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Isoacoustics Gaia ll footers plus carpet spikes

Where is the terminus for this perverse hobby?  I invested heavily in ATC 40 active floor standers only to be enticed with possible improvements using Gaia ll footers and carpet spikes.  I bit and voila, more discretionary income succumbed to the insanity.  

The footers performed the usual audiophile magic of cleaning up upper bass, providing a better foundation for low bass, stabilized the vocals.  Then the carpet spikes did more of the same and improved imaging.  Reminded me of the old days when we would place machined aluminum cones under floor standers and improve everything.

I wish all of this were psychoacoustic and I could return everything, but it seems all too tangible so it stays.
celtic66
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,420 posts
 
I added the carpet spikes for the Gaia II under my speakers a couple of days ago. I am not going to say, it improved this, it made that fantastic, etc. All I will say is, if you have the footers, then do not skimp on the spikes. I have removed the granite bases underneath the speakers and the spikes directly contact the concrete floor underneath. For me the improvements was more than worth the asking price.I had purchased the Iso-puck minis a few days ago and placed them under the preamp and the Oppo. So I am guessing it was a cumulative effect. But completely worth it.
milpai's avatar
milpai
2,420 posts
 
Forgot to mention one more thing - make sure that the speaker placement is as precise as possible. While adding the spikes, the left speaker moved up 3/4 inch up, when measured from the back wall (compared to the right speaker). And that messed up my center vocal positioning. I went nuts for 2-3 days before I used the measuring tape to find the issue. Once fixed, the image snapped precisely in the middle. So, yes, the spikes improve the sound, but be careful with that speaker positioning.
ryder
1,690 posts
 
2 year old thread resurrected. Although I use a thick high-pile rug covering a large area, my speakers which are also on Gaia 2 are placed on tiled concrete floor instead of the rug. It’s useful to know that the carpet spikes work better on the Gaias than granite bases placed directly on carpet.

Most importantly, the Gaias really work wonders by improving the sound of the speakers. Proper isolation by decoupling the speakers from the floor is the key to great results.
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