IsoAcoustics Gaia II Speaker Isolation Feet – Set Of 4

4 reviews for IsoAcoustics Gaia II Speaker Isolation Feet – Set Of 4

1. Rated 5 out of 5

   Home Media – July 8, 2019

   I borrowed a set of the Gaia II isolation feet at the suggestion of Simon whilst I was visiting the shop about another matter. I was intrigued by his description of them and their claimed abilities and decided to give them a go under no obligation, he said.

   I have a pair of old Kef R107 floor standing speakers. I have owned and loved these speakers for quite a few years and know their sound and capabilities, or at least, I thought that I did. It was a bit of a work up to get the old feet off the speakers and the Gaia’s in place, being careful to make sure that their logos all face forward. Once complete I fired up the system and had a listen. The sound was different but I wasn’t at all sure whether it was better.

   The speakers sit on fitted carpet/underlay on a concrete floor and it occurred to me that the new feet might need time to ‘bed in’ on the carpet so I left it a few days before trying again. Sure enough there were now clear improvements to the treble and mid range especially which were much clearer and more detailed if slightly forward sounding. The bass however (which I was told would show marked improvement) seemed to have shrunk a little. Clearly not there yet and as it happened I had to be away for a week with work so left the feet to further bed in.

   On returning I put some music on and was delighted with the sound of the system now. The bass was indeed now full, articulate and tuneful to complement the mid and treble which were no longer slightly forward but very nicely details and clear. I found that I could differentiate between instruments which were playing in unison on familiar tracks which I hadn’t noticed before. There was more bass than I’ve ever heard through these speakers and I found myself looking for bass lead tracks just to hear it pumping out!

   I also play a lot of classical music and that sounds lovely too, beautiful string tone, again being able to pick through the mix of instruments, etc.

   At the time of borrowing these isolation feet I was a bit sceptical and thought £600 a touch steep, but now that they have settled in the system sounds like I’ve upgraded the amplifier or another similar such improvement. If you try them be a little patient if you are sighting them on carpeted floors. They do offer some spiked mini dish feet for the main feet to sit upon but I would imagine that these would be very tricky to fit plus they would raise the speakers even more.

   Needless to say I bought them – very warmly recommended.

2. Rated 5 out of 5

   Home Media – July 8, 2019

   I had been looking for an alternative support for my Ruark Acolades for some time. Alternatives to the supplied spikes were required because using them on a carpeted floor was always a problem of risking damage to the carpet when they needed to be moved, especially with such heavy speakers as these!

   Despite being convinced of the advantages of using spikes, particularly on concrete floors, during room renovations, I refrained from using them.

   Then I moved house and decided to fit them again which realised an improvement in bass performance, however, having to move them occasionally to access the back of the system, the problem of ripping the carpet or my feet! returned. Also, it is difficult to re-locate the speakers in their original position because the spike holes in the carpet are not visible. Further research raised the prospect of platforms; the issue here was the cost! So I made a pair of platforms from MDF and fitted the spikes to these. This enabled the speakers to be moved and replaced without disturbing the platforms.

   But the new house has a suspended floor meaning that spikes are not the best solution? Discussing the issue with Home Media led them to loaning me a set of IsoAcoustics Gaia II isolation feet.

   Fitting these proved to be the answer to all my issues in that the bass response is at least as good as it ever was, I can move the speakers when necessary and easily replace them in the right position by noting the indentations in the carpet and, an added bonus, is that the slightly extra height protects the cabinet base from vacuum cleaner damage.

   Problem solved at reasonable cost.

3. Rated 5 out of 5

   Home Media – July 12, 2019

   I have a cinema room of approximately 40sqm and is acoustically challenging. The floor is part suspended and part concrete and covered in Karndean vinyl wood effect planks, which have an acoustic backing. The walls are made of acoustic plasterboard panels and these have been plastered to give some more density.

   The ceiling void also has a wool type material to combat the noise. The sound was good but had a lot of echo and reverb, so I fitted some Soundtect Acoustic Panels, which made a huge difference.

   I had seen the Gaia feet in magazines, YouTube and in the Home Media shop, but was originally put off by the price of £600, which is a lot of money, but thought I would give them a go. I have to be honest, I was sceptical but once fitted they evidence was clear. I played some Adele which is known to be quite harsh on the treble and this was instantly tamed to a clear crisp sound. The bass, which isn’t a problem with the KEF Reference 3 floor standers, has also calmed down as the interaction with the floor obviously wasn’t great. There is still plenty of bass but it is definably tighter without so much reverberation. In fact I was able to move the speakers closer to the rear wall without increasing the bass, something I couldn’t before.

   My only criticism with the Gaia feet is the length of the threaded bar to
   secure them in to the KEF speakers. Due to a thread pitch change in the KEF speakers foot holding, the Gaia bar isn’t long enough and needs to be 15mm or so longer to enable them to be fully secured into the Gaia foot and then in turn to the KEF part at the bottom of the speaker. This would then allow the original KEF top part of the foot to be fitted to make the speakers look finished. The security of the foot may even add some extra tonal qualities as the fit would be more secure and I know is something Home Media have taken up with Gaia.

   If you are still sceptical as I was, then a side by side demo of the same
   speakers with and without the feet fitted would be a great idea.

4. Rated 5 out of 5

   Home Media – June 21, 2020

   I just wanted to tell you that I’m sitting here listening to Jamie XX with the new speaker feet and the improvement is nothing short of remarkable. The leaded lights no longer rattle. What greater compliment could I give!