Fellow Members at Audio Review

[jim goulding]

With your permission . . as it’s you I want to reach and not passers thru, I want to keep this in the context of a forum if that can be permitted.

I manufacture a passive product based on my personal experience. For those of you who listen with traditional box speakers with surface mounted high frequency drivers, it is designed to remove early reflection from your speaker baffles. The early reflection of sound waveforms shorter in length than your speaker cabinets is mixing in at your listening position out of time with the primary signal propagated by your tweeter. This is causing a smearing of the original event as it was recorded and your system is capable of reproducing regardless of the money you have invested. More importantly, because of the money you’ve invested. What I make removes this by damping the offending area adjacent to your tweeters and absorbing this interaction. Wanna hear what’s really in those grooves and bits? Think you are? That’s what you can discover for yourself.

Some speaker manufacturers, but not all, address waveform behavior in a variety of ways to include the use of what I am making available as an aftermarket mod or by making their enclosures narrow, canting the sides, or mounting them in modules outside of the box. In effect, that’s what you would be doing with my mod. Remove early reflection and you will get more truth about your system and recordings and insight into the music you listen to. Have no fear, we’re talking better, not worse.

Thus far, I’ve fitted for Mission, Vienna Acoustic, Von Schweikert, Opera, Spendor, Harbeth, Omega single driver, Dynaudio, Merlin, VMPS planer, Epos, Meridian, Revel, Odyssey, PSB, AV 123, Acoustic Zen, and JM Lab speakers and even replaced some on a Dunlavy that came from the factory.

Things are going to be revealed more truthfully, naturally, and dimensionally in your space to include the space itself as captured by the microphones(s). There is no change to the fundamental sound of your speakers save for maybe a commonly reported improvement in tone and sweetness in your treble, which you may treasure and I respect, just the recreation of what your speakers and everything that precedes them are capable of delivering.

For those of you with the room to place your speakers in a manner to recreate proper stereo and for whom this mod is intended, this is a tiny investment for what you are going to get. This is your member rate: $29.95 per pair (so long as there isn't too much custom work involved). That's down from $49.95.

I INVITE YOU TO EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF.

Jim Goulding
diffractionbegone.com

[dingus]

Jim,
can you custom fit for tweet and mid in this configuration?

[topspeed]

Hey Jim,

Thanks for sharing!

My VSA VR-1's come with anti-diffraction foam built into the grille for the tweeter. Is your product to be used in conjunction with the grille or is your tweak specifically for speakers either with the grille removed or where none is provided (i.e. Audio Note, Totem)?

[jim goulding]

Ding- Are those felt dots on your tweeter mounting plates? Good for you. Are your speakers three way? What is the crossover frequency from the larger driver on the bottom to the dome above it?

You're welcome, Top. Either. I've fitted inside of grille frames and naked surfaces such as Totems and Audio Notes. I think those two brands, regardless if they are floor standing or stand mount, would benefit tremendously from the addition of my thing.

[RoyY51]

Two questions: what exactly are these mods (perhaps a pic or two?) and do you have a sizing for Monitor Audio B2's?

[jim goulding]

Roy- Greetings. Visit my website- www.diffractionbegone.com- for some pics and a few industry and customer comments and listen to a little interesting music while you're there. I will look at Monitor Audio's website for your model. If it is no longer being made, then I may have you give me some measurements.

[enrique]

jim, i'm wondering if these would benefit someone like me who cant do any room treatments(wife).I have System Audio sa1750's,sa720av and sa505's as my surrounds.These speakers are not that well known from what i can tell.

[dingus]

Ding- Are those felt dots on your tweeter mounting plates? Good for you. Are your speakers three way? What is the crossover frequency from the larger driver on the bottom to the dome above it?

those dots around the tweet and mid are plastic tabs that the acoustic insert would attach onto, similar to the barbed side of a piece of velcro. the speakers came standard with inserts, but the inserts for mine had been lost well before i acquired the speakers. they are circa 78-81 Acoustic Research AR9, four-way speakers (dual 12" woofers in the bottom of the cabinet). i have no idea what the crossover point would be on any of the drivers. here's the schematic ...

http://www.sound-thinking.org/index....t=0&#entry7306

measurements for the inserts:
mid - 8 3/8" x 5 3/4" with a 4" diameter center. (slightly rounded edge around the center).
tweeter - 4 7/8" outside diameter, 2 1/8" diameter center.
notice the taper of the silver ring around the mid. the center of the insert for the tweeter should be tapered in the same way.

