Acustica Applicata Halifax

Founded in 1992 in Tuscany the Acustica Applicata range of acoustic traps were specifically designed to deal with troublesome lower and medium frequencies and they are considered to be one of the finest room acoustic solutions available today.

Why deployed correctly in a room they can offer a dramatic improvement in system performance, by allowing your to hear more of your speakers and less of your room, on average only around 20% of the sound you hear comes directly from your loudspeaker, the other 80% comes from reflections and resonances, bouncing around your room many times causing delays, distortions and negatively affecting what your hear.

Acustica Applicata have developed a range of Helmholtz Resonators which are devices designed to deal with acoustic resonances, there is the Volcano, the Halifax and the Polifemo.

The Halifax is one of the newer models in their range, it looks very similar to a Volcano, but it is a little shorter and wider. It operates from 28 Hz as opposed to 35 Hz with a Volcano and is only available in one finish.

The Halifax has been designed to improve the timbre and dimensionality by tuning out conflicting sound waves which distort and smear the musical presentation.

They can be used in pairs in key positions in a room, but is arguably most effective when positioned directly between your loudspeakers, dealing with the turbulence where the energy from both loudspeakers meets in the middle of the soundstage. The Halifax also dramatically helps to remove the distortion and time delays created by the fact that a significant percentage of the sound you hear doesn’t come directly from your loudspeakers but is bounced off the walls and ceiling in your room causing time delays and distortion.

Unlike the Volcano the Halifax comes in one piece, at its base there is an opening, which can be extended or retracted to adjust the frequency response within your room, moving this up or down and it adjusts the in room depth and speed of low frequencies. The centre paddle can be adjusted as well and its can have a dramatic impact on performance, the correct position depends on your room, your speakers (and how they interact in your room), opening and closing the paddle in front of a customer always results in surprise (in a good way!)

Just about everyone (regardless of their system) who listens to a selection of Acustica Applicata in their room is shocked by the level of improvement they offer. It’s a significant component level upgrade and then some. You could obviously spend the same amount of money on upgrading your speakers or electronics, but the stark reality of it is by addressing the resonances (and reflections) in your room will give you much bigger results and results that will stay with you through multiple system upgrades.

Specifications

• Height 88 cm (35″)
• Diameter 42 cm (16.5″)
• Effective from 28 Hz
• Standard finish matt Anthracite

If you are interested in listening to some Acustica Applicata in your room please get in touch. It’s not a case of just buying some (or borrowing some) and hoping for the best. Your room requires mapping and running through the Acustica Applicata Software program in the first instance and we can take it from there. The software will accurately calculate reflection and resonance points and a number of potential solutions based on budget and aesthetics. 

The image below is from a recent room mapping