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What have you bought because of a HIFI Show and did it live up to the hype!


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This month I had the pleasure to got to my 1st and 2nd hifi shows - in consecutive weeks no less.

 

At the Pullman I was really taken by the Isoacoustic Gaia's. Purchased some Gaia II's from Melb Hifi for $730. 

 

Soon worked out that the threads did not fit my Monitor audio GS60's and found Convoy Int in Sydney as distributor. So I contacted them. And again, and again - probably all up 6 phone calls.  Ended up with mailing three sets of threads before i got the right ones at long last (M10 1.25 thread). Once my fault, once their fault. to their credit, mail was received next day between Sydney/Melb.

 

Have just fitted them which is really easy with the right thread! The cost of 8 threads is insane though, another $153.

 

Wow. 

 

I am often a suspicious bloke with claims made even if I hear them as think it could be a number of things to make sound change.

 

My speakers just sound awesome. So much more open and "real". I cannot recommend them enough.

 

Without the HIFI show I would be none the wiser and be missing out.

 

Anyone else purchase based on the shows?

 

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@rodders3 A couple of items I have purchased as follows:

 

2012 Sydney show : bought a Consonance amplifier straight after the show and when funds permitted I bought a pair of Osborn Epitome reference towers, these were after listening to Greg Osborn room at the show.

 

2018: I also purchased the Gaia II after listening to the demo at the show in Melbourne. Like yourself I have been very impressed and surprised at the improvement. Luckily mine were the standard M6 thread so I didn't have any issues fitting them.

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I bought a pair of Greg’s Osborn Eos loudspeakers when they were first released after listening to them at a Melbourne hifi show several years ago. I’ve been very happy with them and I don’t think I’ll ever sell them. 

 

I must admit I haven’t been to a hifi show for a few years now. The temptation to buy more gear would be too much for me!!!

 

 

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I've been looking at those isolation feet too - sexy as all get out ain't they?

Bit out of my league right now though..

 

Three things bought: 

  • some Beyer Dynamic IEMs that are for my daily commute on the 'ol iPod. Still to arrive. Looking forward to a significant upgrade to my old earbuds. That was 'cause I saw Beyer at this year's SNA Show.
  • Cambridge 640P phono stage, because I realised I could be getting so much more out of my current beloved spinner.
  • Cabling/ interconnects because this year's show prompted me to think about my system in all aspects, starting at the roots and branches.
     

Oh: and a G2 Mini Portable Bluetooth Speaker (not yet purchased) for use while we are in Bali over Xmas.
I'd never thought of one before, saw it, and that put the spark in my mind.

Which is really the whole point of these shows for casual audio fans like myself?

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@rodders3

 

i brought some of the IsoAcoustics stands for my small ht speakers in the living room, fantastic products. I am thinking of the Gaia III’s for my main two channel floorstanders like you have done. I have been holding off a bit due the cost, but endorsement like yours helps make the decision !

 

 

0ACF154F-16A2-4370-8100-E688E0DA5E50.jpeg

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5 hours ago, Whites said:

@rodders3 A couple of items I have purchased as follows:

 

2012 Sydney show : bought a Consonance amplifier straight after the show and when funds permitted I bought a pair of Osborn Epitome reference towers, these were after listening to Greg Osborn room at the show.

 

2018: I also purchased the Gaia II after listening to the demo at the show in Melbourne. Like yourself I have been very impressed and surprised at the improvement. Luckily mine were the standard M6 thread so I didn't have any issues fitting them.

 

6 hours ago, rodders3 said:

This month I had the pleasure to got to my 1st and 2nd hifi shows - in consecutive weeks no less.

 

At the Pullman I was really taken by the Isoacoustic Gaia's. Purchased some Gaia II's from Melb Hifi for $730. 

 

Soon worked out that the threads did not fit my Monitor audio GS60's and found Convoy Int in Sydney as distributor. So I contacted them. And again, and again - probably all up 6 phone calls.  Ended up with mailing three sets of threads before i got the right ones at long last (M10 1.25 thread). Once my fault, once their fault. to their credit, mail was received next day between Sydney/Melb.

