IsoAcoustics GAIA Isolators Review: Improving Your Loudspeakers Sound

Many audiophiles and home theater aficionados are on a quest to maximize the performance out of their systems. I know I am. That pursuit oftentimes resembles some noble Arthurian quest with adventures, pitfalls, wrong paths, triumphs, sorcery, and black magic (hopefully encounters with the Knights of Ni are few and far between). 

While we may romanticize the quest, the actual journey to peak performance is far less fanciful but no less noble. Perhaps the journey would be less complicated if we reframed it as: “How can I optimize my system’s performance in my listening room?” Now there is the nuance! 

The difference that speaker positioning, room treatments, multi-sub configurations, and room equalization can make are audible, measurable, and among your biggest “bang for the buck.” Because the interaction of our speakers and our rooms are so much a part of the equation, I’ve often wondered if we should add vibration control and isolation to the optimization list. Vibration is the sworn enemy of optimal system performance. Every good speaker manufacturer worth their salt mitigates cabinet vibration as part of their design goal. Making the speaker cabinet as inert as possible with internal bracing, cabinet shapes, and construction materials—especially where the drivers are mounted to the baffle—is all part of that formula. 

But there’s a broader aspect to vibration as well: Vibration going into the room, back into the speaker, and out to your electronics with potential microphonic effect. In other words, your sensitive AV components could receive some of these destructive vibrations and turn those mechanical vibrations into audible noise. Tube amp lovers are especially sensitive to the issue of microphonic vibrations impacting those sensitive tubes resulting in amplified distortions. Speaker spikes have been one approach. But truth be told, spikes aren’t always practical—especially on hardwood floors—and spikes aren’t mechanically designed to provide isolation.

And so, in my personal quest to minimize vibration, I came upon IsoAcoustics, a company whose products I was casually familiar with but never had hands-on experience.

There were four things specifically that piqued my curiosity about IsoAcoustic and led to the current review:

1. IsoAcoustics products are used by countless recording engineers such as:
1. Grammy Award-winning engineer/producer Eddie Kramer who has worked with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones.
2. Darrell Thorp, nine time Grammy Award Winning Producer/Recording Engineer for the likes of the Foo Fighters, Radiohead, and Beck.
3. Frank Filipetti, Grammy Award Winning Producer/Enginneer whose long list of credits includes Foreigner, Carly Simon, Barbara Streisand, James Taylor, and George Michael to name a few.
4. Scott Frankfurt, Producer and Audio Engineer for the likes of John Legend, Yo Yo Ma, Chicago, Whitney Houston, and Rick James.
5. Nick Squire, the head recording engineer for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
2. IsoAcoustics has performed A/B demonstrations of their GAIA isolators with speakers at audio shows.
3. Some well-known and well respected speakers companies, like Marten, PSB, and Dynaudio, are starting to include IsoAcoustics isolators with their speakers.
4. There were no snake oil claims in the product descriptions of vibranium, adamantium, or unobtainium alloys forged in the heart of a dying star and then cryogenically frozen for a thousand years to align Higgs Boson particles into some mythical object immune to the laws of physics. On the contrary, IsoAcoustics has performed tests of their products at the acclaimed National Research Council of (NRC) of Canada and publishes measurements of the differences their isolators make using a laservibrometer. 

 As I read more about IsoAcoustics isolators, I thought they might be a potentially perfect solution to three issues I’d been wanting to address in my setup:

1. I was looking for isolation feet for my speakers that would be a scratch-free alternative to spikes on a hardwood floor. 
2. I was looking to isolate my speakers from the hardwood floor to mitigate some of the physical vibrations that went into the room from my speakers without altering the sound—I did not want a solution that dampened or muddied the impact of lower frequencies.
3. I was looking for a way to further my perpetual quest to squeeze even more performance out of my system in my listening room.

And so, let me tell you about this part of my audio quest and like any quest, this one became profoundly personal in nature.

