advertisement


isoacoustics isolators

JTC said:
I thought spikes were all about coupling and the Gaias were all about de-coupling. Hence the movement built into the things. I've never tried a set, but I think that it seems more in line with the Townshend stuff than spikes are. Anyone know more?
Click to expand...
That is my understanding of the IsoAcoustics approach as well but @G T Audio seems to be saying that that's not the case - if you are indeed harbouring a misconception then I share it!
 
G T Audio said:
I would take Townshend isolation approach any day over the spike solution which is basically what the Gaia footers are...

The reasons are explained here:
Click to expand...
The inner tube versions work in a similar way, but I measured the other way round i.e. transmission from speaker to floor. Similar results, very little gets through. Max started with inner tubes, then mountain bike urethane elastomer dampers, and now tuned springs. I have made inner tube (many) and spring types, and the advantage with inner tubes is that you can tune them by varying the air pressure. Disadvantages include gradual deflation, perishing of the rubber, and leveling. And of course, from a marketing point of view, they are less professional in appearance, and deteriorate over time, whereas springs can last indefinitely.
I use two tubes and shuffle the speakers on the plinth for final leveling. Very cheap to make, and for me, very easy.
 
The Townshend podiums and pods are much more expensive than 2 sets of 4 Gaia-III. If I had that sort of money I can think of better uses.

My speakers are Ruark Templar-IIs BTW (cavity 50% loaded with sand as recommended) and I really like the sound of them in my room, just that they don't keep it to themselves - although I dont think I play them particularly loud, amp vol control is never past 12 oclock unless Im the only one in the house
 
Is there an image of the inside of a Gaia or a video of a loudspeaker being nudged that’s supported by them. Not real clear on what these device are or do. From what I see, I’m not convinced.
 
G T Audio said:
I would take Townshend isolation approach any day over the spike solution which is basically what the Gaia footers are...

The reasons are explained here:

Click to expand...
The Gaia footers seems to me like an expensive rubber coupler. The resonance frequency, I’m sure falls in the audio range.
 
  • Like
Reactions: GT
John said:
Is there an image of the inside of a Gaia or a video of a loudspeaker being nudged that’s supported by them. Not real clear on what these device are or do. From what I see, I’m not convinced.
Click to expand...

There is a teardown of the pucks (ie. the non-threaded version) here: MagneticMag
There are pictures but it doesn't want to direct link.

IsoAcoustics own testing on Gaia vs spikes is here: IsoAcoustics
 
Assuming you get the Townshend platforms of the correct size and weight rating for the speaker its being used under, they will isolate anything under about 3Hz. You can't get much better than this unless you use a special isolation device like from Minus-K. As has been said above the Gaia footers only have a limited range of operation, so they won't isolate the whole of the audio frequency band. It's a bit like putting a 2" plaster over a 9" gash in your leg...
 
John said:
The Gaia footers seems to me like an expensive rubber coupler. The resonance frequency, I’m sure falls in the audio range.
Click to expand...
I have some Oriton pucks (an earlier version of these) which have a decoupling material inside, probably similar to the Gaias. Probably, but I'm not going to take them apart!
http://shop.oriton.co.uk/product/puc40/

G T Audio said:
Assuming you get the Townshend platforms of the correct size and weight rating for the speaker its being used under, they will isolate anything under about 3Hz.
Click to expand...
As I mentioned, I had my own made up, tuned to 60kg (15kg each) and I simply load them up, with lighter speakers. The QUAD 2805s have ply/mdf platforms under them which adds weight, and another 12kg weighting the back to stabilise them. They rock at about the same rate.
 
Going back to the Gaias, I have a set which I bought without the optional carpet spikes. I have a fairly shallow-pile carpet over underlay on a suspended floor (floorboards over joists with a shallow cavity). The carpet compresses down but I am wondering about the spikes as well.

Has anyone in a similar situation done a ‘with/without’ comparison, and did the feet-on-spiked bases improve things over feet-direct-onto-carpet?
 
Purité Audio said:
Why don’t you simply measure with REW and a microphone, any differences will be immediately apparent.
Keith
Click to expand...
Because I don't have the spiked discs. I don't want to buy them if they're not needed in my situation. I had hoped someone else had already done a with/without test in similar circumstances.
 
Yes, there are very significant improvements from the Gaias under the Tannoys, even unspiked. I'm tempted to take advantage of the Audio-T deal today and add the spikes just for completeness, but thought it best to check first....
 
ToTo Man said:
Nope. REW revealed no change when I placed OREAs under my speakers, yet the difference was clearly audible to me. This suggests that REW isn't sensitive enough to detect the differences and/or it's looking at the wrong things.
Click to expand...
Obviously, if measurement fails to correlate with reported experience, what it really shows is that you have industrial levels of suggestibility and are a strong candidate for Britain’s entry in the Foo Olympics. ;)
 
Spot on Sue, REW and a microphone is far more accurate than your ears, so ‘if’ the sound has changed then the measurements will have changed.
Keith
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top