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MNPCTech footers?

Any forum members have experience/opinions on the sound quality impact of turntable footers made by a Minnesota company called, "MNPCTech"? I saw a cursory (favorable) mention of them in an older Michael Fremer column. I'm asking because I ordered a set for my VPI HW-19 turntable (to replace the first-generation TipToes secured and further isolated with Blue Tac putty) and received them recently. They appear very well made but I haven't formed an opinion on their sonic impact as yet, mostly due to the fact that I replaced my speaker cables (Kimber) and speakers (Vandersteen 2C with Magnepan LRS) and the new equipment isn't yet broken-in. Thoughts and perspectives welcomed, please!
Keith
kacomess
uberwaltz's avatar
uberwaltz
13,381 posts
 
The Gaia III set have been doing duty under the base of my Nottingham Analogue Spacedeck for a couple months now after reading Fremers column and a post or two from bdp24.

For $199 I am impressed!

Very easy to level, I was tempted to just use 3 which would make levelling even easier but as I had all four , installed one under each corner of the base. This involved me drilling and tapping the base for quarter/ twenty but not too arduous a task.

Supremely easy to level and very effective at damping out any vibration total.

A little more air and definition was noticed, the stage did appear to open up some more too.

Fit and forget and unless I sell the TT will not be coming off anytime soon.
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mads1's avatar
mads1
88 posts
 
Yes, more detailed sound
hoodjem
42 posts
 

I installed Gaia III footers on my trusty VPI HW-19 Mk. IV.  They did seem to improve the isolation and thus the sound.

 

BUT (and it is a big one), you have to be very careful about the threaded inserts into which you screw the Gaia footers.  The bottom of the Gaia footer is shaped a lot like a suction cup.  So it is going to really stick to the surface on which it is set.  And the material of this bottom part of the Gaia is a lot like sorbothane, which in itself is very, very sticky.  
 

Put these two characteristics together, and the Gaia footers really and truly do grip very powerfully whatever surface they are placed upon.

Twice—when lifting the turntable—I pulled the threaded inserts out of the bottom of the turntable frame. I had to reinsert them and re-glue the inserts. 
 

So, be warned and be careful.

If you really do want your turntable to stick (as if glued down) to its mounting surface, use Gaia footers.

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