A brief history of IsoAcoustics

IsoAcoustics has been around since 2012. Yet in that short period of time, the company seems to have made some fairly significant strides. Today, IsoAcoustics offers a variety of audio isolation products geared towards home audio speakers, professional studio monitors, source components, turntables, guitar amplifiers, and even stage monitors. The company serves the audiophile, cinemaphile, musician, and professional engineer alike. 

The force behind IsoAcoustics is its founder, Dave Morrison who, as the story goes, was involved in planning and building radio and television studios at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for yearly 20 years. Dave was also part of the design team faced with the challenges of building the world’s largest multi-media center in Toronto: Over 1.72 million square feet, with recording studios for drama, music, and chamber ensembles, special effects, radio and television shows. Professional broadcasting and audio is in Dave’s DNA. The expertise gained in these various endeavors meshed with a vision Dave had to improve the performance of audio products by mitigating the adverse effects of unwanted vibration on sound reproduction. 

Identifying the Problems to Address with the GAIA

I had the pleasure of coordinating my review Sean Morrison, IsoAcoustics’ Product Specialist and also happens to be Dave’s son. Sean was extremely gracious throughout my review period, jumping on the phone anytime and answering any question I had. In one of our introductory calls, I told Sean what I was trying to accomplish for my personal setup and we went back and forth on the best way to structure this personal journey for a larger review to the Audioholics community.

We decided that the ideal setup would be to test IsoAcoustics GAIA isolators on two different speaker setups. The two setups would highlight speakers of differing weights supported by differing floor structures: The first setup would consist of my Revel Ultima2 Salon that sit on a hardwood floor while second would consist of RBH SVTR Signature Tower speakers that sit on vinyl flooring laid over a concrete floor. These are two reference speaker systems. The Revels weigh in at 146 lbs each while the RBH SVTR Signature Towers weigh in at a whopping 205 lbs each! This started to feel like a welterweight and super heavyweight match of titans. 

With everything set up for the review, I settled in on four goals for this article:

1. The first goal was practical: Would the IsoAcoustics GAIA isolators be my ultimate solution for heavy speakers on hardwood floors? If you use speakers—especially very heavy speakers—on hardwood you know exactly the problem I’m referring to. While the Revels do come with a blunt end on their spiked feet, I’ve been using them without spikes out of sheer practicality. Should someone bump into the Salons or push them it would certainly scratch the hardwood floor—it’s already happened.  Yes, I’ve tried those brass hardwood floor cups for spikes and invariably at one time or another, a bump or move will lift the spike out of its resting spot and right onto the hardwood floor. The result is either a scratch or worse a puncture. Don’t waste your money.

2. Even though the Salons and the RBH SVTR Signature Tower have unbelievably inert cabinets, I was curious to see if the IsoAcoustics isolators would address some cabinet and room resonance issues.  Speaking about the Revels specifically, bass energy from these true full-range speakers would go into the floor and occasionally produce an oddity. For example, I would experience some smearing from resonances beginning at the 57-second mark when playing the intoxicating track “Dinner” from “Lady Caliph” from the album YoYo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone.

3. I was curious to see how well the IsoAcoustics GAIA would decouple the speakers from the room. And, if they managed to do so, would they alter the sound by sucking out the bass experience? An anecdotal criticism of vibration damping solutions is they tend to suck out authoritative bass lines. 

4. I wanted to see how well the GAIA would work across different flooring substructures.

With those broad parameters in mind, it was time to get things in motion.

Selecting the Right IsoAcoustic Product

IsoAcoustics doesn’t make a one-product-fits-all solution. There are different GAIA isolators for different speaker weight classes. After discussing my setup with Sean, we determined that the GAIA I, rated for floor standing speakers 220 lbs or less would be an ideal fit for the Revel Ultima2 Salons while the GAIA Titan Theis, for floor standing speakers and subs weighing 320 lbs or less would be the right solution for the RBH SVTR Signature speakers. 

Each GAIA model is designed by speaker weight. Find out the weight of your individual speaker and you can determine which GAIA is right for you. The online calculator makes product selection easy.

IsoAcoustics makes it easy to select the right product for your particular needs. Simply go to their online calculator and select your product category (speaker, subwoofer, turntable, etc.), enter in the manufacturer and model and voila! You’ll get your product’s dimensions, weight, recommended isolator, and the thread size you need. 

