Vicoustic Vari Bass tunable Helmholtz trap

[Lagerfeldt]

I'm getting two of those suckers in for testing. I have no idea how well they work but they look intriguing.



A couple of points I found out so far:

1. Tunable from 40 to 100 Hz to address a specific area. This is done by rotating/extending the top of the tube. Has a scale that shows you the frequency spot.

2. Made of wood a high density foam. I'm guessing foam isn't a major issue here due to the specific application.

3. Weighs 14 kg (31 pounds) and measures 60 x 37 cm (24 x 15 inches)

4. Costs EUR €650 (USD $800) in Denmark for 2 pieces. Probably much cheaper in other countries.

[24-96 Mastering]

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

1. Tunable from 40 to 100 Hz to address a specific area. This is done by rotating/extending the top of the tube. Has a scale that shows you the frequency spot.

2. Made of wood a high density foam. I'm guessing foam isn't an issue here due to the specific application.

3. Weighs 14 kg (31 pounds) and is 60 x 37 cm (24 x 15 inches)

4. Costs EUR €650 (USD $800) in Denmark for 2 pieces. Probably much cheaper in other countries.

Looks great. 430 Euro in Germany incl. taxes & Shipping. I wonder if they send those out for testing...

[Riccardo]

Cool idea, please let us know how the testing goes!

[da goose]

Interesting for sure! Let us know what they 'sound' like.
The fact that they are tune-able is a great idea even though i have some doubts about the size/workability.

edit: took some time to find their website but in some kind of way i can't find them there. :. Welcome to*Vicoustic .:

[Lagerfeldt]

I think the size and tunability will be fine even though it's dealing with very low frequencies.

It's more a question of how effective they will be. It ought to work in principle and I'm sure they wouldn't release a product that's completely ineffective... but it's been known to happen in this industry.

I'll be testing with an open mind but I need to hear or measure a real change in order to justify a purchase.

[studjo]

keep us posted how the tests go

[MASSIVE Master]

I love the idea... (Subscribing to this thread)

[finetuner]

Very curious !

I've built two big-ass Helmholz absorbers (tuned for 60Hz) a while ago that take up a lot of space for only a few dB reduction.

[Lagerfeldt]

Yeah, that's what I'm guessing. That it's going to be minor changes.

[finetuner]

Nevertheless; a similar reduction with more efficiency (smaller unit) would be good news. Can't fool mathmatics but who knows. Please keep us posted thumbsup

[inlinenl]

they look very nice/cool , but I always thought that to correct low-end you'll have to use a lot of mass .... so it will look like you did something on low-end , but it's hard IMHO to change a room without going into some real physical volume ...

Holger, but live must be good if you can afford those :-))))

[Lagerfeldt]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

they look very nice/cool , but I always thought that to correct low-end you'll have to use a lot of mass ....

Right, but the Heimholtz resonance absorber is a bit different than regular absorption. One of the advantages of a Heimholtz design is that it's tunable to a specific frequency (unlike regular broadband absorption) and more predictable than membrane absorbers, and therefore require less trial and error.

Holger, but live must be good if you can afford those :-))))

Heh , yes I do well thank you. But they're not that expensive I think? Obviously I won't buy them if they don't work out for me.

[inlinenl]

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

Right, but the Heimholtz resonance absorber is a bit different than regular absorption. One of the advantages of a Heimholtz design is that it's tunable to a specific frequency (unlike regular broadband absorption) and more predictable than membrane absorbers, and therefore require less trial and error.


Heh , yes I do well thank you. But they're not that expensive I think? Obviously I won't buy them if they don't work out for me.

compared to some DIY ... all those things are expensive ... DIY can be so good if done properly .. and tuned/designed to taste ..

