Ordered 2 of the analog 20’s today. Excited to put 2 of them in my space.
PSI Audio AVAA C20 Active Bass Absorber
- Thread starter QuadDiffuser
- Start date
That's very exciting! They definitely work and do something in the right direction.
The trick is going to be to figure out where they make the most positive impact.
Hi:
My understanding of the differences is that they are aesthetic and functional vs performance oriented.
The 215 is cylindrical and smaller in diameter.
The 215 can be controlled through a smart phone app. This is a digitally controlled system.
The 215 has 2 smaller diaphragms vs 1 larger diaphragm in the 20.
Performance, I have been advised, will be similar.
Price for the 215 hadn’t been announced yet and is expected to be maybe 30% higher than the 20. Availability estimated at 4-6 weeks.
My understanding of the differences is that they are aesthetic and functional vs performance oriented.
The 215 is cylindrical and smaller in diameter.
The 215 can be controlled through a smart phone app. This is a digitally controlled system.
The 215 has 2 smaller diaphragms vs 1 larger diaphragm in the 20.
Performance, I have been advised, will be similar.
Price for the 215 hadn’t been announced yet and is expected to be maybe 30% higher than the 20. Availability estimated at 4-6 weeks.
Hi: My AVAA Update
I wanted to share my recent experience with the AVAA’s. I started with 1 and results were very good. In my space it seems all frequencies except bass have been handled nicely by Artnovion absorbers and diffusers. Bass was very present and powerful and pretty clean when I used my system that had been professionally calibrated (Trinnov) but after changing to the MAB Ref/DD, the DSP was elimated. Now it’s just the physical treatments doing the job. Enter the AVAA’s.
After my demo I purchased 1. With the demo unit still in my space I tried 2. The impact was another step in cleaning up the bass notes and exposing more lower mid range detail. I was a happy camper.
After receiving the 2nd AVAA, with the demo still in my space, I tried 3, the 3rd in the rear right corner to complement the 2 in the front corners. With the 3rd AVAA added something interesting happened. Still better definition of bass and simply stunning mids and detail. Bass was emanating from more parts of the room. The image became more 3 dimensional becoming more enveloping. When I turned off the rear unit the system still sounded good but the 3 dimensionality had collapsed. Mids were not nearly as clear. Highs the same. Turn the 3rd one on and the goodness returned.
So I did what any audio nut would do; I ordered a 3rd AVAA. When the 3rd one arrived, I still had the demo unit and I placed it in the rear left corner. So now I had 4 AVAA’s in my space. What happened? All the impact of adding the 3rd was now happening equally on the left side. Overall bass from my towers (Sf Lilium) had never been so clean, clear, low and impactful. But I hadn’t hooked up my JL Gotham’s yet. Finally the cable company got my order correct (3rd attempt) so I was able to hook up the woofers REL style tapped off the amp terminals brought down to line level for input to the JL’s. This would be the real test.
Crossed around 28hz-30hz, the woofers were clean but not impactful. I kept turning up the woofer gian and was getting better results. In the middle of this process I was visited by Gary Leeds. He immediately suggested a 2db bump in woofer gain which was ahead of my “schedule” to reach that level. He was right. Suddenly the bass was killer! Sublime! (pun intended). Attack and decay clearly audible. Bass so clean and defined it added so much to the music. And no damage to the awesome detail I was now getting. Tonality of the MSB stack was able to shine through. Kudos to MSB. Their new filters are so natural and non-digital sounding that you just listen and forget whether your system is tube or solid state. The addition of th Westminster DC cable was a piece of this improvement too. It just sounds like real music. Simple as that. And all in proper balance thanks to the AVAA’s.
i ordered my 4th AVAA. Need I say more?
What this experience proves is the power of proper bass trapping and its impact on system performance. It’s so challenging to accomplish with physical traps in my 13’ x 23’ space. I don’t have room for all the physical trapping I need. The active approach accomplishes the task very efficiently, at a cost. I wish the cost was less.
I have had the green indicator light on the front AVAA’s turn red when very, very low powerful notes hit hard. Then the light turns green. I understand this to mean the trap is maxed out and can not trap additional pressure. It’s momentary and doesn’t seem to be audible. I wonder if the new model with a single diaphragm might have a higer capacity.
i hope my experience will be of interest and lead others to give the AVAA’s a try. Demo without a commitment to buy and see, if like the old Lay’s potato chip ad, you can buy just 1.
