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IsoAcoustics GAIA footers: impressions

I have Spatial Audio M4TM speakers which were spiked to the thick carpet in my room.  I got the GAIA footers with the carpet spikes this week and got them installed today.  They are fiddly as hell to install, requiring a narrow needle-nose pliers to cinch down the nuts securely. 

I have been listing to my system for a few hours with them installed and from the get-go, the SQ improvement was readily apparent. There is an enhanced vividness to the music with more pronounced leading edges to musical notes and a more life-like decay to the notes that makes the sound more engaging.  I am very impressed with the SQ improvement which is far from subtle to my ears.  I previously auditioned the SVS footers and they clearly degraded the sound of my system. 

These footers have garnered lots of praise in the audio community and at $680 for them, it was an expensive tweek, but my ears are really happy with revisiting familiar recordings and loving the sound ever more than before.  I am aware in reading reviews that a fair number of folks trying them were not impressed, but Music Direct and others permit a 30-day money-back trial if they don't work in your system.  At any rate, it seems appropriate to share my impressions of them with you folks as they are quite amazing in my system.
whitestix
whitestix OP
716 posts
 
Ray,
This is an intriguing product line of isolation devices which strike me as very affordable.  Thanks for the post, I will have a further look at them.  There are many paths to excellent isolation devices and there is solid science behind their efficacy.  Try them and let you ears inform you of their value in your rig.  
draaglah's avatar
draaglah
12 posts
 
Just to throw in my 2 cents on this; I’d strongly recommend checking if the difference is made by the technology in the feet, or the fact that they raise the tweeters etc. a couple inches up.
I’m intrigued to try these as well, but I know some people, who did notice a difference, but realized it was just due to the difference in height...
But it does stand to reason there could be some benefits from the isolation.
letch
110 posts
 
I never heard back from IsoAcoustics. I did hear back from the people at Herbie’s and ended up going with the threaded stud gliders and the Fat Dots. An inexpensive way to solve my current problem. We’ll see how it sounds in practice.

The Solidair stuff looks interesting, but much like with IsoAcoustics, it’s tough to figure out what would work for my particular setup, i.e. stand mounted monitors. Also, I don't want to raise the speakers up too high.

If I feel like I’m missing something I’ll contact them to see what they say.
wig's avatar
wig
1,270 posts
 
Over the past few years, I have used Still Points Ultra SS, Audio Points and now Isoacoutics Gaia under my Acoustic Zen Crescendos and now my 15 inch Full Range drivers.

Raising my speakers up 1.5-2 inches is barely audible and you can croutch down or whatever means you prefer. The difference the Gaia’s make are quite startling in how they expands your sound stage and tighten up bass and image focus; raising your speakers doesn’t accomplish that and you can even discern the changes 20+ feet away.

I guess with anything, you just have to see if they will work for your particular needs.

Wig 😎



guakus's avatar
guakus
351 posts
 

I have ordered the GAIA III for my Sanus speaker stands after having incredible success adding Iscoacoustics OREA to my subwoofer. The speaker stands currently have spikes, which were a better isolation choice than plastic feet at the time.  Since the floors are hardwood, the vibrations from the subwoofer were traveling through the floor, up the spikes and reflecting on the tweeter, marring its performance.

Isoacoustics recommends OREA for small speakers on stands, but that leaves them susceptible to falling off.  Since these are bolted to the stand, they join in with the vibrations.  I can feel them travel through the stand. It is my belief that by adding the GAIA to the stands, the vibrations from the speaker itself will not reflect back up, as they are likely doing now. It will also further mitigate the vibration coming up through the subwoofer.

I have used numerous tweaks, both passive and electrical, and using these acoustic feet have been some of the most impactful.

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