Here is a detailed view of the thread sizes included with my GAIA Titan review set.

The thread size is critically important. Each GAIA model comes with three stock thread sizes that may or may not fit your speaker. Neither my Ultima2 Salon nor the RBH SVTR took the standard GAIA thread sizes. The Salon2s for example, take a 1/2”-13 thread size and the RBH SVTR take a 3/8”-16. The GAIA I comes with M8-1.25, M12-1.25, ¼”-20 and the GAIA Titan Theis come with ½”-13, M8-1.25 and M14-2.0. 

If your speakers do not fit the stock thread sizes, you can order the correct threads for your speaker. In this instance, IsoAcoustics sent me the proper threads for the RBH SVTR Signature Towers.

The threads came packaged in two sets.

The online product selector or your local IsoAcoustics dealer will be invaluable to help determine that all-important detail. Don’t assume that the stock threads will fit your speaker and don’t force a different thread size into your speaker. Should you need a different thread size, you can order it through an authorized dealer. 

OEM Partners Using IsoAcoustics Isolators

IsoAcoustics isolators have already gotten the attention of some well-known speaker brands through an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) program, including Dynaudio and Spatial Audio Lab. In August 2021, Marten announced it will include IsoAcoustics isolators on the Coltrane 3 and Coltrane Tenor 2 models joining the Coltrane series, Mingus Orchestra, and the Parker series. In September 2021, PSB is slated to launch their new flagship line of speakers that include IsoAcoustics isolators. There are additional conversations with manufacturers about which IsoAcoustics could not publicly discuss details. Check out the full list of current IsoAcoustics OEM partners.

IsoAcoustics has a growing list of OEM partners who are including IsoAcoustics isolation solutions as part of their products.

IsoAcoustics Technology

We’ve talked enough about the use cases and now it’s time to do a deeper dive into the tech. IsoAcoustics isolation products perform two primary functions: 

1. They resist the vibrational forces caused by a speaker’s drivers and 
2. They decouple the speaker from the supporting surface to a degree.  

Sean gave me a deep dive into their patented isolation technology to gain a better understanding how IsoAcoustics GAIA isolators work. 

He told me that each isolation foot consists of three parts: A top isolator, bottom isolator, and connector. The way it works is a function of how the three parts work together and the characteristics of the materials comprising the isolation feet. The materials, he said, have four aspects: The durometer (hardness), the viscoelastic properties, material thickness, and shape. The top isolator connects to the GAIA housing, which in turn is connected to the bottom of the speaker. The bottom isolator is connected to the supporting surface. 

I did ask for a deeper dive on the materials and composition and Sean was coy about divulging those secrets. The isolator is best described as a “resilient elastometer.” Fair enough.

The bottom of the isolation feet have a small concave shape that provides a suction cup connection to smoother surfaces. I noted this effect on both my Revel Ultima2 Salons and RBH SVTR Signature Speakers on both hardwood and composite surfaces. The suction cup effect isn’t so strong that you can’t move the speaker. At the same time, it provides just enough friction that it doesn’t become a furniture slider. It’s almost Goldilocks perfect.

Unlike other isolation products I’ve used (like Sorbothane) IsoAcoustics isolators are made of a resilient elastomer that do not leave a residue or marking on the floor. Indeed, even with speakers weighing over 205 lbs, there was no residue or marking left on the floor even after months of use. The materials also don’t change properties with humidity or temperature fluctuations. 

If you're wondering "what about carpet" then you'll be happy to know that IsoAcoustics also has carpet spikes that sit under the cup portion of the GAIA. The carpet spike cups are independent of the GAIA isolators so that you can remove them and use your GAIA on hardwood anytime. The carpet spikes will run you an extra $59.99.

IsoAcoustics GAIA have optional carpet spikes so that you can use them on carpeted surfaces.

Sean told me that while other foam or rubber isolators will isolate well over a narrow frequency range, their three-part design not only works across the full frequency range, but also that their solution is more effective. All the energy is managed by the isolators, which are tuned to work over specific weight ranges.

