Acustica Applicata Volcano

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.

When 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 Volcano is the newest edition to the range of Acustica Applicata Variable Resonators.

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

The Volcano 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 Volcano 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.

At the base of the Volcano 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), 0opening and closing the paddle in front of a customer always results in surprise (in a good way!)

The 2 piece construction of the Volcano allows the stacking of additional extension Plexiglas modules, increasing the internal volume and lowering the resonant frequency (down to 25 Hz); this can extend the use of the taller Volcano to corner positions in large rooms or attic spaces with angled ceilings. The standard Volcano is 105 cm tall and the 2 halves are not locked together so if you have a particularly large room, you can easily add an additional section, increasing the height and the effectiveness of the Volcano. A standard Volcano is effective down to 35 Hz (or 25 Hz).

Standard Volcano is wood finish is £2100

High Gloss Black or White is £2400

Additional module is £800

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.

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