Listening
Contents
Putting into words the impact of the PSI AVAA is very easy on one hand and incredibly difficult on the other. But let’s give it a shot.
Truly gone…!
First of all, you will notice that the “veil” caused by the room-modes is gone. What is noticeable, however, is that it does not feel cold. The glow that the bass brings is just still there. The imaging and space that the bass brings – bass foundation is necessary for large imaging – is also just still there. In short: the AVAA does not take away qualities. It only removes a veil. A veil that shouldn’t be there.
The bass kicks are also a lot tighter. Very audible with music like Editors, Mumford and Sons…. But also with deep bass as in Massive Attack, we hear much more depth and detail. This is worth its weight in gold, of course, since this is incredibly difficult to achieve without substantial work on the room!
If we listen deeper, we notice that it does not affect the timbre of the system. The characteristics of our reference system are still present in all their glory. The “Pass Mids”, the layering of the TAD Evolution 2, the speed and transparency of the Sonnet Pasithea … everything is still there. And that is quite remarkable, because with digital room correction this is often not the case. There you fix something on one side and on the other side something breaks down again…
More of everything!
People who have experience with acoustics probably know this effect: if you address the bass, the mids and treble go with it. Not so much in tonality, but in accents. Our brains have to recalibrate, so to speak.
So we were not surprised to hear differences in the mids and treble range. However, what we did not expect – which makes sense in hindsight – is that we perceive more refinement and resolution. The mids clear up and is more transparent, the treble gets more headroom. In a positive sense. A wonderful bonus. A kind of super-bonus!
Louder!
This one is a little dangerous … so we recommend keeping a decibel meter at hand. Now we can play pretty loud in the Alpha Listening Room. The room is well treated, which makes it possible to turn up the volume without any problems. Wonderful, of course, because let’s face it: playing loud is also a lot of fun!
However, the AVAAs make it possible to get quite a few more dBs out of your system. We can play so incredibly, obscenely loud because of the AVAAs without getting the idea that something is wriggling…. it’s almost frightening. Everything just remains completely controlled and stable. No hum, no compression, no harshness. Very impressive; and dangerous!
The Hans Beekhuyzen Channel
Improving lows with the PSI AVAA C214 active bass trap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYIgoUnr8ME
Nice video!
Interesting, as I use stacked ASC tube traps in one corner and singles directly adjacent to and on the outside of my main (ATC) speakers, all for about 2/3 the cost of the PSI. Not the best design for company. With the PSI, it’s not clear from text or photos where they ended up. It’s hard to imagine that placement in the middle of the room, as two of the photos show, will sell well.
Those AVAA’s are placed to the side, out of sight. The image is, well, to photograph the AVAA’s.
You place the AVAA’s where the room-mode is problematic. That way, it works the most efficiënt. It works in a different way than a bass trap that is mostly installed in a corner.
How many did you test and how big was your room?
We used two of them. Our room is treated and 50m2.
How many? At least two Psi AVAA C214? -> $$$
It works with one… we used two. The effect is incredible.
Interesting product especially if you do not or cannot use room treatment devices. Thank you for this review, but may I make a suggestion that your readers might find useful. After decades of experimenting in getting rid of the annoying lows (and applying all sorts of passive and active devices) I ended up with an effective but very affordable combined set up. After measuring the room I stacked Big and Small Blocks in the corners. I placed single SiRRAH ‘cushions’ on the first reflection points on the walls and behind the Voxativ Field Coil full range units. The speakers are open baffle PAP Quintet 15 with four 15″ bass drivers per side. After this treatment there’s still a bit of a peak in the ‘famous’ 60-65 Hz region veiling the lower and mid frequencies. For that I used Roon which is in my Grimm Mu1. I created a quite steep filter around 60 Hz thereby removing a larger part of the peak, which gives you this ‘veil removing’ affect. At the same time I boosted the 20-35Hz band with a gradual slope effectively filling out the low end of the bass. My amp can easily pump out the boost when speaker resistance drops beyond 4 Ohm. This DSP solution is effective and very pleasant and for free as it is a part of Roon anyway. AND you can play with it to your hearts content or even create multiple ‘solutions’. It will not replace proper speaker placement and basic room treatment for the bass, but it is the icing on the cake and for free. It will enhance perceived resolution and stereo image big time. The trick is, and I cannot emphasize this enough, not to try to correct ‘everything’. Small steps go a long way. I keep saying you need to take care of the room FIRST instead of constantly swapping gear, tubes, cables et cetera. Enjoy!
Dear D.L. Whitton, I use an Auralic Aries G1 with which I can also influence the frequency. I was already experimenting. With your additional information I will try to take a step forward. Thank you. I’ll let you know.