Detail view of the IsoAcoustics GAIA isolators with the carpet spike cup

I’ve used various isolation products before and the thing that probably surprised me the most was to learn that IsoAcoustics isolators are directional. Sean told me that the directional performance is important when used with speakers and subwoofers because the isolators are designed to be aligned with the speaker’s drivers. When the speaker’s drivers are pulsating back and forwards, the speaker’s energy is primarily directional. For this reason, the isolators themselves are directional. 

IsoAcoustics gives you a visual clue to installing the isolators them properly. The directionality of the isolators is aligned with the logo facing forward. You can also turn the isolators 180 degrees (facing backwards) if you don’t want to see the IsoAcoustics logo. Sean told me that when aligned properly, the isolators resist lateral movements and oscillations. This results in improved sound clarity and focus.

There's another element that IsoAcoustics isolators perform as well—and that’s decoupling a speaker or component from the supporting surface below. Decoupling the speakers reduces vibrations feeding into the supporting surface and neighboring objects. It also prevents the vibrations from reflecting and being conducted back into the cabinet from the supporting surface. 

Detail of an IsoAcoustics GAIA III isolator. 

The analogy Sean related was to imagine a pipe bolted to the wall that’s hit with a hammer. Vibrations travel down the pipe, hit the wall, and come back. IsoAcoustics claims that these reflections cause a loss of clarity and any artifacts that are replicated in both channels are perceived to be in the middle and cause the soundstage to collapse. If that’s indeed the case, then you should be able to measure the effects. Well, that’s exactly what the IsoAcoustics team did.

Can We Measure the Difference IsoAcoustics Isolators Make? 

Sean was very forthright about producing measurements to support the effectiveness of the technology. Using a laservibrometer, an instrument that measures vibrations on a surface and rapidly scans point-by-point over the test object’s surface to measure vibration levels at various points, Sean showed me how IsoAcoustics isolators reduced the resonant energy transferred from the speaker to the supporting floor surface.  

IsoAcoustics tested the GAIA isolators performance at the acclaimed National Research Council of Canada.

What about spikes? According to IsoAcoustics, using spikes with speakers creates a closed boundary condition where vibrations coming from the speaker hit the surface and those vibrations are conducted back to create internal reflections in the speaker. It’s like that pipe analogy but perhaps a more visual image is thinking of a splash in a swimming pool and resulting waves that spread out. When those waves hit a boundary (the pool wall for example) they reflect back into the pool. 

To demonstrate this point, IsoAcoustics set up a test environment at the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada. Dr. Floyd Toole’s, Dr. Sean Olive’s, and Todd Welti’s work at the NRC has laid a strong foundation for what much of what we now hold as fundamental truths in acoustics and psychoacoustics of loudspeakers and headphones. Perhaps we should rename the NRC the Sacred Temple of the Audio World.

IsoAcoustics tested speakers on GAIA isolators and then the test was repeated with the speakers raised onto spikes using solenoids. The test was repeated yet again with the speaker base suspended by bungee cords. According to the controlled environment, variation in height was kept to within ¼” (less than ½ a wave length at 20 khz) when changing between spikes, GAIA’s or bungee. This setup allowed for the testing of each setup while keeping other variables consistent.  

You can see that the GAIA reduced the velocity of vibrations relative to spikes and more closely tracked the vibration isolation afforded by bungee cords.

The results showed that the vibration isolation the GAIA provided was similar to the isolation with bungee cords. The cabinet vibrations of the speakers isolated with GAIA and with bungee cords resulted in a reduction in cabinet vibrations through the introduction of an absorption layer that reduced secondary reflections. 

What’s important to note throughout is that using the GAIA isolators didn’t dampen the speaker’s bass output nor did it change the speaker’s frequency response. You won’t see any differences when measuring using an SPL meter for example. That’s actually a good thing. One of the knocks against isolation products is that they can make the bass muddy or suck it out. The data shows that this is not the case here. 

The GAIA did not alter a speaker's frequency response. Here is a comparison of the measurements of the speaker with spikes and with the GAIA.

