I put some Gaia IIIs under my Goldenear Triton 2s today. Sounds to me like everything tightened up. Great upgrade!
Hi - So if I understand well, you removed the feet from your Rega and placed 3 OREA instead with the plinth just resting on top of them ? Could you hear an improvement from the standard feet ? Thanks
Hi - Yes, you have to unscrew the stock Rega feet and replace them with these. Yes, I did hear a difference in my set up. The sound was a bit more open and the soundstage improved.
and I am actually using 4 isopucks as the OREA are new. I am actually thinking about getting the OREA's under my Bryston 4B amp. Not sure how much better the impact of the OREA will be given they are double the price. The isopucks worked well for me.
I put three of the Indigo's under my table and it elevated the sound to another level for me. Cheers, Doug
I received last week the GAIA III that I need for my aging KEF Q5. They probably cost more than the speakers and it will be interesting to see if there will be an improvement and how it will manifest.
I went out of excuses, could not postpone anymore and finally installed the GAIA III. The Q5 ar tall, curved and slim so years ago I turned them into land equivalent of catamarans by bolting outriggers. It did wonders for their stability but had a rather negative effect on the tile floor. The GAIA have rubber feet that appeared more gentle on the tiles so I went and unbolted the outriggers and screwed the GAIA instead. Installation was a bit tricky due to the double locking nuts but I managed to do it right (I hope). The GAIA have a bit of a flex so I hope the Roomba won't cause problems when it will bump into the speakers. At roughly 200$ for each set they cost more than what my speakers are worth now but I like my speakers and and it's my money. Anyway, this is how they look now. Not too bad I hope. Overall they sound about the same with one notable difference: The sound stage definitely improved. I can quantify it by numbers or percentage but it's noticeable. Would I recommend it? Well yes, I think so.
It took closer to a month to get my 10-32 studs, but I did, and wow! Everything positive that has been said here about using these on speakers applies to using them on my turntable. A major improvement in every way. Highly recommended. Edit: I was using Tiptoes before.
The more records I listen to, the more I'm blown away by the improvement to my analog rig these footers have made. It's not just the improvement you'd get moving up the cartridge ladder. The most expensive cartridge won't/can't by itself improve your sound the way these feet will. But the feet will surely allow you to enjoy your cartridge more than ever. A big YMMV, but I'm thrilled I took a chance and it worked out so well. For me. Maybe not you.
Right off the bat everything improved with the Gaia on my speakers, but especially imaging/soundstage improved drastically, and that was before the new speakers had even broken in. Since then I have moved the rug so the speakers stand directly on the floor. I had tried that once before when the speakers were on spikes and it didn't seem to make any difference. Now with the Gaia II on them it's even better. Overall, the Gaia have improved response across the range, but especially in the bass and midrange, and the imaging/soundstage are vastly better. Now when I play big orchestral works I almost feel like I'm in a box at the symphony, it sounds that good. My wife – who always says she can't hear the differences – noticed the how much better it sounds too. I also have on loan from my dealer a set of Gaia III wich I am using in place of the spikes under my turntable. That also added a similar improvement and helped resolve some rumble feedback issues. The dealer is ordering a set of isoAcoustics Orea feet (the Indigo version), since those are designed to be used with turntables. That way I can compare. This week I am also receiving a new custom sized 3" end-grain Maple platform from Butcher Block Acoustics, for my SolidSteel turntable wall mount. I have an edge-grain one I had built years ago, but am hoping the end-grain one works better. I'll see how that works in concert with the isoAcoustics feet. I'm also getting Naim Fraim shelving, and those provide mutiple layers of isolation and decoupling for the components.
I've been trying to get on the isoacoustics site but not having any luck. Maybe it's the network as I'm in work. I'm inquiring about the GAIA III for my Salk HT2-TLs and specific thread sizes needed that they don't list.
I replaced the stock cones on my old VPI Aries with Gaia II's. Used the 1/4 x 20 threads. Don't know if it improved the sound or not, but they look much nicer than the stock cones.
Iso Accoustics will tell you that Gaia's are only meant to be used on speakers. You need the Orea's for components. I use the Iso Pucks under my table (Orea's we not available then) and it made a significant difference.
I put an order in on the Gaia II's. Looking forward to hearing the difference. They do look like very well made products and the rave reviews made it worthwhile to give it a try.
Is my turntable going to explode now? Seriously though, can you show me where they say Gaia are only for speakers (I don't think so). They are designed specifically for speakers, to replace spikes, but not necessarily limited to that. But thanks for pointing out the Orea (I knew of them already). I'm sure isoAcoustics will tell you to use what works best. The main difference between the Gaia and Orea are that the Gaia have threaded bolts to replace adjustable spikes on speaker feet. They use the same technology. My turntable has adjustable spikes just like speakers. I have a set of Orea ordered to try them out and see if there is any difference. However, the problem with using them is I cannot level my turntable, as they aren't adjustable like the Gaia are. I may try them under my phonostage and see if they make a difference there. I had a conversation with a representative from Audio Plus (who represent isoAcoustics in the U.S.). He attended an open house at my local dealer. We talked about my application of the Gaia and showed him the pictures. He thinks what I have done is a great solution, and believes the Orea will likely not change anything (except take away my ability to level the table, as I mentioned).
The OREA are a new product while the GAIA have been around for a while. I'm sure that @Josquin des Prez isn't the first, nor the only one who used the GAIA for isolating equipment. I'm using their pucks under my bookshelf speakers but I know that they are also used under various equipment so I think that the GAIA will do fine as a substitute for TT spikes. In other news, I'm happy to be able to report that the GAIA solved another problem I had with the spiked outriggers - the Roomba can't move the speakers around the living room since I installed the GAIA. It looks like I can retire the sharpie as I won't need to draw markings on the floor anymore to help me re-positions my speakers.
re: Roomba...LOL glad that solved a problem Yeah, I was well aware of the Orea and Iso Pucks when I tried the Gaia III for my TT. But as I mentioned, the Gaia retain the ability for me to level the TT, without resorting to the use of shims, etc under feet.
BTW: I wrote isoAcoustics and sent them a picture of my turntable (which they want to use), they said,...
