[DEP14]

I've heard them... as I was visiting Jim and Mary today to pick up my new speakers.

I had seen them (look incredible), now I've heard them (but only vs a RAAL) and a very short demo.

They are very good, just an excellent speaker.

Diamond tweeters are very nice, I would say if you are looking for that ultimate nth degree of detail (though it's smooth like all Jim's designs).

[jsalk]

Mozel Tov!

Are you accepting visitors into the shop? I'd like to stop by 

Glenn

You are welcome.  Just give us a call.

- Jim

[jsalk]

I would be interested in trying the Gaia footers on my 9.5. Can you tell me how the stock cones are threaded?
Thanks!

They are 3/8-16

- Jim

[jsalk]

Jim, can you provide an update on these speakers?  How would you compare the Seas diamond tweeter to the SB Acoustics Beryllium and to the Raal ribbon tweeter?  Thanks for your input!

Sorry for the delayed response.  We've been quite busy here lately trying to recover from lost covid time.

This is a difficult question to answer.

The diamond tweeters are about as close to "no tweeter" I have heard.  They are very open, detailed and transparent.  If you close your eyes, you can almost reach out and touch the performers.

That said, you could almost say the same thing about the Be and RAAL tweeters as well.

I think the differences are incremental.  And all three are fabulous drivers. 

If you have low ceilings and/or hard flooring, the RAAL might be more applicable since less energy is directed above and below the tweeter (more limited vertical dispersion).  Off-axis response may be a bit better with the Be and diamond tweeters, but not by much.

The bottom line is that you can't really go wrong with any of these tweeters.  Each is probably the best in its category.  I would gladly use any one of them without a second thought.

I hope this helps.

- Jim

[DEP14]

So, they are crazy expensive (the diamond tweeters).

The only Diamond tweeters I've heard otherwise are the last few B+W D series.  Personally I really don't care for the B+W D series.

The 9.5's with the diamond tweeters don't sound like that.  They have the detail, hit the highs but true to Jim's designs - they are not bright or edgy at all. 

But, I also don't like many Be tweeter speakers, but every one of Jim's I've heard - detail without the edge.  The stock SS9.5's - outstanding.

If you must have a Diamond tweeter, then you likely should have Jim voice it (unless of course you like the B+W sound, which it's all personal preference).

I'm just partial to the Raal/Accuton combo.

[audiocrazy]

Sorry for the delayed response.  We've been quite busy here lately trying to recover from lost covid time.

This is a difficult question to answer.

The diamond tweeters are about as close to "no tweeter" I have heard.  They are very open, detailed and transparent.  If you close your eyes, you can almost reach out and touch the performers.

That said, you could almost say the same thing about the Be and RAAL tweeters as well.

I think the differences are incremental.  And all three are fabulous drivers. 

If you have low ceilings and/or hard flooring, the RAAL might be more applicable since less energy is directed above and below the tweeter (more limited vertical dispersion).  Off-axis response may be a bit better with the Be and diamond tweeters, but not by much.

The bottom line is that you can't really go wrong with any of these tweeters.  Each is probably the best in its category.  I would gladly use any one of them without a second thought.

I hope this helps.

- Jim

Jim,
Thanks for your insight. That really helps when I upgrade next, hopefully soon.
What I really like most about Jim's speakers are they keep on getting better with every upgrade I have done. Be it DAC, Power cord, Interconnects.
And that makes me wonder how will the next upgrade to Jim's speakers sound like!!!

[c_note]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I was hoping Jim or any board member could comment on the use of Gaia footers.  I saw they were added to this go-for broke construction.. are they worth the incremental investment beyond traditional floor spikes?  All feedback is appreciated!

[abd1]

I use gaia 3's on my standard song3's. My floors are hardwood, suspended over a finished basement and the house is 60 years old for context. I love them. Totally tightened up the imaging and detail especially in the bass. One of the best "tweaks" I've ever tried.