The broad takeaway from these experiments is that GAIA isolators address harmful vibrations and help mitigate boundary effects without impacting the speaker’s sound was measurable.

Now the next question: Did those controlled environment measurements translate into audible, real-world perceptions?

Unboxing and Setup

When the GAIA models arrived the first thing that struck me was the sheer weight of the boxes relative to their size. The GAIA I and GAIA Titan are meticulously packaged. The GAIA I come in a stamped, imitation leather box with soft, suede-like interior. Each GAIA isolator is individually protected in molded padding. 

The GAIA I box and cardboard sleeve

The boxes for the GAIA I and GAIA Titan were impeccable. Look at the gorgeous, high gloss piano black box that the GAIA Titan come in.

The GAIA Titan takes the whole packaging experience up to a different level. They come in a black, piano gloss wooden box. The GAIA Titan’s box is complementary eye candy for your high gloss, piano black speakers.

The GAIA I isolators with included threads and wrench above.

 

Detail of the IsoAcoustics GAIA Titan included isolators and accessories. Each isolator comes wrapped in a clear plastic to ensure you don't scratch them prior to installation. The photo above includes the plastic covering, which is the reason why you may see some bubbles on the finish in the photo above.

Only when I lifted the GAIA out of their protective packaging could I appreciate the sheer weight, build quality, and simply beautiful craftsmanship of the products. On my review samples, there was an oh-so-minor variation in the finish of a few of the GAIA with a couple tending to be slightly darker in color by a hair. I couldn’t notice the variation once the GAIA were installed. 

With the protective plastic removed, I noted that in my review sets, one of the GAIA Titan had an oh-so slight difference in the finish.

Note that the left GIAIA Titan isolator has a slightly different finish than the right GAIA Titan isolator.

Once installed, it was very difficult to see the difference as the brushed aluminum finish of the isolators picks up the color of the flooring.

Speaking of installation, how on earth was I going to install isolation feet onto 146-lb and 205-lb speakers? The answer is… it depends. IsoAcoustics has an excellent step-by-step video on YouTube that you can watch here. The video goes through all the steps you’ll need to install any GAIA isolator. In a nutshell, the process is as follows:

1. Unpack the GAIA
2. Install the proper thread size and knurled lock nut into the side with a small notch
3. Install the thread with the small notch side into the GAIA top housing and tighten the knurled locknut.
4. Install the top hex locknut and leave a small gap between the top and bottom locknut 
5. Install the appropriate thread size into your speaker’s spike thread 
6. Tighten the locknut against your speaker’s base using the included wrench. Note that if the bottom of your speaker has a painted finish, the locknut may mar or scratch the finish. I checked with Sean and he said you can certainly head down to the local hardware store and install a rubber gasket or rubber washer between the GAIA and the painted finish of the speaker bottom without impacting performance.
7. Install the GAIA and then rotate the foot until the logo is facing the front of the speaker (or 180 degrees backwards) and then tighten the locknut into place.
8. To fine-tune speaker placement, tilt the speaker and put a cloth under the GAIA to slide them into any position.
9. Once you’ve found the sweet spot, you can tilt the speaker and pull out the cloth
10. If your floor is uneven, you can tilt the speaker and then loosen the hex locknut against your speaker base to adjust the GAIA’s height.
11. Screw the GAIA into your speaker’s bottom threading 

I strongly recommend watching the YouTube video a few times to get the idea before you start. 

If your current speaker has spikes or feet you may find tilting it to be a simple matter. However, if you do not have feet on your current speakers then you may find it more efficient to tilt your speaker on its side to do the job.

Detail of the bottom of the Revel Ultima2 Salon base with the GAIA I installed.

Detail view of the IsoAcoustics GAIA I installed on my Revel Ultima2 Salon

The process shown in the video is fine to do by yourself for a three to four foot speaker. What what on earth was I going to do with two sets of speakers that are taller and weigh more than some individuals! And remember the SVTR are two independent modules bolted together with a steel plate! 