 

Have just fitted them which is really easy with the right thread! The cost of 8 threads is insane though, another $153.

 

Wow. 

 

I am often a suspicious bloke with claims made even if I hear them as think it could be a number of things to make sound change.

 

My speakers just sound awesome. So much more open and "real". I cannot recommend them enough.

 

Without the HIFI show I would be none the wiser and be missing out.

 

Anyone else purchase based on the shows?

 

20181024_131316_resized.thumb.jpg.06ccc68c67952021e229c6a5ff59f387.jpg20181024_131333_resized.thumb.jpg.f463b922e2e47069b5c6db129ab83c5e.jpg20181024_131323_resized.thumb.jpg.2f76c3814165e59d43f271ad25744fac.jpg20181024_131304_resized.thumb.jpg.b49c996a0b30ddd54659906d41ef0cbf.jpg

Did you have to buy the Gaia 2 because of the weight of your speakers ? 

 

how dod you find the, on the carpet? 

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17 minutes ago, cafe67 said:

 

Did you have to buy the Gaia 2 because of the weight of your speakers ? 

 

how dod you find the, on the carpet? 

Hi @cafe67

 

My speakers weigh 27-28 kgs so in reality I could have gotten away with Gaia III's (they are rated to 32kgs). Nobody had in stock and I was offered a good deal on the II's which are rated to 54kgs. As my speakers were near the top of rating on III's then I could get away with the II's. 

 

As for the carpet, it is not that plush and so ditched the idea of spiked dishes you can also buy for the Gaia's to sit on. They are literally a disc with spikes and the Gaia sit on them. They were around $345 for 8 - insane!!!!! I note they were also not used at the Pullman show and that carpet is similar to mine.

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9 hours ago, Whites said:

@cafe67 my speakers weigh 45kg each so the Gaia 2 were perfect.

 

 I have timber floors.

 

I recently bought Gaia IIIs for my Spendors. They are sitting on a suspended timber floor. I feel the floor flexes under my feet when I walk around. What a big transformation! Overall everything has become tighter and into focus, especially lower/mid bass.

 

I'm a suspicious guy when it comes to these sort of stuff but this thing works. Other people's milage may vary depending on the floor type, speakers' location and how suitable the room is for audio listening. I have a very difficult room so I guess I got the most benefit from them.

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The last x2 years I’ve nearly bought the Gaia’s but then calculated it was going to cost just under a 3rd of what I actually paid for my speakers (2nd hand).....I’ve no doubt they work & I think my room would be better for them but @ close to $1k for x8 of them....I’ll have think a little more about them.

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On 26/10/2018 at 6:13 PM, bzr said:

I bought the Aries Cerat Diana Forte from Purasound at the Chester group show. Beats my Soulution hands down...

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That system was incredible to listen to, the highlight of the CG show for me, although not anywhere near my league at half a million in gear?  

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On 25/10/2018 at 11:23 PM, mattjtaylor2809 said:

The last x2 years I’ve nearly bought the Gaia’s but then calculated it was going to cost just under a 3rd of what I actually paid for my speakers (2nd hand).....I’ve no doubt they work & I think my room would be better for them but @ close to $1k for x8 of them....I’ll have think a little more about them.

Think of them as your forever speaker feet. Just remember where you put the box with other thread sizes for when you upgrade speakers. I need the Gaia III's and still thinking seriously about them even though I have the same open baffle speakers as @bzr above, and on a floating floor over slab.

 

As I said in the other thread I'm blown away with what they've done for my office speakers, and they were nearly 1/2 the purchase price of Audioengine 5+.

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Gaia IIs from last year's show. 

I needed special threads to be made OS which took a long time for me to get around to organising. 

They definitely help and would recommend them. Look pretty good with my stainless steel plinths too

IMG_20180830_151914993_LL.jpg

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I walked in and sat down in a room at last year's show, looked up at the speakers – some unprepossessing floorstanders, quite narrow, not that tall, standard rectangular wooden box and thought 'nuh, not for me'. Then the music played and I was seriously impressed. Vienna Acoustics. Beautiful sound through the spectrum, just weighted right. When a pair came up in the classifieds I grabbed em. Happy days.

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