Bass Traps
Anyone familiar with these 2 types of bass traps?
Synergistic Research Black Box and PSI AUDIO AVAA C214
I'm in the process of implementing room treatment and have decided on 32x32x6 hollow felt box clouds stuffed with 6" Rockwool Safe and Sound acoustic insulation. This will offer an NRC value of 1.25. These panels are manufactured with WAF in mind, not that I actually need my wife's approval lol
But as far as controlling the bass, given the aesthetics of my room I'm limited in what I can and want to do. So I'm wondering how effective these two types of bass traps actually perform. Those huge passive black foam blocks and wedges won't work with the aesthetics of my room. Let's not pretend they are anything but conspicuous and visually disruptive.
Again I'm looking for feedback on the Synergistic Research Black Box and PSI AUDIO AVAA C214
Thanks!
@fire_water I’d want you to reach out to Vespers. Maybe he’d be free enough to do a consultation as he is in Canada. Reach out to him here - https://vespers.ca/contact/?v=6848ae6f8e78 and here are some of his panel works in a comprehensive video - https://youtu.be/w-G9W4S7Hrg?si=hVIgr7ZjCZ9jU66- I followed his steps roughly with iterations to match my room specifically and it has been a revelation |
Not likely.
Probably not. They need to be placed where there is the highest pressure due to room modes and these are generally at boundary intersections. |
I was inquiring as to the advantages of adding the AVAA to a distributed bass array (DBA). When I reviewed Bob Katz' Stereophile article back in 2016 (https://www.stereophile.com/content/psi-audio-avaa-c20-electronic-bass-trap), it appeared that the improvements were on the order of 2 dB or less, which seemed small in comparison to my DBA's impact. Your article (https://www.stereophile.com/content/psi-audio-avaa-c214-active-bass-trap) seems to emphasize decay times and indicate the device(s) might still be of benefit. I recognize you reviewed a later design, but I get the impression the performance is virtually the same and it was primarily a cosmetic move, along with a control or two.
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I have no first-hand experience with DBA or with the C20. However, according to PSi, the C214 is more efficient (and well as better looking) than the C20 and one would have predicted a more pronounced effect than shown by Katz. Nonetheless, my FR measurements with the C14s were consistent with Katz' and did not seem to correlate with the audible effects which were immediately apparent to me. That motivated me to examine decay times. |
@OP I have experience of both products. The Synergistic box, at best, does nothing. If you look at it in the context of the laws of physic, that's not surprising. The PSI AVAA C214 is a completely different animal. It is highly effective and the effect is readily audible. It takes a little bit of time to fine tune placement and the gain adjustment. When dialled in it is very effective at smoothing out the bass and has consequential effects up into the midrange.
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