The obvious answer is phone a friend or get your spouse to ensure that the installation goes smoothly.  My wife and I were an efficient team. I did however run into a problem with the RBH SVTR.  The SVTR’s massive, solid aluminum feet would not unscrew.  The RBH SVTR have a large, rubber washer that created a hermetic seal between the bottom of the speaker and the aluminum feet that just wouldn’t budge. We needed some more leverage. I was adamant that I wasn't going to dissemble the SVTR Signature Reference Speakers. We finally decided to put a blanket on top of a very large dolly that has  legs on the shaft so that when tipped, the dolly rests horizontally. So we tipped the SVTR onto the dolly so that we had a solid working platform.

I tried everything to loosen the seal between the rubber and the base of the speaker—razor blades, WD40—you name it. Nothing worked. Finally, I got the idea to use a strap wrench. Eureka! The strap wrench gave me the leverage I needed to loosen all the feet. My ancestor Archimedes would have been proud.

Notice the large rubber washer between the massive feet of the RBH SVTR Towers. I had to use a strap wrench to finally pry them loose. A testament to RBH's incredible build quality!

By now you may be wondering and the answer is YES, IsoAcoustics does offer a $499 F1 Speaker Jack. The F1 is specifically designed to lift up your speaker and keep it in the raised position with enough clearance to install any GAIA or GAIA Titan isolator. I did not use or test the F1 Speaker Jack during my review (though in retrospect I should have asked for one!). I also thought about using an air shim—and even purchased three of them to give them a try. But after a few minutes, it became clear that the best option for larger speakers is to make it a two-person affair. 

And after that, success! I had the GAIA I and the GAIA Titan ready to rock and roll. 

After I had the IsoAcoustics GAIA installed, I noticed that they had some play if I pushed on them. This play was something that threw me for a loop and I wasn’t expecting it. I had the impression that the GAIA were somehow going to be inert objects like spikes. Well, fear not, this is part of their isolation design. Moreover, Sean told me that tipping a speaker with the GAIA installed to position it or move it around won’t damage the GAIA isolators. 

With everything properly set up and positioned, it was time for some listening tests.

 

Success! with the strap wrench technique in play I was able to quickly get the IsoAcoustics GAIA attached to the massive RBH SVTR Signature speakers.

I positioned one of the GAIA (right front isolator) with the logo facing backwards so you could see the difference in the aesthetic.

IsoAcoustics GAIA Isolators Listening Tests & Conclusion

I installed the GAIA I on Revel Ultima2 Salons on a hardwood floor. Associated equipment with the Ultima2 Salons included an Anthem AVM 60 and Benchmark AHB2 power amplifiers configured in dual mono sourced with an Oppo UDP-205, Cambridge Audio CXNv2, Roon Nucleus server, and AppleTV 4K as sources.  The setup was plugged into a Bryston BIT 20 Power Isolation Transformer on a dedicated 20-amp circuit. During my review period, I complemented the Salon2s with an SVS SB16-Ultra and SB13-Ultra subwoofers placed within two feet of the Salon2s—a perfect test of the decoupling prowess of the IsoAcoustics GAIA.

The second setup consisted of GAIA Titan Theis installed onto RBH SVTR Signature Speakers on a concrete floor with a vinyl flooring overlay. Electronics included a Denon X8500H AVR, an Oppo UDP-203, Roon Nucleus server, and AppleTV 4K. The subwoofer modules of the SVTR were configured as subwoofer LFE channels and driven by RBH SA-500DSP monoblock amplifiers. I did not use my Monoprice Monolith 7 amplifier during the review period as one of the amplifier channels is awaiting replacement.

 

The substrate under the RBH SVTR was a concrete floor with vinyl planks on top.

I should note that unlike most Audioholics reviews where we do not engage room correction for listening tests, I did engage Anthem ARC and Audyssey for the overwhelming majority of the review period, though I limited equalization to under 400Hz in both setups (as I typically do).  I wanted this to be a mirror of how I listen to my reference systems day in and day out.  

I played the Revel Ultima2 Salon full range sans SVS subs and at other times crossed over with the SVS subs engaged. I have two virtual inputs set up in the Anthem AVM60 with those two different configurations for easy switching.

