Isoacoustics' Gaia eliminated a 120Hz mode


Just put a set of Gaia II under my Wilson-Benesch Vectors. Considered the Townshend Podia but was concerned about the WAF, mobility and how to deal with my speakers' two downward-firing ports. The bass is augmented by a distributed bass array, so it was already very good, smooth and extended, but I had a nasty 120Hz resonance that was annoying. Remarkably these greatly ameliorated it and I can now listen without cringing.

Nobsound springs for the 4 subwoofers come today.
tcutter

Showing 3 responses by tcutter

I do not understand the rationale for leveling nor the logo directionality. Speakers are typically heavier in the front so compressive forces are going to be different, which I would think affects function. Also, some speakers need to be canted forward or backward to align the tweeters with the ears which obviates leveling. I also noticed that depending on how the drivers are mounted, the cabinet wobbles more in one direction or the other, with the more wobbly direction being along the narrower axis. If you turn the footers 90°, the wobbling remains the same.

I am not denying that perhaps totally level and logo straightahead don’t make a positive difference, I just cannot explain how they would. 
The manufacture recommends going bigger as well. This supports the notion that there is a range of effectiveness and that minor adjustments may yield a questionable return. Perhaps someone can tune it but I have neither the patience nor the butt to do that. 
I do agree that each corner should have the same give or wobble when pushed, indicating each is pulling (supporting) its share of the weight. I did have to do some adjustments on one of the mains as it was apparent that one corner was clearly shorter than the others with initial give before resistance. I think relatively level, symmetric movement fore and aft and logos facing front/rear is what I am going for.
I realized I was going to have to do some significant modification on the Nobsounds, including drilling out M6 size holes so I could screw them on to the DBA subwoofer cabinets. I was also going to heat shrink them for stability. I did attach one set, albeit without the heat shrink, and while they did bounce, I wasn’t sure about the aesthetics. So instead I installed Gaia IIIs. I also liked the idea of consistent technology all around. 
The bass is smoother but also seems to have lost some of the slam or impact it had. After a while,  I realized I was still “hearing” the low notes but that the impact had decreased because there wasn’t as much direct transmission through the floor. The structural resonance has also diminished. It’s a new listening experience and one that will take some getting used to but overall is likely more authentic. There is less physical impact, which was probably of an artificial nature, but also fewer cringe moments when a nasty room mode hits. And I still feel the low organ rumble and the thrum of the bass notes, just not as much and not as often but still as deeply. Overall, I don’t miss it. I think it’s similar to when you’re installing a subwoofer and you initially like it turned up  but over time you realize that a lower contribution is better. 
In a more general sense, I will say that the entire presentation seems more defined, the instruments and voices start and stop more precisely, and the overall sound more articulate and three dimensional and less “attention-grabbing”. Its an easier listen.