Review on IsoAcoustics Gaia Series Isolation Feet for Speakers & Subwoofers (Gaia II, 120 lb max) - Set of 4: Elevate Audio Quality with Enhanced Stability by Gabriel Elliott

While I'm naturally skeptical that additions like speaker stands will 'transform' an audio system, some of these products have been pleasant surprises. I have to admit that I can hear the difference the addition of a Furman power conditioner has made and I am confident that the better speaker cables have made a noticeable difference in the sound of my system. However, I don't think my Revel F226Be speakers sound any different with the IsoAcoustics Gaia III feet installed than without them, and worse, installing the feet was unnecessarily difficult. Let's start with design flaws. The feet screw into the bottom of the speakers and are secured to the bottom of the speaker with a thin knurled ring nut. The nuts are flimsy because you want to screw the legs as low as possible for stability, leaving very little space for the nut (and therefore the tool that tightens the nut) between the bottom of the speaker and the top of the leg. . The instructions say to use cloth-wrapped needle nose pliers to tighten the nuts, but if you can safely tighten those ring nuts in that tiny space with that special tool, then you're a better person than me. Installation would be much easier if IsoAcoustics used thin hex nuts instead of ring nuts and included a thin wrench to tighten those hex nuts. This is an excellent design, especially because unlike pliers on a ring nut, a wrench grips the hex nut securely without slipping. Another unique feature of the design is that the legs must be installed with the lettering on them facing forward. This means that the feet should only be screwed in an integer number of turns, making it almost impossible for the speaker to stand level and stable. As a result, my speakers don't feel firmly on the floor, but rather wobble slightly. Now I definitely want my speakers to "wiggle" but not in a way that undermines the strong connection between the speaker and the ground. I expected to hear a difference in performance. Nothing. No "tighter bass", no "improved sound clarity". Admittedly, it's difficult to make an AB comparison unless you have two pairs of speakers that are identical except that one pair has feet installed and the other doesn't. However, I would bet that with my system in particular, most people who pass a blind listening test would not be able to tell the difference between speakers with Gaia III and identical non-Gaia III speakers. recommended by people with impressive sonic abilities and it was this positive press that motivated me to try them out. I bought these hoping they would provide both a noticeable improvement in sound and an effective way to level my speakers. Neither did they. After owning them for several months I think they are the worst $400 I have ever spent on audio equipment. I could have returned them but I didn't and I accept it as my fault. However, I feel that they are poorly designed and don't work as advertised, and I'm sorry for not acknowledging this before I did. If you still want to try them, I would suggest that you buy them from a retailer with a generous return policy and focus on what you actually hear (or don't hear) and not what others tell you you should . Listen. Don't think that just because Gaia IIIs are expensive and have high ratings, they're going to improve your system in your listening room. And, oh yes, don't forget to allow enough time for the installation.