I listened to the Salon2 setup first and then the RBH setup. When I turned on listening material I knew extremely well for the first time, I was literally stunned. Truth be told, maybe I was expecting a small difference but not an overtly palatable one. Imaging, soundstage depth, and soundstage stability are all an important part of my listening enjoyment—it was those areas where the difference immediately struck me. Vocals were tighter, more detailed and the stereo image was rock solid. The air between instruments and performers was firmly anchored in a manner I had not previously experienced.  

I immediately jumped to YoYo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone and that resonance that I had noticed so many times was gone. 

In addition to imaging, the effect on bass notes was physically and audibly noticeable. The bass energy that was rattling through the hardwood floor, sofa, and surrounding objects was mastered. But here’s the important nuance to that statement. Bass was mastered without being emasculated. It’s as though the GAIA effectively neutered the deleterious effects of the room and furnishings while letting the music run free. It wasn’t so much room correction as it was isolation. 

Goal number one, did they solve my hardwood floor conundrum? Well, after nearly a decade of fumbling through different solutions on hardwood, the GAIA isolators have indeed become my ultimate solution for speakers on hardwood. Here’s what I found:

1. The GAIA provided a stable support for my Salon2.
2. The suction cup design prevented any accidental repositioning of the speakers—even with an accidental nudge or a bit of force. I bumped up against the Salon2 and even put a bit of pressure with my hands against the side of the Revels. In both instances, the GAIA isolators kept the Salon2 firmly in their designated position.
3. There was no marking, scratching or residual impact on my hardwood floor.  Even after months of use, the GAIA kept my hardwood floor in perfect condition.
4. Fine-tuning speaker placement or moving the speakers was a breeze. Tipping the Salon2 a bit until the suction released from the floor allowed me to put a towel or rag under the GAIA. From there on out, I could move the Salon2 to play with positioning or move them out of the way for another speaker review. I didn’t need to be concerned about damaging my hardwood floor or going through different prophylactic gyrations.

Goal number one? Check, the GAIA are an ideal solution for hardwood floor setups.

Goal number two, did the IsoAcoustics GAIA address cabinet and room resonance issues? You can rest assured that among my first albums to play was YoYo Ma Plays Ennio Morricone. Even before I got to the point in the tracks I was looking for, I was struck by what seemed to be a tighter overall presentation to the music. Textures were cleaner. Instruments even more firmly planted in space and time. And then the “Eureka!” moment: The resonances were dramatically reduced. I simply could not believe the difference. Starting at the 21-second mark of the track Dinner from Lady Calif and culminating at the 57-second mark, the smearing I had previously experienced was addressed and corrected by the GAIA isolators. 

Katie Melua’s “Love is a Silent Thief” from Ketevan is another torture test. The GAIA once again reduced the extreme vibrations from the song’s rich bass lines from reverberating into the room’s substructure.

As I went on to other artists and albums, the absence of my room interacting with my speakers became noticeable to me. I spun up Adele “Send My Love (To Your New Lover).” Adele’s vocals were somehow cleaner, more refined—more lifelike in space and time. And when the bass lines kicked in, their impact was still there but the cacophony of physical vibrations I had previously felt in the couch and surroundings was simply not there. Chest punch? Yes. Destructive floor vibrations? Gone. The same was true of the next cut. Drums on “I Miss You” had a clean punch and dynamics but the transference I had previously experienced into the room’s physical structure jus wasn’t there. 

Bass drums on “Fanfare for the Common Man” by the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eiji Oue was the same effect. “Clean” I wrote down about the bass drums. “Detailed.” “No lack of Punch” I noted. The experience was moving and majestic. This wasn’t like a veil being lifted off the speaker. No, it was as though the interaction of the room with the speaker had indeed been mitigated. From there it was on to “Journey to the Line” from the “Thin Red Line.”  When Zimmer’s bass bombs kick in around the 4:17 mark, it was simply clean, clear, impactful output.  I went up to the Salon2s and put my hands on the surrounding floor. It was that the GAIA completely eliminated transferring vibrations into the floor—on the contrary, I could still feel the room shaking but there was a reduction in the amount of bass I felt reverberating into the floor structure itself without necessarily impacting the quantity of the bass performance. From there it was an all-out bass quest. The opening slam of “To Zucchabar”; the awe-inspiring track, “The Might of Rome”; to the slam to open “Imagine the Fire” from The Dark Knight Rises soundtrack, this was perhaps the best I’d ever heard these tracks from my setup. The bass on Lore’s “Royals”? Clean, tight, textured. All the while Lorde’s vocals were pristine, snaps crisp, and choral elements clearly articulated. Bass lines on Sade’s “Soldier of Love” dropped like precise bass grenades. Subsonic bass on Bonnie McKee’s “Trouble” rattled me to the core.