I wanted to share my recent experience with the AVAA’s. I started with 1 and results were very good. In my space it seems all frequencies except bass have been handled nicely by Artnovion absorbers and diffusers. Bass was very present and powerful and pretty clean when I used my system that had been professionally calibrated (Trinnov) but after changing to the MAB Ref/DD, the DSP was elimated. Now it’s just the physical treatments doing the job. Enter the AVAA’s.
After my demo I purchased 1. With the demo unit still in my space I tried 2. The impact was another step in cleaning up the bass notes and exposing more lower mid range detail. I was a happy camper.
After receiving the 2nd AVAA, with the demo still in my space, I tried 3, the 3rd in the rear right corner to complement the 2 in the front corners. With the 3rd AVAA added something interesting happened. Still better definition of bass and simply stunning mids and detail. Bass was emanating from more parts of the room. The image became more 3 dimensional becoming more enveloping. When I turned off the rear unit the system still sounded good but the 3 dimensionality had collapsed. Mids were not nearly as clear. Highs the same. Turn the 3rd one on and the goodness returned.
So I did what any audio nut would do; I ordered a 3rd AVAA. When the 3rd one arrived, I still had the demo unit and I placed it in the rear left corner. So now I had 4 AVAA’s in my space. What happened? All the impact of adding the 3rd was now happening equally on the left side. Overall bass from my towers (Sf Lilium) had never been so clean, clear, low and impactful. But I hadn’t hooked up my JL Gotham’s yet. Finally the cable company got my order correct (3rd attempt) so I was able to hook up the woofers REL style tapped off the amp terminals brought down to line level for input to the JL’s. This would be the real test.
Crossed around 28hz-30hz, the woofers were clean but not impactful. I kept turning up the woofer gian and was getting better results. In the middle of this process I was visited by Gary Leeds. He immediately suggested a 2db bump in woofer gain which was ahead of my “schedule” to reach that level. He was right. Suddenly the bass was killer! Sublime! (pun intended). Attack and decay clearly audible. Bass so clean and defined it added so much to the music. And no damage to the awesome detail I was now getting. Tonality of the MSB stack was able to shine through. Kudos to MSB. Their new filters are so natural and non-digital sounding that you just listen and forget whether your system is tube or solid state. The addition of th Westminster DC cable was a piece of this improvement too. It just sounds like real music. Simple as that. And all in proper balance thanks to the AVAA’s.
i ordered my 4th AVAA. Need I say more?
What this experience proves is the power of proper bass trapping and its impact on system performance. It’s so challenging to accomplish with physical traps in my 13’ x 23’ space. I don’t have room for all the physical trapping I need. The active approach accomplishes the task very efficiently, at a cost. I wish the cost was less.
I have had the green indicator light on the front AVAA’s turn red when very, very low powerful notes hit hard. Then the light turns green. I understand this to mean the trap is maxed out and can not trap additional pressure. It’s momentary and doesn’t seem to be audible. I wonder if the new model with a single diaphragm might have a higer capacity.
i hope my experience will be of interest and lead others to give the AVAA’s a try. Demo without a commitment to buy and see, if like the old Lay’s potato chip ad, you can buy just 1.
That is a great result! Congratulations!
Now that you have four, just out of curiosity, have you tried one in each corner?
I am awaiting my third AVAA. I am very glad that my bass trap research uncovered this device. (Stereophile reviewed the AVAA years ago. I just was unaware of it until I started looking.)
It is a good thing this device didn't come from the audiophile world. If it had, it would be at least three times the price!
When I had several people visiting two weekends ago we discovered one anomaly. When one particular person who was sitting on a folding chair in front of the rear AVAA alighted from the chair the AVAA emitted a single, momentary popping sound. Have you experienced anything like this with any of your AVAAs?
Now that you have four, just out of curiosity, have you tried one in each corner?
I am awaiting my third AVAA. I am very glad that my bass trap research uncovered this device. (Stereophile reviewed the AVAA years ago. I just was unaware of it until I started looking.)
It is a good thing this device didn't come from the audiophile world. If it had, it would be at least three times the price!
When I had several people visiting two weekends ago we discovered one anomaly. When one particular person who was sitting on a folding chair in front of the rear AVAA alighted from the chair the AVAA emitted a single, momentary popping sound. Have you experienced anything like this with any of your AVAAs?
I have experienced it whenever there are static issues in the room (winter). Nothing major, quick a quick pop sound.
I am glad people are discovering this product. I love them and recommend them to my clients all the time.
Ron, that was feedback noise which you heard; very normal behavior for the AVAA when something large blocks the area directly in front of its microphone, presumably located along the central/midpoint vertical axis.