[Hydro]

I use the Gaia footers on both of my SS-10 systems. As abd1 says they made a big difference on both systems. One is on concrete and the other a suspended hardwood floor. I use the Zoro isolators on my Ht-3's and they work nearly as well at a fraction of the price. Search this site for the part numbers if you are interested.

[ddps]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I was hoping Jim or any board member could comment on the use of Gaia footers.  I saw they were added to this go-for broke construction.. are they worth the incremental investment beyond traditional floor spikes?  All feedback is appreciated!

I have added Gaia II footers to my SS 9.5s and they made a small but definitely noticeable improvement in my space. They also look really nice! The folks at Gaia were very good at providing me with the right thread sizes in a separate package after I contacted them. Excellent customer service, and a great product.

[owlsalum1]

Eye popping beauties. Has me thinking seriously about Gaia footers for my on-order Song3 Encores. I too have hardwood floors. Cones and hardwood floors don't mix and I've been thinking through options that make sense both for my flooring and sonically. Hadn't even considered Gaia footers. Now I'm shopping for a set for my soon to be delivered Encores.

[brusson]

I've also added the Gaia footers to my 9.5s. Improvements were subtle but easily heard. In my listening room, using the spikes, the soundstage was elevated above ear level. With the Gaia footers it was easier raise the rear of the speaker and project voices and soloists between, rather than above, the speakers.
Note: The ceiling of my listening room rises from about seven feet in the left front  to about sixteen feet at right rear. Also, I like a big soundstage and I'm running the rear ports open with only a small amount of insulation.

[Jeff in the D]

I have the Soundscape 8s. They're 120+ pounds. Safe to assume they'd be a hand full to move around. They have spikes. I also have oak hardwood floors. Perfect storm.
I have not tried the Gaia footer but have read speaker repositioning is not accomplished too easily, the footers tend to stick in place rather than slide.

Herbies Audio Lab spike decoupling gliders provided the flexibility I was looking for. They may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the Gaia footers. But, they fit well with the spikes that came with the SS8s. They provide exceptional ease of movement/placement.
Of course they may not be what you're looking for.

Jeff

[jsalk]

The Gaia footer looks great and works well.  But when moving a speaker with them installed, one of them came apart.  So the comment about moving them may be accurate.  I don't know if the footer was defective or that you have to be really careful moving speakers with them installed.

- Jim

[WGH]

Herbies Audio Lab spike decoupling gliders provided the flexibility I was looking for. They may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the Gaia footers. But, they fit well with the spikes that came with the SS8s. They provide exceptional ease of movement/placement.

I also use Herbie's Gliders between my 100 lb. Salk's and maple floor. The Gaia footers might have been better in my old house which had a basement and springy wood floors. My new house has a floating wood floor over a concrete slab with a layer of Quietwalk in between. The combination is in the Goldilocks zone.

[TomS]

The Gaia footer looks great and works well.  But when moving a speaker with them installed, one of them came apart.  So the comment about moving them may be accurate.  I don't know if the footer was defective or that you have to be really careful moving speakers with them installed.

- Jim

Having owned both the big Gaia I's and now the Gaia II's, I had spoken with Dave and Sean at IsoAcoustics at length about this a couple times. They were VERY specific that the only proper way to move them is to lift the speakers up off their feet, taking all the weight off, so entirely in place, then carry them to their destination, and drop them back down. Otherwise it may damage the internals, if they slide and drag along the floor. Definitely use caution, but they do work very well!

[dpatters]

The Track Audio Footers allow the speaker to be moved more easily. My speakers are 250 lb. each





Don’t mean to interject on a Salk thread, just thought info might be helpful.
 
Don P

[bacobits1]

A quick easy fix for moving these on hardwood floors especially  as I do, spray some Pledge wax on the area and they will slide very easily.

[Ice10]

A quick easy fix for moving these on hardwood floors especially  as I do, spray some Pledge wax on the area and they will slide very easily.

Never thought about this option!  Sadly I’ve mostly lived with status quo speaker placement because I fear my speakers tipping over when I move them over my wood floors.  Thank you for sharing!