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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
goose
668 posts
 
I have not been 100% pleased with my speaker placement in my room, so yesterday I decided to start over.  I used various math formulas previously and couldn't get a node at about 80-90 Hz to diminish.  I went back to the Wilson set up where you speak and walk from the front wall and side wall to establish the "natural" zone.  My brother is a recording engineer so he was my ears in the listening position while I did the speaking and the speaker moving.  

So this is what I discovered.  My speakers are on a suspended wood floor with carpet that were previously spiked to the floor.  1)  Spikes or no spikes didn't make a difference 2)  Don't assume that having your speakers further into the room will make them sound better.  After tweaking for about an hour with various music, I moved the speakers closer to the front wall and slightly closer to the side walls.  We diminished the mode about 6db according to my phone analyzer app.  Result, they sound significantly better in overall smoothness and transparency.

I was going to purchase the Gaia's but was concerned about the tweeter height and cups needed for the carpet.  Next step will be the Townsend Podiums since I got a "reasonable" deal on them and will report back on further improvements from the floor isolation. 
letch
105 posts
 
Can these be used with stand mounted mini-monitors? Everything I've read is for floorstanders. I'm in a new apartment on parquet flooring and can't use my spikes, so looking for something for my stands (Spica) to floor and speaker to stand as well. Currently using Isonodes speaker to stand but think that needs adjustment.
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,313 posts
 

I agree that this is a topic insufficiently explored.

It would seem to make sense that if the speakers are tightly connected/coupled with the tops of the stands, using Gaias on the bottom of the stands should work.

On the other hand, if you put Oreas between the speaker and stand top, would you need anything between stand and floor?

I'm not aware of anyone having experimented with all three options/combinations.

letch
105 posts
 
Perhaps I bite the bullet and spike the speakers and put the Gaia's from stand to floor. I went through a variety of articles and videos, but didn't see any mentioning for stands for mini-monitors. It is an odd thing to not speak to stand mounted speakers. Even their stands are for floor-standers. When I put my speakers into their calculator, they recommend the Oreas. Probably, as you suggest, from speaker to stand.  I'll contact them and see what they say.
david_ten
5,480 posts
 
@letch   A suggestion....

1) Use Herbie Gliders under the stand legs / post.

2) Go with the appropriate (by weight) GAIAs threaded into the speakers (instead of the Oreas). The fully coupled GAIAs + Speakers would sit on top of the stand. 

This "doubles up" on the isolation.... which I've found to be beneficial.
  
The Herbie Gliders are very reasonably priced, so you're not out much more.

This, however, will raise the tweeters / woofers (I'm guessing by approx. 2.5 inches) relative to your current seating position.
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