Acoustical Product Reviews

Typhonics SP-Tiles Room Treatment First Look

You 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.

Auralex SubDude HD Review

The 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.

GIK GridFusor Diffusion Tile First Look

GIK introduces their new GridFusor Diffusion Tile for home theaters. Room 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.

Auralex Acoustics Sustain Bamboo Diffusors Preview

I'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...

Auralex HD Cinema Series Panels Preview

We'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.

Auralex SonoLite 1" Absorption Panel Review

Auralex 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.

XTZ Room Analyzer II Standard & Pro Acoustic Measurement System Preview

Acoustic 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.

Auralex Sheetblok-AF Sound Isolation Barrier Preview

Sheetblok 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.

Dirac Releases "Dirac Live" Room Correction Suite

If 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.

GIK Acoustics FlexRange Technology Preview

GiK's new FlexRange technology increases the low-end absorption of their panels while reducing the high end. Do you want this? You do if you have a small room and don't want it to sound overly dead or if you already have a lot of absorption and want to increase it without overly dampening the high frequencies. Either way, at a $15 price bump over the standard 244 and Monster Bass Traps, it isn't exactly going to blow your budget. We can see the new FlexRange panels becoming a staple in both DIY and professional installations.

MartinLogan Perfect Bass Kit (PBK) Subwoofer Calibration System Review

There are three general methods used, in this order, to achieve improved bass response in a room: proper subwoofer placement, passive room treatments, and active room correction. MartinLogan’s Perfect Bass Kit, or PBK, tackles the last option, active room correction. While nearly every new AV receiver and processor comes with some sort of automatic room correction system, the quality of said systems is usually severely lacking. For only $100, MartinLogan’s PBK offers an extremely affordable method of achieving high quality active room correction. That’s the idea anyway. Keep reading to see how, and how well, the system works.

XTZ Sound Room Analyzer II Pro Measurement Kit Review

With kits like XTZ’s Room Analyzer II Pro, it’s easier than ever before for consumers to analyze the acoustics of their room and make the needed adjustments. While the main draw with this kit is the automatic room analyzer and ability to simulate PEQs, there is a suite of other features built in as well, like an RTA and speaker-alignment function. Ultimately, if you are looking for a way to gain more insight into how your speakers interact with your room and what to do to fix any issues, the XTZ Sound Room Analyzer II Pro kit is probably the easiest method out there.

Onix Rocket Digital Equalization System (R-DES) Review

The Onix Rocket Digital Equalization System (R-DES) is a manual parametric EQ for subwoofer. Being 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.

Audyssey Labs' MultEQ

Tom Holman had a problem. As Professor of Film Sound at the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television, one of Tom's duties was to set-up, calibrate and acoustically equalize Norris Theater. This minimum five hour job was a step-by-laborious-step of set-up and reconfirmation of settings done months before. Inevitably, recalibration accompanied by more fine-turning was always required to make each channel of the Norris Theater system perform optimally. Norris was but one of literally tens of theaters and studio facilities that Tom has been calibrating manually for many years.

Audyssey MultEQ Pro Sound Equalizer Review

The Audyseey MultEQ Pro is a standalone room correction system for those that want the ultimate in theatrical experiences in their home. At $2500, it isn't for the light of wallet, but for those willing to spend the money, they will have unprecedented levels of control over the sound of their home theaters. The Audyssey MultEQ Pro has room correction technology that we've never seen, or heard, before. While expensive, the important thing is that it works.

GIK Acoustics 244 Absorption Panel Review

GIK Acoustics 244 Absorption Panels are affordable alternatives to the usually very expensive room treatment options on the market. As 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.

Auralex MoPADs Monitor Isolation Review

The Auralex MoPADs Monitor Isolation are pads to put under your speakers that decouple them and allow you to aim them in the desired direction. In 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.

Velodyne SMS-1 Subwoofer Parametric EQ System Review

We 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.

RealTraps MiniTraps MicroTraps MondoTraps Review

RealTraps come in three flavors (and sizes) - MiniTraps (small), MicroTraps (medium), and MondoTraps (large). While not inexpensive, they do cost less than what a professional installer might charge you. What are they for? Room treatment. Room treatment aims to increase the ratio of direct to reflected sound and in doing so flatten the frequency response as far as is practically possible whilst retaining the liveness that reflected sound adds to a room.

audyssey

MultEQ

graph1

graph2

graph2

graph2

Velodyne Mic-5 Add-on Supplementary Review

With the addition of the Mic-5 five mic system to the SMS-1, Velodyne has given you 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.

Auralex Sonosuede Room Acoustics System Review

Auralex is looking to improve the sound of your room not with components but with the Sonosuede Room Acoustics System. There are attractive room absorption and diffusion panels. Many 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.

Ready Acoustics Chameleon Bass Trap Review

ReadyAcoustics offers the Chameleon Frame to dress up acoustics panels so that your wife will actually let you have them. This is a DIY paradise! The Ready Acoustics Chameleon Bass Traps worked as advertised. They are great to look at, the absorb sound as promised, and they are easy to hang. If you're a DIY'er or want to have them arrive fully assembled, Ready Acoustics will accommodate.

Auralex Room Analysis Plus Review

Acoustics. 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.

GiK Tri-Trap Bass Trap Review

I 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."

SVS AS-EQ1 Sub EQ

For a very reasonable (in this category) $799 (currently $699 on preorder) the AS-EQ1 sub EQ is SVS's 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.

GIK Acoustics Screen Panel

GiK Acoustics is introducing their new Screen Panel. This free-standing absorption panel is perfect for those that need moveable panels. GiK 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.