[Lagerfeldt]

I'm lazy

[jdg]

i wouldn't say you're lazy, you'd just rather be doing something else then building bass-traps.

thats what i tell myself anyway

[jayfrigo]

...plus, these would be re-usable if you moved to a new room since they are tunable. They also would have applications for testing since you could try treating different modes and see which fixes seemed to be the most effective to the overall room response, especially at the listening position. In this case, it could be a diagnostic tool, and to save money you could build additional fixed frequency traps based on the results.

However, I agree that a fair amount of area will need to be covered for it to be very effective, though careful placement may allow somewhat enhanced performance in the "sweet spot" as compared to the rest of the room. Interesting product regardless.

The tuning is just changing the length of the tube and interior volume. You could DIY something like this, or you could build large perforated panel traps with a gasketed, movable rear to alter the cavity depth and tune the trap. Yeah, more work than the average DIYer wants to undertake.

[Lagerfeldt]

I've ordered 4 for my test.

[Tarekith]

Sub'd.

[wado1942]

Looks great, but plywood hung from the wall could do the job a lot cheaper.
The formula is 170 divided by the square root of Md. So M is the density in pounds per square foot of the material used and d is the depth of air space in inches between the material and the wall. So if you have a piece of plywood that weighs .5lb per square foot and space it 3" from the nearest wall, the absorption frequency will be 139Hz.
Sorry, I haven't figured out the metric equivelant yet.

[thebutler]

Definitely interested in how your tests go.

All the vicoustic products I've seen seem pretty cheaply made and flimsy. Pretty costly down under [but most acoustic products are].

Thanks for posting.

.

[mirochandler]

Correct absorbing in the lows are not very easy.

A Helmholtz Absorber is only well built, if it can absorb a minimum of 7-10dB (per unit) when it was mounted in the corner.
If not, forget it, it´s not correct calculated or the cabinet is too small.

For example: to absorb 35Hz i build a cabinet with 450 Liters !
If that was mount in the corner on the ceiling, it can looks good and take not a lot of space or smaller the room optically.

One studio i built was AlphaMastering, which have a linearity of +-1,5dB up from 25Hz. Measured with 1/24Oct. resolution.
All frequencies are very good controlled and nothing makes a post-pulse oscillation.

.

[wado1942]

I guess worse case scenario, you could just tell people they're novelty salt & pepper shakers.

[da goose]

Originally Posted by wado1942

I guess worse case scenario, you could just tell people they're novelty salt & pepper shakers.

to add some spice to the sound.

[DanDan]

I went on this particular journey myself. It was triggered by the spectacular treatment of a mode in the MHOA. 4rth Ed. P228. I found that hard to believe, so I asked Doug of ETF. He did not perform the test, someone else did and he accepted it. I concluded that the example in question was in fact a fake, not credible, not feasible.
Here's the journey, post 30 onwards.
http://forum.studiotips.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3463

While I welcome Primacoustic's energy and innovation to the party, I particularly fancy the Max trap, I reckon this product will do them no favours.
You would need a wall of these things to achieve any significant result.

DD

[MysticRecording]

Hi, Sorry to take it to task...But, the link to helmholtz formula on the studio tips acoustic site is no longer available. Not to be a d*ck, but i would like to check the numbers independently and not just take your word for it.

Just my .02,

Nathan.

[DanDan]

No worries. URL should be corrected now. Thanks for the interest. I invited scrutiny or help to make it succeed at the time.
It is gone now. I don't know if I posted the actual test results. If not, PM me if you would like to see them, or any other info.
DD

[Lagerfeldt]

I got a PDF brochure. The name's wrong over the graph but Vicoustic confirmed the measurements are for the Vari Bass.

http://www.lydmaskinen.dk/download/file.php?id=3830

[Ben B]

I've always wondered why I haven't seen a telescopic Helmholtz resonator. It seems like a great idea. Is anyone else making something like this?

-Ben B

[DanDan]

Hi Ben, I made one. See the link in my post above. It had a very very little effect.
DD

[JonSSH]

I am about to order some Vicoustic stuff particularly the varibass has anyone finally tried them or any of the other products?