Isoacoustics Gaia Speaker Footers

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.

Nice review David.

Wish I could add my experience but UPS dropped the ball and did not deliver today, oh well. Monday delivery now but I am away for work all week so next Saturday now....😕😕😕

I now have over 60 hours on my amps after installing the GAIA IIs.

Please refer my previous post, three up (5/18 10:43am), for context.

Due to the time involved in powering down, removing the tubes and cables, moving the amps, and installing the GAIAs (and the reverse in setting them back up) PLUS the time for the amps, tubes, and cables etc to settle back in...

...a quick A/B (which I find best for my evaluations) is not possible.

In other words, I believe "head to head"comparisons (with the GAIAs vs other footers) would be separated by 3 to 4 days, at a minimum, for my system.

Overall and general results are that the sound quality is ’better’ and more enjoyable. Most importantly, the balance of heart and head and the connection to the music that I value has returned and significantly .

I cannot parse WHAT and HOW MUCH is attributable to the GAIAs, the resettling of the amps, and / or a possible cognitive reset.

The GAIAs are staying.