http://www.audioholics.comWhere audio and video equipment undergoes rigorous objective and subjective tests by our staff, ensuring that marketing slogans aren't the only guidelines for your home theater choices.Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:10:00 -0000http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/dirac-live-room-correctionIf you use a computer as the main source in your home theater or stereo system, then listen up. Dirac has released a new room correction system called “Dirac Live” and it’s aimed at everyone seeking the best performance possible out of a computer. By actively monitoring and correcting audio it accounts for time domain and frequency response issues. But, with a cost of $849 plus a microphone we think it is going to be a niche product.Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:10:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/dirac-live-room-correctionAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/auralex-sheetblok-af-sound-isolationSheetblok is a dense, limp-mass vinyl material that is made to be rolled out and installed on a wall, ceiling, or floor to stop sound from being transmitted through the wall. It can be installed on a wall and painted as the finishing layer, rather than sandwiched between drywall. Auralex claims that it is 6dB more effective than solid lead at stopping the transmission of sound. And that is good to hear, because I was planning on encasing my next home theater in solid lead blocks, but now I don’t have to. Sheetblok is supposed to be used in a multi-layered construction so it can help decouple the wall from the rest of the structure. There are a number of solutions on the market that can be installed during construction to stop sound transmission, but few than go on after the wall is already up.Sat, 06 Oct 2012 15:15:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/auralex-sheetblok-af-sound-isolationAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/xtz-room-analyzerAcoustic Frontiers has released an Acoustical Measurement system called XTZ Room Analyzer II that is said to be easy to use and it comes in two flavors, Standard and Pro. XTZ contains both the hardware (microphone, soundcard, cabling) and the software required to calibrate your home theater. There are four pieces of functionality that XTZ Room Analyzer provides that is used to complete a system calibration: SPL, Delay, RTA and Frequency Response. This system interfaces with your A/V receiver and external equalization to help you dial in the best response for a better home theater experience. The graphic interface looks pretty cool and the price for these two systems seems quite reasonable. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:30:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/xtz-room-analyzerAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/auralex-sonoliteAuralex introduced their new 2' x 2' x 1" SonoLite fabric wrapped absorption panels at the most recent NAMM show. From our tests, they proved their new SonoLite panels offers the performance and aesthetics you need when fine tuning the acoustics of your theater room. SonoLite is easy to install and it addresses the issues of excessive flutter echo which may arise in a theater room where there is a great deal of parallel hard surface areas (wood floor and drywall ceiling). Best of all, SonoLite is a tool-less solution which doesn’t require any fancy tucking of fabric into pre-installed mounting tracks. Simply apply an adhesive and place them in the problem areas and you’re done. If you find your home theater system to be fatiguing over extended listening sessions, consider evaluating and addressing your room acoustics issues before spending hard earned dollars on upgrading equipment (or even worse, cables). For less money than a cable tweak, Auralex Sonolite ($30 per panel) provides a real solution to potentially transpose your listening experience from good to excellent. Highly recommended. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:46:40 -0000/reviews/acoustics/auralex-sonoliteAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/auralex-hd-cinema-series-panelsWe've covered Auralex Acoustics a bunch in the past and they've always impressed us as a premier innovator in sound control solutions. At CEDIA, in addition to their new Sustain Bamboo Diffusors, they also showed off their new HD Cinema Series line of acoustical panels. The new panels are specifically designed to cater to the audiophile and home theater market through the use of a variety of shapes and sizes that should have a wide appeal to those looking to tame room acoustics and achieve better sound reproduction. We saw them in person and they are really attractive and present an almost limitless way to increase both the aesthetics and room acoustics of a room.Sat, 10 Sep 2011 15:57:28 -0000/reviews/acoustics/auralex-hd-cinema-series-panelsAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/auralex-sustain-bamboo-diffusorsI've started to become a fan of bamboo. The inexpensive and eco-friendly material has started showing up all over - in furniture, flooring and more... I'm waiting for someone to make bamboo accessories for my car. Anyway, Auralex Acoustics is jumping in feet first and has offered its new Sustain Bamboo Sound Diffusor Series. The new system is made from 100% "eco-friendly" bamboo (as opposed to the non-eco-friendly kind, we guess). I can't help but think that once we use enough of these new products we'll end up back at plastic, which doesn't go extinct or run out...Thu, 08 Sep 2011 12:10:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/auralex-sustain-bamboo-diffusorsAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/gik-gridfusor-flRoom treatments may not be as sexy a topic as speakers or projectors, it is no less important. Bringing you affordable room treatments has been GiK's mission for years. Their new Gridfusors diffusion panels look to add to their already impressive lineup. While the Gridfusors may be designed with drop ceilings in mind, they can be used in nearly any application. For those that have plenty of absorption but are still suffering imaging problems, these should be a no brainer. We're sure these will start flying off the shelves at the $50 a pop price.Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:05:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/gik-gridfusor-flAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/auralex-subdude-hd-videoThe Auralex SubDude HD is a platform for your subwoofer. Why would you want it? Well, a subwoofer, as you may know, generates a lot of vibration due to the fact that it puts out low frequencies and has a larger driver than most speakers. Well, these vibrations move into your floor and reduce the actual efficiency of the sub. After all, if it's expending energy into moving your furniture around the room, its not putting all of its energy potential into making sound waves. Plus it can just be a nuisance - as anyone who has experienced dishes rattling in their cupboards during a bass-heavy scene can testify.Tue, 05 Oct 2010 13:50:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/auralex-subdude-hd-videoAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/typhonics-sp-tiles-first-lookYou may have seen the Typhonics SP-Tiles. They are the acoustical foam room treatments in the shape of speakers. Not exactly appealing to your better half? Well we've got some suggestions on that front. For a mere $54 a pop, you can use double-sided tape to stick these to your wall. They suggest both in front and behind your listening position. We're guessing your spouse will suggest a placement somewhere closer to the curb. Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:05:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/typhonics-sp-tiles-first-lookAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/gik-acoustics-screen-panelGiK Acoustics has been one of the most popular online dealers of room acoustics for their quality products at no-nonsense pricing. They've consistently met and exceeded their customer's needs by providing products that they often didn't even know that they needed. Once again they are doing the same with the introduction of their new Screen Panel. Obviously designed for a studio setting, we think there are more than one Audioholic that would be interested. Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:45:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/gik-acoustics-screen-panelAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/svs-as-eq1-sub-eqFor a very reasonable (in this category) $799 (currently $699 on preorder) the AS-EQ1 sub EQ is their new standalone room correction system. A joint venture with Audyssey Labs, a name that is becoming synonymous with room correction, the AS-EQ1 offers computer interface, dual subs, and some very interesting aesthetics. For those that want an easy to use room correction system, the AS-EQ1 is just what the doctor ordered. It's built to work with existing technology without overriding anything, it is easy to setup and maintain, and it lets you know exactly what it did via pretty graphs.Tue, 12 May 2009 15:15:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/svs-as-eq1-sub-eqAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/gik-tri-trapI very rarely say anything unequivocal in a review. Hold on to your hats 'cause I'm gonna to do it now. The GiK Tri-Traps will improve the sound in your room. They will. It doesn't matter the speaker or the amp. The DVD player or the processor. The Tri-Traps will help curb your bass problems. Are they a panacea? Will the fix everything? No, of course not. But ask any acoustical expert and you'll find that corner bass trapping is high up on their list of "first steps to a better sounding room."Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:00:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/gik-tri-trapAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/auralex-room-analysis-plusAcoustics. Next to your speakers, your room is probably the biggest contributor to the quality of the sound. We here at Audioholics care about acoustics as we understand that it is one of the major factors affecting your listening experience. The Auralex Room Analysis Plus gives you the ability to not only get recommendations about treating your room, but a report based on ACTUAL MEASUREMENTS! And it doesn't cost thousands of dollars either.Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:30:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/auralex-room-analysis-plusAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/ready-acoustics-chameleon-bass-trapReadyAcoustics offers the Chameleon Frame to dress up acoustics panels so that your wife will actually let you have them. This is a DIY paradise!Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:18:57 -0000/reviews/acoustics/ready-acoustics-chameleon-bass-trapAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/auralex-sonosuede-room-acoustics-systemMany people think that the secret to a great home theater is great gear. And when you ask them what that gear consists of, it will usually be a display, speakers, components, and cables. But the ingredient that can often make or break a home theater is the room itself. My room is an excellent case in point, which is why I chose to bring in the good folks at Auralex.Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:13:39 -0000/reviews/acoustics/auralex-sonosuede-room-acoustics-systemAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/velodyne-mic-5-add-onThe proprietary Velodyne subwoofer correction system is included in all the higher end Velodyne subs as well as a standalone unit called the SMS-1. Anyone that has done much research about subwoofers has undoubtedly run across the SMS-1. A 1/3 octave smoothed, on-screen graph in real time makes adjusting and parametric eq’ing a subwoofer an exercise even the most technologically challenged can excel at. There are very few additions to a full surround system that have the impact of a room correction system. You’ll wonder how you ever got along without it. And with the addition of the Mic-5, you now have the ability to correct for multiple seating positions creating a better experience for everyone. While the Mic-5 add-on may be a bit pricy for the average consumer, I can see it as a very good investment for an installer or perhaps a group of friends that can split the cost. It is nice to be able to correct for a sweet spot, but multiple seats takes it to a whole other level.Tue, 31 Oct 2006 09:21:52 -0000/reviews/acoustics/velodyne-mic-5-add-onAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/audyssey-multeq-pro-sound-equalizerUltimate audio performance within the listening area starts with the loudspeakers and the room. How the Installer gets the loudspeaker system to integrate within the listening space is what can make or break even the best assembled audio systems. In our article Better Sound Through Active Room Correction (recommended reading before reading this review) the important metrics of loudspeaker placement and selection, room acoustics, and how to best integrate all of these variables using the new Audyssey Pro MultEQ enabled processor for the ultimate theatrical experience in the comforts of your home was discussed. We now expand upon this with a formal review of the Audyssey MultEQ Pro sound equalization processor. Wed, 11 Oct 2006 01:00:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/audyssey-multeq-pro-sound-equalizerAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/onix-r-desBeing an official Audioholic comes with a couple of drawbacks. The first of which is that you are required by Audioholic charter not to believe in many of the tweaks out there. Magic rocks, cable risers, wooden volume knobs, batteries anywhere in your system but in your remote… What is a bona fide Audioholic to do? Well, after treating your room, the next “tweak” is an EQ for your sub. At least it is for me. I’ve wanted one of these for a long, long time. When Clint mentioned in passing that he needed someone to review the Onix R-DES, I practically tackled him.Wed, 26 Jul 2006 01:00:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/onix-r-desAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/auralex-mopads-monitor-isolationIn an ideal world there would be no war, disease or hunger and our loudspeakers would be perfectly placed in perfect rooms for perfect sound. While Auralex probably can’t help resolve world issues, they certainly can help with speaker placement, room acoustics and isolation as evident by their isolation pad devices they refer to as MoPADs and the up and coming new acoustically treated room for the Audioholics Showcase home premier reference system.Sun, 07 May 2006 01:00:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/auralex-mopads-monitor-isolationAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/velodyne-sms-1-subwoofer-parametric-eq-systemWe were introduced to the Velodyne SMS-1 system at the CEDIA show in Indianapolis last year and were instantly impressed with its potential for improving how subwoofers interact with the room. The SMS-1 is basically Velodyne’s flagship Digital Drive room correction software offloaded into a standalone system that allows it to be used with any (even *gasp* non-Velodyne) subwoofers. The SMS-1 is essentially an 8-band parametric EQ with variable frequency, Q, and gain that shows you a real-time smoothed graph of the room’s low frequency response from 15Hz to 200Hz via an on-screen display.Mon, 10 Apr 2006 01:00:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/velodyne-sms-1-subwoofer-parametric-eq-systemAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/gik-acoustics-244-absorption-panel-reviewAs Audioholics, our pursuit of audio perfection seems never ending. We are always on the lookout for that next piece of gear that will improve our system. Many of us will spend our budgets dry and drive our significant others to the brink of the funny farm in this continuing journey. With all of this madness, however, the one area many of us overlook that can have significant impact in our system is room acoustics.Sun, 26 Mar 2006 01:00:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/gik-acoustics-244-absorption-panel-reviewAcoustical ProductsAV Reviewshttp://www.audioholics.com/reviews/acoustics/realtrapsMiniTraps, MicroTraps & MondoTraps Commercial Acoustic AbsorptionFri, 06 Jan 2006 01:00:00 -0000/reviews/acoustics/realtrapsAcoustical ProductsAV Reviews