GAIA do Magic.

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

I happened to know GAIA isolators through the thread here.

Best Hardware Acquisition of 2018

After reading many favorable reviews, I placed an order for Gaia II for my Lansche Audio 4.1.

Actually my speaker weighs slightly over the limit of Gaia II (60kg vs 54kg).

I got the product today and could place upon the bottom of speakers without much difficulty.


After warming up my tube amplifies, I got shocked to find out that Gaia changed the sound of speaker drastically.

The soundstage got more transparent with better focus and details.

The bass got tighter.

600$ for Gaia had made more than 3,000$ improvement over my system.


The only catch is that it may do some harm if your sound is already on the bright side.


I will keep listening to music for a while before forming long term impression.

 

Agreed. I put GAIA III's on my Martin Logans. One of the best tweaks ever! Better bass resolution and improved mid range/high frequencies because the panels vibrate a lot less, particularly at high volumes.

 

I can fully understand your experience with Gaia.

That is the best value gadget for most speakers except bright and lean sounding ones

 

I'm thinking about getting some Gaia IIIs for my VPI HW19jr turntable. Anybody here tried them on their turntable?

 

It can depend on your turntable.

You can try Iso Puck instead of Gaia from the outlet which offers 30 days' return.

Gaia need to be threaded to the bottom and Iso Puck can be just placed.

I ordered it from Musicdirect but Crutchfield also offer 30 day's return.

 

I think that for equipment such as turntables they have a different product called OREA.

 

From the IsoAcoustics website FAQ:
"What makes the GAIA series different from all of the other IsoAcoustics products?

The GAIA series are installed by threading into the base of speakers or components. The Advantage of connecting directly with the speaker or component is that all of the energy is managed by the internal isolators of the GAIA. This has a slight advantage compared to our other products which use a suction cup effect to grip the bottom of the speaker by the isolators."

I think the GAIAs would also look a lot better than the pucks.

 

They do. I was so impressed with the Gaia I under my speakers that I got some Orea Indigos for my cdp. Great products!

 

Agreed. I am using more than 20 of the less expensive pucks under all my equipment. Fantastic isolators!

 

I may have to try either puck or Orea under my amplifier.

 

I stayed with the pucks, even after the Orea came out, because they appear to use exactly the same technology and are half the price. I use 5 pucks under my amp. One puck in each corner and the fifth one under the transformer. I figure the pucks are so cost effective because they are targeted at the pro market while the Orea with their nicer cosmetics and higher price are for the consumer market. As far as I know, Iso Acoustics make no claim that there is actually any difference between the pucks and the Orea.

 

Thanks a lot for useful information.

 

Most welcome! I might add that I found the pucks to work best when their upper suction cup was completely mated to the bottom of the chassis.

 

I bought a set of GAIAs (don't remember which model) with high hopes of improving my speakers' sound. Unfortunately, the bolts provided didn't fit my speakers.

I contacted isoacoustics, and a service rep first tried to help by asking questions about what size I needed, etc. I got the impression he could send the correct size.

Then, after I gave him the size, he just told me to contact the seller (third party through Amazon). When, I did that, the seller just sent me a link to the isoacoustics products they sell.

At that point, I gave up and returned them.

 

Your seller did you a disservice. My Gaii III did not ship with the right size bolts for my Martin Logans either. Fortunately, I bought the Gaii from my local audio dealer who then called the Canadian distributor who got them for me in a week. Before I bought the Gaii I corresponded with Iso Acoustics through their web site to ask questions and found them very responsive and helpful. I recommend you let them know about your experience and find a local dealer in DC.

 

Unlike modern VPI tables whose feet use the common 1/4-20 thread size, my 1988 vintage VPI HW19jr takes a 10-32 thread size. I contacted IsoAcoustics and they said they would have to have some made, and that it might be two weeks before I get them. Looking forward to trying them out.

 

Another reason to use Gaias rather than pucks under my turntable.

 

Perhaps. But in Canada 4 Gaii III feet cost $500 vs $160 for 4 pucks. Big difference. You could consider 4 pucks under a thick maple cutting board. In my experience 4 pucks can turn an inexpensive Cosco cutting board into a really good isolation solution.

 

I have thought about trying 3 of the Indigos under my Ikea butcher block that my Rega P6 is sitting on, but I have read in a review that too be effective, the weight on top of them needs to be at least half of the total rated weight of the Indigos. They are rated at 16 lbs per unit, so that would be 48 total, and half would be 24 pounds. My P6 is about 11 1/2 pounds so the butcher block would need to be about 13 pounds. It might be 5 lbs, so barring a dealer letting me try them, guess I will wait. Hope some Rega owner will decide to be a guinea pig. They do look nice.

 

Wow, the Gaia IIIs are US$199, pucks are $120. Are you sure that's not $500 for 8 Gaia IIIs?

 

Sorry. I was wrong. A pack of 4 is around $280 here and 4 pucks are $160.

 

See my post above. The price difference is not nearly as great as I initially indicated so the feet could be a great solution. And yes, the Gaii III work great and are really nice looking! I think I read somewhere that Merrill was going to use them on their components. The key is knowing the thread required on the Rega. The Gaii ship with a few different adapters and others can be special ordered.

 

I had the exact opposite experience. Isoacoustics didn’t yet have the threads I needed (M10s) for my new Rockports, but Sean in sales arranged for some pre-production units to be sent to me. I got them the day my speakers arrived and have been a happy camper ever since!

 

Hi - I had thought about trying the same thing with my Rega TT and called Iso Accoustics for advice. They were great to deal with. They told me that the best results would be obtained by using them directly under the TT. I tried it both ways and they were right. They work better directly under the TT. I also use the Gaia's under my B&W Nautilus and it was a fantastic upgrade.

 

Glad to see all the positive comments on the Gaia. I am getting a set of Gaia III for the Dynaudio Confidence C3 Platinum I just got this week. My dealer uses the Gaia I under their demo Confidence C4.