought the sound up a notch or two. Love them. I also use their carpet spikes under the GAIA. 

Unsure if this will qualify.

Due to having uneven floors in addition to wanting to tilt/rake my speakers I inquired whether too much of a tilt utilizing the GIAI IIIs would have negative impact on their effectiveness. IsoAcoustics stated they could be titled by 3 degrees - anything more the GIAIs begin to lose their effectiveness. Longer threads were sent to me free of charge which was unexpected and appreciated.