Send isoAcoustics an email with your question. I have done that and gotten quick and informative responses.
FWIW: I have a <15lb. phonostage and I think I will get the set of the new Iso-Puck Mini. They come in a set of 8 for about $100. They can handle 6 lbs. each but four of them will be adequate for my phonostage.
The Gaia III came with, iirc, three different sizes in the package so you may not need to know. I have a woodsong plinth and wasn’t positive myself but one fit. I think the instructions also said if none fit just call them and they’ll get you the right pieces.
Done - I will post what they send here (noting that they are motivated to encourage home users to buy home products). One additional note - the performance chart is confusing as it seems to rate performance "per puck" but does not show you how performance would work with 3 or four pucks on a component (the weights on the chart taper off based on the load per puck - not 3x or 4x the load). Also, when you submit info using the "what we recommend" functionality on the Iso website for a 22 lb. CDP it recommends the Bronze series which would seem to contradict the performance chart. Will post here what I learn.
The chart shows that optimum performance occurs between 100 and 50 percent loading. It fails off above and below those numbers. From the charts, the best load for your CD player would be 3 Orea Bronze. You can use 4 if it needs them for balance.
Thanks -- this suggests 60 lbs. max weight (3 pucks) for a 22 lb. player (unless I weigh it down) is less ideal than 24 lbs. max weight for a 22 lb. player. If I put weight on top of the player then I'd need to go with 4x bronze or stay with 3 pucks.
I have corresponded with them multiple times and they have never discouraged me from using their pro products. When I asked about my phonostage this is what they said, I will probably go with the Iso-Puck Mini since they are black, as are all of my system components and racks.
I put Gaia IIIs on my turntable about eight months ago, and was very happy with the result. I recently added Gaia IIIs to my speakers and Gaia IIs to my equipment rack. I consider it money well spent. YMMV.
Did the Gaia III's on your TT stop any obvious physical vibrations that the deck was picking up? On my TT, I'm using a Cloud10, which I like quite a bit aside from the wobbly factor.
Do you guys put your Orea's or Iso-pucks underneath the feet or directly on the base of your components?
I thought my turntable sounded pretty good before I added them, but overall definition was improved, a layer of grime I hadn't been aware of was gone. More of the same when I outfitted my speakers, and even more when I did the rack. Hmm, I wonder what some Orea under my preamp and CD player might sound like?
The pucks work better when the entire top surface area is utilized, so unless your feet are larger diameter than the pucks you are likely not using them optimally. They are meant to be used instead of the feet, not under the feet. When I used them on my turntable I removed the TT feet completely. For some components I also recommend the HRS Damping plates. I have one on top of my tube phonostage. It helps a lot top dampen tube microphonics. Before I used one I could get the tubes to ring through to the speakers by tapping on the top of the cabinet. With the damping plate on that doesn't happen at all. It smooths out the high end a bit. It's not a cheap tweak (along the lines of isoAcoustics isolators) but it's not terribly expensive either.
I couldn't agree more about the speakers. I was floored at the improvements in soundstage and dynamics when I added the III's. Audio witchcraft..
Yeah, removing the feet on that particular player is not a viable option. I contacted IsoAcoustics and they said placing them under the feet was OK.
As good as the Gaia’s were on my speakers, the real witchcraft for me was when the Orea Bronze replaced the feet on my Rega P6. Turned a very good table into a great one The dealer I purchased them from swears the P6 with the Oreas edge out a new P8. I haven’t made that comparison, but I have heard the older RP8 quite a few times and the P6 /Orea is better. It’s like throwing a supercharger on the table. Now, that being said , this doesn’t mean he doesn’t recommend buying the P8. He has tried the pucks on that model too, and from the grin on his face, order gets restored
For those of you putting Orea under your turntable, there's another good option. I started out using the Orea Indigo under my Clearaudio Ovation, but my dealer also sells HRS (Harmonic Resolution Systems), so I tried a set of their Nimbus pucks. They are quite a bit more expensive (about double the cost) but they worked out better for me, especially for tightening and refining the bass response. They look really cool too...
They wrote back and recommended 4 Bronze Orea. "Based on the information you provided, I recommend using 4 of the OREA Bronze. The weight limits are per isolator, so 4 of the OREA Bronze is rated for up to 32 pounds. The OREA series are tuned to provide superior isolation over narrower weight ranges. The ISO-Puck will still provide a lot of benefit and I am sure you will be pleased with the results, but the OREA will provide the best performance. The ISO-Puck is still a good option if you are looking for a cost effective solution." The ISO-Puck Mini is another option - those are 6 lbs. ea and would be rated for 24 lbs. for my 22 lb. (unweighted) player. Plus I'd have four more to play with on my headphone amp. Their online copy targets IsoPuck use under studio monitors (vs. components) but it seems like they also recommend component use from your email thread with them.
I don't know if Vinylista uses the same footers on all its plinths. Mine were black plastic about 25mm diameter, 10mm thick on a threaded shaft that screwed into a socket on the interior underneath of the plinth. One of the sets of4* threaded shafts supplied with my Gaia IIIs fitted the plinth holes exactly; took 30 mins to install the Gaias.
Glad I stumbled onto this thread, I've always wanted to add cost-effective isolation to my system but was put off by the mixed results. I plan to get a set of 8 iso-pucks for my integrated tube amp (67 lbs = 5 pcs ) and (3 pcs.) for my tube phono pre which is quite light. Has anyone had success with the iso-pucks under their amp and phono pre? It seems that the most effective placement is under turntables based on what I've read in the previous pages.
Kamusta? I tried the Orea's at first on my turntable as I was not a believer at first but it made a significant improvement in SQ. I have Orea Indigo's otw for my Integrated amp and would get Iso-puck Mini's or bronze for my phono preamp an would let you know the results. Hopefully it would isolate and remove the pinging sound of the tubes.