[jim goulding]

Now I recognize those bad boys. Should have looked at your signature, then I would have known. So, both of those domes cover the frequencies above you mid/bass. On the larger dome, I see that raised ring. Please measure the diameter of the actual ring for me, not the diameter of the plate. Thanks.

ENRIQUE tambien- I don't know how myself, but if you will just give me the name of the site and tell me where to go on it if need be, I will use my search engine and go from there. Thanks.

ROY- I found the BR2's. Is that the same? This, or similar, would be a good candidate because of the size of the offending area adjacent to your tweeters.

[enrique]

I usually find it by google.there is also info in a hometheatermag review.

[dingus]

... On the larger dome, I see that raised ring. Please measure the diameter of the actual ring for me, not the diameter of the plate.

the 4" diameter was taken from the ring.

[dingus]

Jim, did you get the pic's is sent via PM?

[jim goulding]

No, brother, I don't see that I have. jim

[jim goulding]

"Hello Jim:

Here are my comments.

With the felt tweeter surrounds, there is less smearing of the sound; in orchestral music, individual instruments can be heard distinctly rather than blending into an amalgam of sound. There is definitely more depth to the sound stage and more hall ambience as well.Rather than a sound stage laterally restricted about each speaker and the virtual center, the felt tweeter surrounds produce a soundstage width that is more uniform and panoramic. My preferred room curve using a 1/3 octave RTA/equalizer previously required a roll off of 1.5 db per octave between 4KHz and 10KHz to avoid a brittle treble. With the felt tweeter surrounds in place, I find the room and my ears tolerate a flat response in that frequency region. This relative frequency boost may also contribute further to the perceived improvement in the size and depth of the soundstage."

Irv Bloom

(Transposed from an email, ya'll are so reticent here. The "brittleness" in IB's treble is the intrusion of early reflection. Nothing else is missing- Jim)

[jim goulding]

Other ongoing reviews for your trying this for yourself. At your price, or at 4X your price, this is the highest return of investment in audio for box speaker owners:

“Somewhat instantaneously. BAAAMM, the Lorelei's were gone and I went from the middle row of my concert hall to like the 1st row. There was just more focus & more treble attack and even tho there was a deeper soundstage being created, the added focus drew me closer to the singer. The tweeter is much more defined now with a sharper clearer treble.”

Robin Bomnard, VT

“That is exactly what happened to me when I put the surrounds on my speakers, they just sort of disappeared, imaging improved with much more focus and depth. High end tone improved as well, my tweeter sounded sweeter.

For those coming to the Nov rave you will get a taste first hand at what I mean.

I love this product, an affordable tweak that works!”

Mike Mattera NJ

“I've had them on my speakers for about a week now and have logged about 3-4 hours dedicated listening each night. I used neoprene rings for a couple of years and have GIK panels at my first reflection point. The improvement over the neoprene rings is subtle but worthwhile. Clearer, more coherent imaging. A bit more upper frequency detail. Improved imaging wide of the speakers. Not a major revelation in my case but a very nice refinement, easily worth the cost. Only negative is appearance. The neoprene rings blend in with the tweeter face while Jim's product does not.

It's a good product. The cuts are smooth. Jim does a good job. Could use a couple more Velcro tabs IMO but those can be easily found. If you have no first reflection treatments you should realize a much greater benefit.”

Jim Nancarrow, CA

“Hi: I received my wool surrounds yesterday and I installed them right away and I did notice a difference for the good with everything "cold" at a low volume. Today I let everything "warm-up" for a few hours at low volume and then I did some serious listening. I never listen at a loud volume when all my gear has been sitting in a 64 degree basement listening room without warming things up, especially my integrated and speakers! I must state up front that I could never really explain the difference between lower mid-range and upper mid-range as far as my hearing goes, or most other terms used, but I do know what I like and I like these wool surrounds! These things are the real deal and probably the first thing that I have tried that doesn't need a "burn-in" for X number of hours!. Everything seemed to open up, better sounding highs and there seems to be more "bottom-end". I am using the surrounds with PSB Goldi's. I am using a powered sub to give the Goldi's a little bit more bottom, not that they need it and I had to back off on the gain a touch! I can't speak for others, but for me I know what I am getting right away, not like the clocks, stones, etc,etc,...Yeah you know what I mean. You should be able to hear a difference for the "good" right away!!! As they say...YMMV! The best money I have spent so far!! Later. Huck ”

Keith Huckfield, Ontario, CAN

This one is from me . . your stage and the realization of instruments and vocalists within it will be more real in your room and transparent to the source as best your system is capable of rendering it. Never better. For more information and the source of an independent audio publisher's review, visit www.diffractionbegone.com. Your AR price is $29.95 per pair plus shipping. Thanks. Jim