![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.tedpublications.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/AntiMode8033s_10_2011-556x350.jpg\" "\\"AntiMode8033s_10_2011\\"")
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INTRODUCTION TO BASS AND ITS PROBLEMS…<\/strong> For the lower frequencies, however, it\u2019s a very different story.\u00a0 Any room almost inevitably plays havoc, no matter how good the speaker is an anechoic measurement. Below 100 Hz, the speaker\u2019s sound is being reflected around by the room and the direct sound arrives to your ear in one big lump with the room effects. The phenomenon of a boom somewhere below 100Hz and a large dip between 100Hz and 200Hz is far too common.<\/p>\n … AND THE FIXES…<\/strong> WHEN THE FIXES FAILED…<\/strong> Enter DSPeaker Anti Mode 8033 add-on unit.\u00a0 Yes, it is a bandage, but unlike the other bandages, this one costs less than $400, a far more realistic price for everybody.\u00a0 From the price point, I\u2019m already gravitating towards it.\u00a0 Furthermore, due to my notoriety in writing a no-nonsense and politics-be-damned review, some companies have refused to have their products reviewed by me.\u00a0 This is not the case with this company.\u00a0\u00a0 Even after showing them the samples of both my negative and positive reviews they are still very enthusiastic and I received my review sample overnight from the USA.<\/p>\n INSTALLATION<\/strong> So how effective is it? It works like a charm. The calibration program self-generates sweep-like measurement signals and picks up the data with included microphone. The process will automatically define parameters of the room modes, such as center frequency, Q-value, gain, frequency anti-symmetry and apply up to 24 custom-fitted Anti-Modal Filters.\u00a0 The boominess in my listening room practically disappeared yet the bass response is now audibly clearer, cleaner and much more precise.\u00a0 My combination of PSB Century 300i satellites and PSB Subsonic 300 driven by Pioneer Elite SC-27 is now is better than ever (reminder: Pioneer\u2019s Advanced MCACC only employs Finite Impulse Response 3-band paragraphic EQ below 80 Hz which is already a lot better than most receiver\u2019s room correction — with the exception of Anthem\u2019s Infinite Impulse Response\u2019s Anthem Room Correction — but a lot more EQ points are necessary).\u00a0 The 24-band Infinite Impulse Response auto Anti Mode Filter with the resolution of 0.5 dB on the 8033 is making the low frequency smoothness to be extremely close to the same system with the Anthem set up.\u00a0 I should add that according to the manual, the DSP induces approximately three millisecond time delay.\u00a0 Either you need to put the subwoofer closer to you by three feet (90 cm) to get the time integration correct, or set your receiver\u2019s subwoofer distance by and additional two feet. \u00a0Note that the DSP only works on the subwoofer signal. There is no A-to-D-to-A with DSP in between operating on the main speaker signal. The main speaker signal is untouched except, in my case, by the analog crossover inside the PSB Subseries 300 subwoofer.<\/p>\n LISTENING TESTS<\/strong> My second test is Celine Dion\u2019s Live in Vegas blu-ray playing \u201cMy Heart Will Go On\u201d track.\u00a0 This track opens with insane amount of bass that tend to make me feel ill.\u00a0 I always had to remember to turn the volume down before this track plays and bring it back up once the music starts playing.\u00a0 The 8033 fixed this problem too.\u00a0 I listened both for bass extension and especially for how the Anti-Mode correction improved bass pitch, definition, and precision; and it did a superb job. \u00a0The bass still feels as deep and as loud but without the mysterious resonance frequency that literally made me ill.\u00a0 Transient precision was excellent in various problematic spots of this concert blu-ray and pitch definition improved tremendously. \u00a0What was really going on with the bass instruments was surprisingly clarified by the 8033 correction. (There is a bypass mode so one can do an A\/B easily.)<\/p>\n SO, SHOULD YOU BUY ONE?<\/strong> As per usual my reviews always have pluses and minuses. On the plus side, the AntiMode 8033 works so well and costs so little that if you have a sub-woofer system that does not do detailed adjustments to the room on its own, there is really no doubt that you should buy the DSPeaker Anti Mode 8033. On the negative side, it is not as good as the Rives PARC that also pushes the dips up, but keep in mind that this is a $400 press-a-button unit which I\u2019m comparing to a $3,000 unit that is also big, heavy, and freakishly complicated to use… and the Rives PARC is definitely not $2,600 better than the DSPeaker Anti Mode 8033.<\/p>\n My suggestion?\u00a0 Buy it.\u00a0 I know I\u2019m buying my review unit.<\/p>\n Device type: <\/strong>DSP corrections for subwoofer using Infinite Impulse Response system, automated setting, non-calibrated microphone included, to be inserted on input signal to subwoofer
