Holostages - critical review

[highstream]

I'm using 3M Command Display Ledges. Small and allow the Holostages to be placed horizontally or vertically. They use the command strips which make replacement very easy. I wanted the option of changing the orientation or location easily. I used nanotape first. It works very effectively also, I just prefer the small display ledge.


View attachment 148375

Thanks for the photos and the idea of the 3M ledges. I found both them remained better from falling with wide nanotape. Before putting a pair on the front wall, 5' up and little inside my bass trap stacks, they were on my ATC floorstanders. There the blocks were effective but the front wall opened up the sound even more. OTOH, there was an attractive touch of warmth on the speakers that disappeared with new placement.

One thing about these blocks is that their effects are unique and obvious. I don't even feel pressed to A-B them, because there is nothing I have, or have added around the same time, that could have brought about the level of ambient 3-D staging and clarity that these blocks do. On the photos I posted earlier, one can tell from the system placement in the room that the right side sound might not be as pronounced as the left. These blocks have gone a long way to mitigating that. Thanks to Will for bringing them to my attention.

 

[Willgolf]

Have you had time to find a location in your unusual room where they make a difference or is it too early to tell?

 

[highstream]

Have you had time to find a location in your unusual room where they make a difference or is it too early to tell?

For some reason, my post went up before I had written anything. Take a look again. The other two blocks are on each side just behind my head. Haven't played with those yet.

 

[Sc00ter]

Question: Did anyone here stop at just four Holostages? And if so, are you happy with the results, or do you feel you’ll need to add more? From what I’m seeing in the comments here, what starts as a relatively inexpensive tweak ($999) ends up doubling or tripling in price before most users are fully satisfied with the results. While I’d be perfectly happy to drop a grand on a set, even with a full refund policy it sounds like a slippery slope. Can anyone tell me if they’re satisfied with four?

 

[djsina2]

Question: Did anyone here stop at just four Holostages? And if so, are you happy with the results, or do you feel you’ll need to add more? From what I’m seeing in the comments here, what starts as a relatively inexpensive tweak ($999) ends up doubling or tripling in price before most users are fully satisfied with the results. While I’d be perfectly happy to drop a grand on a set, even with a full refund policy it sounds like a slippery slope. Can anyone tell me if they’re satisfied with four?

4 is enough for me.

 

[MacF]

A set of four is plenty for you to hear how the Holos will affect your room. They are very robust.

 

[highstream]

If you can't hear a noticeable difference with four, I imagine more wouldn't solve it. The initial task is to find where the four work best. They have an effect, for better or perhaps worse, almost no matter where you put them, but the right spot may take some work. I followed ptman's front placement photos (and handy shelves), but with mine there may be a bit more to do.

 

[Mr. Miyagi]

If you can't hear a noticeable difference with four, I imagine more wouldn't solve it. The initial task is to find where the four work best. They have an effect, for better or perhaps worse, almost no matter where you put them, but the right spot may take some work. I followed ptman's front placement photos (and handy shelves), but with mine there may be a bit more to do.

We postes extensively on this topic.

Our best advice is four holostages (1x on each side wall halfway between seat and speakers and 1x on each front wall corner.) each holostage roughly 2/3 up the wall from the floor to ceiling.

We do not recommend on components or more than that

 

[highstream]

We postes extensively on this topic.

Our best advice is four holostages (1x on each side wall halfway between seat and speakers and 1x on each front wall corner.) each holostage roughly 2/3 up the wall from the floor to ceiling.

We do not recommend on components or more than that

Thanks. Doesn't wholly work if one side is open.

 

[Jeff4598]

Question: Did anyone here stop at just four Holostages? And if so, are you happy with the results, or do you feel you’ll need to add more? From what I’m seeing in the comments here, what starts as a relatively inexpensive tweak ($999) ends up doubling or tripling in price before most users are fully satisfied with the results. While I’d be perfectly happy to drop a grand on a set, even with a full refund policy it sounds like a slippery slope. Can anyone tell me if they’re satisfied with four?

You will get your $ worth with four no doubt. More are optional. I have 22 of various types and feel like It's not been a waste of funds in a very good system. It is a lot more revealing and engaging and that gives me pleasure every day. The 3 in my video system are likewise providing a rewarding experience although I would have never called myself a videophile. Particularly with sports the players are playing more profoundly and harmoniously as they are in a band in my audio room.

 

[Chop]

I have eight. Six would be optimal in my weird shaped room with the cathedral ceiling.

