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ethanwiner
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RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

RealTraps
34 Cedar Vale Drive
New Milford, CT 06776
866-RealTraps (866-732-5872)
www.realtraps.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Ethan Winer, 860-210-1870

RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

New Milford, CT, USA - November 10, 2006 - RealTraps is pleased to announce their latest product, a combination diffusor and bass trap. This unique design marries a high performance bass trap with a genuine QRD diffusor deep enough to work well down to the low midrange. The device transitions from diffusion to absorption over the range between 400 to 800 Hz. The RealTraps Diffusor can be easily installed on a wall or ceiling using the supplied hardware, or mounted without harming the wall using either of our attractive stand models.

All untreated listening rooms suffer from comb filtering, a particular type of frequency response error that creates a series of many peaks and deep nulls. Comb filtering is a problem in smaller rooms especially, because of the proximity of the listening position to the rear wall behind. Numerous peaks and nulls occur at predictable quarter wavelength distances from that wall, badly skewing what you hear. For audiophiles and other critical listeners the result is a colored, often boxy and congested sound. For mix engineers comb filtering is even more troublesome - if you can't hear the music as it really sounds, it's much more difficult to achieve an excellent mix.

When placed on the rear wall behind the listening position the RealTraps Diffusor scatters mid and high frequencies, while low frequencies pass through the reflecting well membranes to be absorbed by rigid fiberglass behind. The membranes also increase bass absorption beyond what fiberglass alone could provide. Thus, comb filtering artifacts are reduced dramatically over the entire effective range.

The RealTraps Diffusor is 24 inches wide by 48 inches high by 6 inches deep, and is offered in both "far" and near" versions. The far version has diffusion wells 6 inches deep, and is recommended for rooms where the rear wall is at least six feet behind the listener's ears. For smaller rooms where the listener is closer to the rear wall, the near model is more appropriate. The near model has wells 3 inches deep, and the bass trap portion is correspondingly thicker. Price for either model is $499.99 each, but through the end of November the cost is only $449.99 each for two or more.

According to RealTraps co-owner Ethan Winer, "In the overall scheme of acoustic treatment, diffusion is more like icing on the cake compared to the staples of absorption and bass trapping. However, good diffusion can add a nice sense of spaciousness not possible with absorption alone. Unfortunately, truly excellent diffusors are complex to design and build, and thus cost more than absorption which is simpler to manufacture. Even the best diffusors are ineffective below around 800 Hz, so absorption is still needed for those lower frequencies. We have developed what we believe is the ultimate diffusor because it offers the best of both treatment types. Indeed, two or more RealTraps Diffusors adjacent will create the ideal 'rear wall' treatment for listening rooms and mixing suites of any size."

Complete information is on the RealTraps web site:
www.realtraps.com/diffusor.htm

The RealTraps site also contains educational videos, magazine articles, extensive advice on all aspects of room treatment, as well as showcasing their high-performance solutions for rooms of every size and purpose.

RealTraps is owned by Ethan Winer and Doug Ferrara. Ethan is known throughout the industry for his many technical articles in audio and computer magazines, and he has engineered and produced several classical music CDs including a recording of his own cello concerto. Doug is a professional musician and has owned a recording studio for more than twenty years. Besides his interests in audio and recording, Doug holds an advanced degree in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic, and has been a systems engineer for Intel and Motorola.

Product and contact information: www.realtraps.com
Phone, toll-free: 866-RealTraps (866-732-5872)

Buddha
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Re: RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

Cool.

This link didn't work:

www.realtraps.com/diffusor.htm.

Question: In an "average" type room with concrete pad under carpet, how many different traps would the average audiphile need to treat the room to your satisfaction?

I'm an "all or none" kind of guy, and I'd like to really have at my room, but I have no idea about the likely cost.

Cheers.

ethanwiner
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Re: RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

> This link didn't work <

Yeah, the forum software parsed the period in the sentence wrong. I fixed it immediately. Man you're fast!

> In an "average" type room with concrete pad under carpet, how many different traps would the average audiphile need to treat the room to your satisfaction? <

Two different types - some optimized for bass trapping, and others optimized for maximum absorption at mid and high frequencies. Here's the short version of "What every room needs" in the way of acoustic treatment:

    * Broadband (not tuned) bass traps straddling as many corners as you can manage, including the wall-ceiling corners.