One on my four AVAAs recently developed a persistent 50Hz humming noise, possibly due to a fault in the membrane transducer’s power supply. Luckily, it just squeaked inside of its 5-year warranty. I'm bringing it to the dealer today for repairs.
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Hi Ron:
Yes, they are in the 4 corners of my space. Seems to be where the pressure is greatest. With one exception but I can’t place one there.
I experimented with the first 2 up front and thought 1/4 in from each side was good. But corners were better.
I’m still working on getting the fronts all the breathing room they need. As noted my only issue for now is maxing them out on loud extended notes around 20hz or lower. The red light illuminates for th duration of the low note then returns to green.
The demo unit produces that momentary pop when turned on then goes to a normal operating state.
I have to emphasize the change in overall system performance has resulted in a wonderfully balanced presentation top to bottom. The system can now take advantage of other assets it has.
It’s so good to hear others have the same reaction I did.
Yes, they are in the 4 corners of my space. Seems to be where the pressure is greatest. With one exception but I can’t place one there.
I experimented with the first 2 up front and thought 1/4 in from each side was good. But corners were better.
I’m still working on getting the fronts all the breathing room they need. As noted my only issue for now is maxing them out on loud extended notes around 20hz or lower. The red light illuminates for th duration of the low note then returns to green.
The demo unit produces that momentary pop when turned on then goes to a normal operating state.
I have to emphasize the change in overall system performance has resulted in a wonderfully balanced presentation top to bottom. The system can now take advantage of other assets it has.
It’s so good to hear others have the same reaction I did.
Adding two more AVAAs to my brood, this time in black.
For what it's worth, here's a 2016-Aug review of the AVAAs from SOS: https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/psi-audio-avaa-c20
I expect SOS to be publishing a review of the new PSI Audio C214 active bass trap: https://www.soundonsound.com/news/psi-audio-avaa-c214-active-bass-trap
www.whatsbestforum.com
For what it's worth, here's a 2016-Aug review of the AVAAs from SOS: https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/psi-audio-avaa-c20
I expect SOS to be publishing a review of the new PSI Audio C214 active bass trap: https://www.soundonsound.com/news/psi-audio-avaa-c214-active-bass-trap
My dedicated audio room build - QuadDiffusor's Big Dig
Very interesting.. have you tried it out. Nice if pretty easy to get your head around ... quite expensive but may well be worth it. At a simpler level I see the amroc guys are developing a more " pro version " for sale .. will also be interesting to see how deep it dives Do you see yourself...
www.whatsbestforum.com
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Since my future basement listening room is expected to be completed in 18-24 months' time, the placement locations of the two AVAAs are not clear yet. They're likely to be placed in the rear corners of the listening space, in the high-pressure "triple" boundary area where floor, sidewalls and backwalls meet.
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Ah, I see. You plan ahead, way ahead!
My 3d and 4th AVAA’s were placed in the rear corners of my listening space.
I was interested in reading your assessment of their impact added to the rear corners. I found it significant. I’ll stay tuned to your project to learn about your findings.
My 3d and 4th AVAA’s were placed in the rear corners of my listening space.
I was interested in reading your assessment of their impact added to the rear corners. I found it significant. I’ll stay tuned to your project to learn about your findings.
I've bought four more AVAAs recently; they'll be in storage for a while, to be used in my new basement listening room sometime within the next 24 months.
www.whatsbestforum.com
My dedicated audio room build - QuadDiffusor's Big Dig
Very interesting.. have you tried it out. Nice if pretty easy to get your head around ... quite expensive but may well be worth it. At a simpler level I see the amroc guys are developing a more " pro version " for sale .. will also be interesting to see how deep it dives Do you see yourself...
www.whatsbestforum.com
Can i ask why you chose to stick with the analog model (AVVA20) over the DSP version (C214), the later is smaller in size.I've bought four more AVAAs recently; they'll be in storage for a while, to be used in my new basement listening room sometime within the next 24 months.
My dedicated audio room build - QuadDiffusor's Big Dig
Very interesting.. have you tried it out. Nice if pretty easy to get your head around ... quite expensive but may well be worth it. At a simpler level I see the amroc guys are developing a more " pro version " for sale .. will also be interesting to see how deep it dives Do you see yourself...
The DSP version, I have not seen in the flesh, nor read any reviews on. Therefore, I decided to stick with the analog version which I was already familiar with, and thought was more attractive looking. Also, I managed to find them at a generous discount through my audiophile network.
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I heard the C214 at friends home, with system I’m very familiar with.
To my ears and experience with the above setup, they work miracles. They were so good, I’ll test them at my place, and if work as expected, I can’t see myself not pooling the trigger.
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