\nTo have a great sound from the midrange and up is easy. As long as the speaker is kept reasonably far from hard reflective surfaces and the whole environment is balanced (in acoustic terms), your ears will automatically lock onto the direct arrival sound in the mids and highs (100 Hz and up), and room effects won\u2019t keep the top from sounding good or sometimes even phenomenal.<\/p>\n
\nThese negative room effects can be somewhat tamed by careful placement.\u00a0 However, regardless how one places speakers, there are inevitably deviations from smooth response in the bass, arising from the fact that listening rooms of domestic size have room modes\u2014resonances quite widely spaced in frequency in the lower part of the audible range. Any listening room, regardless of size and how carefully placed the acoustic correction panels are can not make the room mode completely disappear.\u00a0 Even concert halls, which obviously are much larger, have resonances too, although due to the closely spaced resonances they are now called reverberation that can be quite smooth in frequency response.<\/p>\n
\nWhen the room acoustics have been treated to the hilt, a good part of the remaining room resonances should be and can be corrected electronically. \u00a0There are devices to do this correction and have become increasingly popular in recent years. There are also a quite number of sub woofers now come with such adjustments built in, namely the Paradigm DSP-3200 with its Perfect Bass Kit add-on system as one of, if not the, best bass correction unit out there.\u00a0 However, what about the existing system?\u00a0 Not everybody wants to buy a new subwoofer system.\u00a0 To varying degrees there is Audyssey system, rather effective, but in Canada it costs around $800.\u00a0 Alternatively, if money is no object, there is a very effective Rives PARC, but at that price, it is still a bandage solution so you might as well buy the absolute best Paradigm subwoofer with Perfect Bass Kit.<\/p>\n
\nInstallation is as easy as plugging a power cord. \u00a0The device puts a signal into the subwoofer, letting the supplied microphone \u201clisten\u201d to the result at your intended listening position; the device then analyses and remembers what should be done to make the bass response to be measurably better. \u00a0For best results, as mentioned earlier in the article, start with a proper placement that avoids large or broad peaks and dips… especially dips.\u00a0 The Anti-Mode 8033 only pulls down peaks and will not push the dips up. After you\u2019re done, you may need to set your overall subwoofer level slightly higher to get the same subjective effect as before, since the system will have removed the boominess that arise from room resonances.<\/p>\n
\nFor the first test I use my old and trusty Disney\u2019s Bolt (chapter 2).\u00a0 The scene literally opens with a deep bass.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always had problems playing this track because of some bass bloat especially in the 25 Hz area that rattles my screen.\u00a0 I usually have to dial no more than -20 dB from reference level with LFE set to -5 dB.\u00a0 After 8033 calibration, I can now set the volume to -17 dB (this is as loud as my ears can handle) with LFE set to 0 dB.\u00a0 That\u2019s an overall of 8 dB improvement in the overall 25 Hz bloat that\u2019s been reduced from my room.\u00a0 Not only that, there must also be some bloat around 80 Hz because some of the bad-guy character\u2019s voice was somewhat muddled.\u00a0 Again with the 8033 in-line, the dialogue clarity has been much improved.\u00a0 Even the synthesizer bass line that underlines the entire chapter 2 also benefitted from the depth and precision of the bass and the excellent pitch definition.<\/p>\n
\nWas this the best bass ever in my listening room? \u00a0I suppose the very top honours for value and performance for that would still have to go to Paradigm DSP-3200 subwoofer coupled with Paradigm\u2019s Perfect Bass Kit possibly due to the calibrated and serial-numbered microphone that comes with the kit.\u00a0 However the set will cost me about $1,200 and that\u2019s not a small change considering my PSB Subseries 300 is only slightly more than a year old. Still, the results here were mind bogglingly good, among the best ever. The overall effect was surprisingly natural be it a movie scene with synthesizer laden bass tracks or a concert recording that uses both acoustic, electric and synthesized bass.<\/p>\nSpecs & Pricing<\/h3>\n
\nFrequency range: <\/strong>16-144Hz divided into 24 Anti Mode Filter points with 0.5 dB resolution
\nFeatures:<\/strong> Three user selectable additional equalization filter (flat, boost 25-35 Hz, boost below 25 Hz), one or multiple measurement point calibration
\nDimensions:<\/strong> 5\u201d x 1.1\u201d x 3.2\u201d
\nWeight: <\/strong>8.2 oz.
\nPrice:<\/strong> $379<\/p>\n