    * Mid/high frequency absorption at the first reflection points on the side walls and ceiling.

    * Some additional amount of mid/high absorption and/or diffusion on any large areas of bare parallel surfaces, such as opposing walls or the ceiling if the floor is reflective.

There's quite a lot of additional detail on the RealTraps site.

> I'm an "all or none" kind of guy, and I'd like to really have at my room, but I have no idea about the likely cost. <

You'll get a big benefit from as few as four traps, and you can go up from there. That too is explained on our site in the How To section. We also have a cool (I think!) video called How to Set up a Room on our Videos page.

--Ethan

gkc
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Re: RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

Buddha, you will need more than you can afford. Guaranteed. Ethan, is this the agenda we've been waiting so impatiently for?

Buddha
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Re: RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

Hey, Clifton!

I miss seeing you.

I need help with some bottles of red that require your presence to open.

Did you hear the Rives room with Ethan's treatments at HE2006?

The treated room sounded pretty decent.

My big bigaboo is the budget thing you mention.

Ethan, if I sent pics of a room, would you be willing to give an "estimate" for a full on treatment?

ethanwiner
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Re: RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

Buddha,

> My big bigaboo is the budget thing you mention. <

High quality audio gear is more expensive to make than cheap crap. If you want cheap, grab a few bales of fluffy fiberglass at Home Depot and stack 'em up in the corners of your room. It's not as good as what RealTraps makes, but it's cheap and it certainly helps. On the other hand, if you want very high performance acoustic products, you have to expect to pay a little more.

I'm always surprised when people who have $20k or whatever invested in their systems balk at spending a grand or two on acoustic treatment which affects what they hear more than anything else. Even more than which speakers they use in many cases.

There's also a lot more to room treatment than buying a new electronic device and plugging it in. Most RealTraps customers have a lot of questions - not only about the products and where to put them, but also related questions such as how to find the best speaker and listener locations. Helping customers personally with all such questions is a big part of what I do every day.

> Ethan, if I sent pics of a room, would you be willing to give an "estimate" for a full on treatment? <

Of course. There's a link to email me from the Contact page of our web site.

--Ethan

Buddha
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Re: RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

Hi, thanks for the reply.

I should have been more specific about that "budget" comment.

I don't have a good frame of reference for room treatment costs.

I have plenty of experience with the price of gear, but that's an easy thing to figure out compared to trying to make heads or tails out of what I would "need" to spend on a thorough room treatment system.

I didn't mean to sound like I begrudge you your business. I just didn't know if it was in the range of 2K vs. 20K.

Those decimal places start flying around real fast in Hi Fi land!

ohfourohnine
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Re: RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

Congratulations, Ethan on posting in the commercial offerings forum. That is what I suppose it was intended for. Couldn't help but chuckle, though, when I recalled your indignant reaction to my having suggested that your first "comb filtering" post was a sales come-on. I suspect you'll have better luck with this honest straightforward approach.

Cheers,

ethanwiner
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Re: RealTraps Announces New Diffusor


Quote:
I just didn't know if it was in the range of 2K vs. 20K.

ROFL. Well, sheesh, it's all on our web site!

The normal price is more like $2k, but it could be $20k if you'd like.

--Ethan

ethanwiner
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Re: RealTraps Announces New Diffusor

Clay,

> I suspect you'll have better luck with this honest straightforward approach. <

Not sure of your point, but I guess you don't know of me. Not that I consider myself famous or anything, but I've been a public figure in pro audio for pushing 30 years now. I've written technical articles for pretty much all of the pro audio and computer magazines, and I'm well known as an avid skeptic and consumerist. Google will show you much of that if you care. However, I keep that very separate from my business activities. I came out of retirement to start RealTraps four years ago. Not to make a buck, because I did well when I sold my software company in the early 90s. Rather, I manufacture acoustic treatment because I truly believe in it. As opposed to the other way around.

As for my "comb filter" article, that also is unrelated to my business. It's an honest attempt to identify why some people report hearing things that essentially defy the laws of physics. Were it intended as a vehicle for selling my acoustic products it would be on the RealTraps site, and maybe in Mix or EQ magazine. That my conclusion is acoustic in nature is only because that seems the most likely explanation. And that's also what I spend a lot of time thinking about these days. As I said in that other thread, if anyone has a better explanation I'd love to hear it. My only "agenda" is learning the truth. Real truth, not opinion truth.

--Ethan

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