Isoacoustics Gaia Speaker Footers


Replacing the spikes in my Soundocity outriggers (Soundocity made me a set of outriggers with threaded holes) with the Isoacoustics Gaia 2 footers has improved the sound of my Merlin VSM speakers.  They now sound more open and articulate than with any combination of Z-feet or other spikes, with or without outriggers, on the floor or on a platform, that I've tried.  Like the Townshend products the Gaia footers completely decouple the speakers from the floor, allowing them to float.  See:

http://www.audiostream.com/content/isoacoustics-gaia-isolation-pucks#IVXH8EtVAjQdwbuj.97     

http://www.isoacoustics.com/products/gaia-series/gaia-i/


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Showing 9 responses by ctsooner

I assume that the pucks are the ones you use for components.  Are they ready for purchase in the US yet?  Looking at a few options right now.  
Thanks guys.  I'm also looking at another platform that seems to be incredible.  
HRS make the best isolation gear I've ever heard. I haven't heard this Companies gear but was told the it's kind of close to HRS for much less.  I would think your couplers are awesome.
My buddy Matt is in the end stretch of a footer shootout in his system.  He's had most of the top names in.  He's got the Shun Mook in right now.    https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/absolute-top-tier-dac-for-standard-res-redbook-cd 

Go to the last few pages and you will see that it's a DAC thread, but he's in the middle of the rack/footer/platform shootout.  It's an incredible thread that may interest you if you haven't seen it yet, but you will like the footer part of the thread.  
Guys, you can't put a % on anything in audio as it's so subjective.  Every system is so different with a product like this, because your vibration situation is totally different if that makes sense.  If you can afford the Gia or the HRS Nimbus, you probably are going to upgrade your system.  He liked the HRS Nimbus over the Gia, but I think they cost more.  You are the only one who can say if the extra is worth it.  

Often times I see folks purchasing these 'upgrades' as they tune their systems. On occasion, if they took that extra money and made a component upgrade that they could have afforded, they would have been much better off.  

I have what I (and many others) feel is a highly resolving system that I feel is true high end.  It's not the most expensive, but most of my components are the sweet spot in the manufacture's lines that I have put together.  I have been blessed to get the top Audioquest WEL balanced interconnect and I have some other top cables, some footers and a top power cord.  

To me cables and footers are still the lowest thing on the totem pole.  The way I think, they should never be used as 'tone' controls as so many try to use them as (if the sound is altered, then your not happy with what you have and you can't make it sound better wiht band aids (JMHO).

If your system is at the point that you love what you hear and you won't be upgrading components anytime soon, then cords, connects and footers are a perfect way to get the most out of your gear.  NO doubt at all.  I know Richard Vandersteen's new amps at 15k a pair for mono's (on my short list as a next amp along with a couple of others) have the HRS footers built in.  I know a lot of designers who LOVE after market footers and use them themselves.  If you aren't going to go out and get a few adn listen for yourself, you are probably best getting an HRS Nimbus if you can afford them, but the Gia's are probably a great value in most systems.

Hope this didn't come off as mean or anything. I'm in the hospital for rehab for a couple of weeks due to surgery last week.  Hard for me to focus much (this post has taken me a while to type), but I think I got my thought out.  
Guys if you need to know what size thread or what weights, why not ask your dealer?  That's why they do.  Not being difficult, but if I were to purchase something like this, I'd ask the person I purchase from.  JMHO...
If Matt sees this he'll have the right answer IRT weight etc... he's done all the testing of footers and isn't done yet.  
Why would anyone put a footer under a speaker that allows the speaker to move at all?  That defeats teh purpose of seeing a speaker in place as the drivers are moving around.  That's just me, but I've never in my life heard a speaker sound better using any footers that allow movement, but that's me.  I do like the Isoacoustic feet under some electronic gear that is in metal folded boxes and not the milled ones.  

For my dollar, HRS is the best as I've never heard them degrade the sound of anything (although I have no idea about their racks as there is just no possible way you can just move racks with your gear to A/B things, lol.