Hi all. I’ve placed 4 OREA Bronze under my Nova, which sits atop a teak side table. We have not noticed any difference whatsoever in the sound quality (using Sonus Faber Olympica 1’s and a Paradigm sub). They are placed correctly. Has anyone actually heard a definitive, improved sound using them under your amp? Does it make a difference that the Nova is on a long teak side table already? Thanks for your input.
You have answered your own question…if you cannot hear a difference, the rest of us on the forum may have opinions, but your ears are key.
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There is a lot of hype around these products. If you hear no difference then that’s what counts. The only thing you can be certain of is that they will make your Nova look silly. It may be worth trying some Fraim glass and balls. Maybe you could borrow some from your dealer to try.
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They usually take a couple of days to compress and adjust, and they are not foolproof anyway and sometimes they don’t work or don’t work in the desired direction.
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Hi i use them on some bits off my gear, but not the amp or pre amp.
I have 3 under my melco, rossini and rega P10.
I found they work best under digital kit and turntable, basically gear that doesn’t like vibrations.
But to be fair the turntable was the biggest improvement and the rossini also liked them, the melco couldn’t really tell and was going to try them under the rega aura phono stage instead, but due to its weight i will need an extra one to try i.
But once again the big gain is to use the speaker ones instead off spikes, as this helps to cut the vibrations down at source and prevents alot going into the floor and then into the rack
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It would also be worth knowing if it takes time for them to settle in under load which others may be able to confirm/refute.
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I dont think they need time to settle, but you can find they work differently in different places.
I would try using 3 and not 4 to start with.
Also pick the nova up and feel where all the weight is, if its rear heavy then place 2 at the back and 1 at the front in the centre, again if the weight is on the right, put 2 on the right front and back and 1 on the left in the centre, you get what i am saying.
But you do need to get them right as you might be compressing one completely and then it wouldn’t be doing anything, a bit off messing about, but it might just surprise you if you get it right
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Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions. I’ve tried using 3 in various positions now to adjust to the weight distribution, but there still isn’t much change at all sound wise. It could be that the teak table is already a good isolator! Maybe at some point I’ll give the Gaia’s a demo on my speaker stands but I’m done with them for my Nova. Much appreciated!
Hi Jay, if you have 2 sets (3 + 3 or 4 + 4) of Orea Bronze and are using monitor speakers on stands, I would appreciate if you can try them below the speakers and see if you can perceive any sound improvement or difference. I have had a look at these earlier and wanted to try them between the speakers and stands but ditched the idea as I thought they ruined the aesthetics of the speakers by introducing a rather large gap between the speakers and stands.
Most people observed great results with Isoacoustics and speakers. You should try
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For me when I demoed the Gaia III’s under my speakers, the improvement was easy to hear. One caveat, my dealer loaned me them to demo as they were a return. His customer did not find that they made a difference in their setup. He did say that this was his only return of the Gaias in quite a while, almost all keep them. Your milage may vary.
I’m currently demoing the Orea Indigos under my Supernait 2. The change if any, is subtle, unlike the Gaias. I’ll keep them on for another week, then remove them and make a decision.
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Hi, I’ve only got 4 so I wouldn’t be able to get both speakers.
I swear by my Gaias on my floorstanders…best cheap upgrade ever. Sold my Orea Indigos however, couldn’t perceive any difference under any of my components.
I have the Gaias II in the K6 and III in the integrated amplifier beast with threaded feet, and the Oreas, in all the main system’s sources. I have never found them “neutral”: either they have improved the SQ, stayed, or made SQ worse (like the Graphites in the Marantz HD AMP1), then moving to the HIFI experiments trunk. You probably don’t notice anything because, as I mentioned, 4 Indigos for the SN2 are out of range, and even 3 too; with the SN2 the optimal would be 4 Bronze.
I do understand you, I’ll take the 3 indigo (not using 4 now) off next week, wait a day or two then demo the 4 Bronze.
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Nice to hear your impressions on here.
Using 4 bronze under the Nova is exactly where the weight limit should be for them. IsoAcoustic’s sales dept told me they recommend a 10% under the max weight limit. The max weight on 4 bronze is 32 lbs and the Nova weighs 28 lbs. So I think you have the right recipe here, but it is possible you aren’t hearing a difference. I hear a difference on my Nova that is placed on a glass-topped console, but not so much my office Nova which is on a very solid hardwood shelf.
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Yes, I think the wood side table is acting as an isolator in itself. So I listed them.
Thanks for all the comments!
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