Isoacoustics Gaia Speaker Footers

Just placed an order for two sets of GAIA IIs for my 2A3 monoblocks. IsoAcoustics helped with choosing between OREA and GAIA as well as between the GAIA IIs and IIIs.

I had been looking at various options and landed at the Critical Mass CenterStage2 footers as the high performance/high price option and IsoAcoustics as the value/performance option. I will revisit the CenterStage2 Footers at a later date.

I should have them on Thursday and will report back with initial impressions after I’ve installed them.

FYI, I did have the GAIA IIs for my Tekton Design SE speakers but ended up preferring my own ’double’ isolation solution using two sets of Herbie’s Giant Gliders with a TAOC isolation platform in-between.

A shout out to @mac48025 and @audiotroy for their assistance. Thank you!

Another interesting read:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/focal-naim-isoacoustics-and-damnedest-audio-demo-ive-ever-experi...

@bdp24 

After reading same review I stumped up for a set of 4 Gaia to go under my Nottingham TT.
Should be here tomorrow......

Great @uberwaltz, can't wait to hear what you think of them. My VPI Aries is taken apart at the moment, so I'm in no hurry. By the way, the GAIA III (good for up to 70 lbs., sufficient for most tables) sells on Amazon for $189/set of 4.

Following up on my impressions post the GAIA II install on Thursday.

My Found-Music 2A3 monoblock amps are threaded and I used a full set of GAIA IIs per amp. Amp weight is 62 pounds, each.

The install meant powering down, removing cables, removing the tubes, moving the amps to my workstation and then turning them on their side / over to mount the GAIA footers. The footers are all oriented in the same position (logo facing forwards) and are level / same height.

The amps were previously on Herbie Tenderfeet > Maple Platform > Spikes > Herbie Gliders > Hardwood (Oak) suspended floor. The only change is from the Tenderfeet to the GAIA IIs.

Since the amps had to be powered down, the tubes removed and reinserted (the same with the cables), and the amps moved/handled in a major way...I chose to evaluate after a full two days of allowing the amps, cables, tubes, etc to sit and settle. I have run the amps for approximately 20 hours.

Difference in sound was immediately apparent. The impressions I am sharing are after two days and ~20 hours of runtime. In descending order, i.e. in absolute difference:

Bass is improved...in definition, weight, impact, solidity, separation, etc. I’ll label bass tone as being very slightly improved, I think, due to the added definition and separation which has helped in my further perception/awareness of bass notes.

Soundstage is wider, maybe slightly higher (I’m going off of inaccurate memory regarding the height) and a tad deeper. What is different about the soundstage is a slightly clearer / more defined separation / placement of instruments and performers.

Transparency has increased, resulting in the very minutiae of musical information being expressed and being expressed more clearly / wholly / completely.

My preference is for a balance between the cerebral and the emotional. At this point in time I will label the shift in gestalt slightly towards the cerebral.

Overall, the impact of adding the GAIA IIs is slightly greater than ’subtle’ in that the differences / changes were easy to hear and experience and connect with. I’ll add that the upside is (at this point in time) positive and worthwhile though not substantial.

IF I notice any changes / movement in/of gestalt, after 50 hours of runtime on the amps, I’ll share.