 

[fbhifi]

I, also, have eight. As soon as I got the first four placed- one in each corner behind the speakers and one on each side wall hallway between speakers and listening position, all about eight feet high- I wanted to play around with placement of the remaining four.

The final four were much more trial and error and some placements yielded negative results.

I think that once you hear the effect of the first four, likely in the above locations, you will be dying to try four more. I would order eight and return four, if they don’t trip your trigger. I would be very surprised if the first four don’t earn their keep, however.

 

[Zuman]

I've had four for just two weeks. I'm at that rare but happy place where I don't want to do anything with my system: I don't want the next-step-up speaker, I don't want to change my electronic or cables, I don't want to rearrange my room.
I just returned from AXPONA, and my friend made a Tidal playlist of all the demo tracks we heard there. I listened to them at home today and I'm in a very contented place right now.

 

[treitz3]

That's always a good spot to be in!

Tom

 

[Chop]

I've had four for just two weeks. I'm at that rare but happy place where I don't want to do anything with my system: I don't want the next-step-up speaker, I don't want to change my electronic or cables, I don't want to rearrange my room.
I just returned from AXPONA, and my friend made a Tidal playlist of all the demo tracks we heard there. I listened to them at home today and I'm in a very contented place right now.

I'm in the same place. Its hard to see how to make it better. My wife phrases this a bit differently.

"What ever you've done, that sounds amazing. So for heavens sake don't fiddle with it in case you lose it again"

 

[Republicoftexas69]

Finally caved and ordered these quartz boxes and will give them a shot. Time will tell

 

[Zuman]

Finally caved and ordered these quartz boxes and will give them a shot. Time will tell

I'll be really interested to hear your findings. You're clearly someone who tells it like it is, regardless of where the chips fall. Please let us know!

 

[djsina2]

In your system. Not buying so let it go. I am out.

Finally caved and ordered these quartz boxes and will give them a shot. Time will tell

 

[Republicoftexas69]

I'll be really interested to hear your findings. You're clearly someone who tells it like it is, regardless of where the chips fall. Please let us know!

I will do that for sure.

 

[Zuman]

Ok, so I continue to be frustrated by my hearing a difference with the Holostages in place in my listening room, yet not understanding how it is possible. So I decided to try to see if anything was clearly measurable.
I am not a measurements geek, I don't know or own REW, and I only have a passing familiarity with acoustics. But here's what I did:
- I have a calibrated Dayton Audio measurement mic that I plugged into my iPhone.
- I placed the phone and mic on a table near my normal listening seat.
- I opened the FFT Plot app and set it to Slow Average.
- I found the Pink Noise track from the old Stereophile Test CD, which was saved to the internal SSD of my Pachanko server.
- I played the pink noise track (1) with my four Holostages in place; (2) with the rear two Holostages removed; (3) with all four Holostages removed; and (4) again with all four Holostages in place.
- I snapped a screenshot of the resulting plots at 60 seconds into the track and again at 90 seconds into the track.
Here are the eight plots that resulted from the four different scenarios described in the previous paragraph. (In case you're wondering about the high-frequency fall-off in all of the plots, I realized that the microphone was about 30 inches below my normal seated ear level. Sorry, but I didn't want to go through it all again...).

(Above) All four Holostages in place, 60 seconds into track

(Above) All four Holostages in place, 90 seconds into track

(Above) Only 2 FRONT Holostages in place, 60 seconds into track

(Above) Only 2 FRONT Holostages in place, 90 seconds into track

(Above) All Holostages Removed, 60 seconds into track

(Above) All Holostages Removed, 90 seconds into track

(Above) All Holostages - FRONT and REAR - back in position, 60 seconds into track

(Above) All Holostages - FRONT and REAR - back in position, 90 seconds into track

I'm not going to try to interpret anything here, but what stands out to me is that the SPL is notably higher across the range in all four instances during which the Holostages were in place compared with the plots during which they were removed. I "bookended" the tests with the Holostages removed with the two tests with them in place. My amp (Modwright KWH 225i integrated with triode front end and solid state output section) had been warmed up for more than 30 minutes and both the server and DAC had been on overnight.
Hmm.

<<UPDATE April 17, 2025: I repeated the same process today and did NOT get the same kind of differentiation between pink noise level readings with and without the Holostages in place. The results were much closer to each other. AC power differences during the first test? Tube performance variances?>>

PS: Here's the room, showing the Holostages (near the ceiling, top left and right) on 3M Command Ledges (4"x 3.5" each).

There are also two behind the listening position; one high and center above the rear wall window, and one about five feet above the floor, 2/3 of the way along the right-hand wall.