Isoacoustics Gaia and speaker wobble
I have installed Isoacoustics Gaia II isolators on my Focal Aria 936. Initially I had some issues installing them but have resolved that and they are on tight. I have thick plush carpet so the isolators are sitting on the carpet spikes that Isoacoustics offer as well. When I lightly tap on the side (and back) of the speakers near the top, the speakers wobble slightly, but then return to position. Prior to installing the isolators, I used the stock spikes and the speaker did not move as much, hence the questions.
Also, I put a bubble float on the top while playing the music loudly (with a high level of bass) and the bubble did not move, so I’m thinking that is key. I actually sunk a nail into the carpet to make contact with the hardwood floor beneath and then compared the length of the nail to where the isoacoustics carpet spikes go in and it appears deep enough.
Has anyone else experienced movement they consider normal and in general, is a certain amount of movement expected. And, yes I asked ChatGPT, but I’d like actual experience of owners. :-).
I know pictures help, so see below. In the first picture you can’t really see the spikes. The second I show them. You can hear them push through the carpet when I step on the plinth.
Thanks very much.
Note: In my post and picture above, my experience is with the GAIA I, not, the GAIA II. The speakers are Wilson W/P 8 that weigh approx. 170 lbs..., so, the GAIA I is required. I am assuming that the GAIA II should behave like the GAIA I, but, that may not be a good assumption on my part -- Although, in your video, it looks to me like the carpet spike is moving up and down with the carpet/pad, and it is not the GAIA II that is controling the majority of the rocking. I think you have to figure out if the 1 inch spikes on Isoacoustic carpet spikes are long enough for the carpet and the pad. Even if they are, they may not have pierced through the pad. You could mark where the spikes should be, then, take the speaker off and use a hammer to make sure you drive the spikes through the carpet pad. Then use your hand to press down the spikes to make sure they consistently hit the floor and do not wobble. Even if the spikes need to be longer than 1 inch, if the hole through the carpet pad is done, the weight of the speaker may be enough to compress the pad and make sure the spikes hit the floor. |
@hjdca - completely agree. It would seem to me that while moving the speaker, the isolator would absorb the movement, but the spike is actually moving. I am in touch with Isoacoustics and we'll see what they say before I decide next steps. @ronboco - I tried both ways, yes. I have a slab of marble without spikes, but of course that still moves. @jimmy2615 - You can see from the picture there is a gap between the nut (at the isolator end) and the knurled nut (on the speaker end). The knurled nut needs to be tight against the speaker (and plinth in this case) when you counter tighten the nut on the isolator. |
I put Gaia I’s under my Tekton Moabs (135lbs ea) with a granite slab beneath that was leftover from a kitchen remodel. The speaker/gaia/slab is on carpet/pad/concrete in my basement. I couldn’t afford and get past the WAF for the Townshends but was happy with the results. No wobble at all. You might be able to get slabs fairly cheap as scrap? |
Speakers face a fundamental law of physics - action and reaction are equal and opposite. When a force moves a driver forward, an equal and opposite force tries to move the enclosure backwards. Speakers sitting loosely on carpet will wobble backwards and forwards when playing music and will sound a bit muffled or mushy. So spikes were invented to bypass the carpet. Isoacoustics takes this a stage further, providing vibration absorption. The Isoacoustics GAIA is designed to provide left to right movement, but not front to back, where it would interfere with the pistonic motion of the drivers and the opposite reaction of the speaker enclosure. That’s why the lettering should face either the front or the back, but not the sides! Isolators like the OREA made by Isoacoustics are not directional and are intended for anything except speakers. |