Lest I give the wrong impression that the difference was solely with bass, let me simply call your attention to Sarah McLachlan’s “Love Come [Piano Version]”, Natalie Merchant’s “Maggie Said”, and Lana Del Rey’s “Mariner’s Apartment Complex.” In each instance I perceived the overall presentation of those songs to be more focused, detailed, refined, and controlled.

For those of you in apartment complexes, I don’t want to give the misimpression that the GAIA are somehow your answer to stopping bass transference between rooms or apartments. That’s not what the GAIA will do. 

I’ve lost track of the countless hours of music I’ve spent listening with the GAIA in the mix on the Salon2 and SVTR over months. I could write pages on my positive impressions. Nevertheless, I perceived a difference in both setups in the overall musical presentation that was more pleasurable with the GAIA in the mix than previously. The difference was more pronounced with the Salon2s on hardwood than the SVTR on concrete.  Did the GAIA address speaker-room resonances and interactions? Yes. 

Goal number three: Did the GAIA alter the sound by sucking out the bass experience? I think you already know the answer to this one. The answer is a resounding “no way.”   

Goal number four:  How did the GAIA work across different flooring substructures. For me, I perceived that the GAIA isolators made a less dramatic impact on the music through the SVTR Signature Towers on the concrete substructure than the Salon2s on hardwood. 

That doesn’t mean I didn’t sense a difference. I did indeed perceive that the soundstage and the bass tightened up. The sensation is as though the SVTR Signature Towers cabinets became more inert. The quantity and quality of the bass output from the SVTR Signature Towers is simply body blowing and anything I’ll write will fail to convey the experience of these speakers. Nevertheless, introducing the GAIA to the equation improved the perceived performance of the speakers in my room. 

Conclusion

The quest continues, but I think I'm getting closer to the Holy Grail!

The reality is that optimizing my speakers in my rooms is certainly some lifelong quest. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get to the ultimate destination, but the lessons learned along the journey can only enrich it. As the science behind speaker-room interactions continues to mature, we’ll learn new things, develop new tools, and adapt methodologies.  

The one thing that my months-long experience with IsoAcoustics GAIA isolators taught me is that decoupling the speakers from the flooring substrate and dampening the resulting vibrations plays a role in improving the perceived soundstage, imaging detail, and improves the overall experience of the music. Moreover, isolation most certainly needs to be part of our conversation of optimizing speaker-room performance and as far as I'm concerned now belongs as an essential part of our optimization toolkit. 

In every instance the GAIA isolators improved the top to bottom performance of my two reference setups.  

The price point of the GAIA lineup is not for the faint of heart or wallet. In fact, implementing a stereo set of GAIA isolators into your setup may end up costing you somewhere in the neighborhood of 5%-20% of your speaker's MSRP.

Nevertheless, my experience with the GAIA was so overwhelmingly positive that I’m going to do something that I don’t often do with review gear—make it a permanent part of my personal setup going forward. This road with the GAIA was more of a personal journal than a formal review.  Therefore, I highly recommend you take GAIA for a spin yourself and draw your own conclusions. But something tells me we just might find ourselves walking together on the same path to audiophile nirvana. 

The Score Card

The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:

Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating

Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.

Audioholics Rating Scale

• — Excellent
• — Very Good
• — Good
• — Fair
• — Poor

Metric	Rating
Performance
Function
Stability
Build Quality
Ergonomics & Usability
Ease of Setup/Programming/Integration
Fit and Finish
Performance
Value