Stillpoints Aperture II Panels Questions
 

So I'm thinking about getting some Aperture II Panels. My dedicated listening room is about 5 or 6 weeks from being completed. The room will be 18.6' x 14.1' x 8'.

I of course would like to treat the room with some diffusion and absorption. I would like to include the Stillpoints Aperture II Panels but my budget will allow only 2 since they are not inexpensive.

Will 2 be enough to start with and if so where would be the best place to install them? When budget allows I would add more.

Does anyone combine the Aperture Panels with any other type of room treatment or do you strictly do Aperture Panels?

Paul... yes, 2 is more than enough. I use Aperture II panels in three different rooms mixed with other acoustic panels, and have superb results. I place the Aperture II panels on the side walls, by the first reflections.

Thanks Ivan! I'll check out what color I want and get back to you! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

I've heard nothing but good things about the Aperture Panels, and set--up professional Stirling Trayle thinks very highly of them as well.

With respect to adding more panels, also consider adding GIK Acoustics Alpha 4A panels. These combination diffusers/bass traps and they are VERY effective; they've singlehandedly made some of the biggest improvments I've made to my system in the last 2 years. You can also get them in different wood and fabric colors. They are also are considerably less expensive than the Aperture panels, a set of four is only $316.

https://www.gikacoustics.com/product...nel-bass-trap/

This photo shows one of them along my front wall, but there are actually six of them in the room, including at the first reflection point.

https://photos.imageevent.com/puma_c...iew_Master.jpg

Very highly recommended.

Thanks Stephen....they do look great. I just ordered 2 Aperture II Panels from Ivan and will also include the GIK's as well when budget permits. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Here's an example of a mixed Aperture II/GIK configuration designed to deal with a host of speaker boundary interference and related issues presented by my bedroom system's listening environment. A pair of Apertures grace the center of the front wall, and a single Aperture is installed at each first reflection point (the one on the right side is shown here).

https://www.audioaficionado.org/pict...pictureid=5336

Note that the front-wall pair of Apertures replaced three 2'x4' GIK panels--one at wall center and one behind each speaker, with noticeably improved results.

If you're restricted to starting with two Apertures, you might want to experiment by starting with one each at the reflection points and after listening to that configuration, move one each to the wall behind each speaker and see/hear which placement works better in your listening room..

Thanks for the suggestions Jim. Lucky they are small and light enough that I can play around with placement. :thumbsup:

I have Stillpoints Aperture panels: 3 across the front wall, 1 at each first reflection point and 3 across the back wall. For several years I used 6 across the front wall but recently removed 3 because more energy in the room yields a sonic characteristic closer to what I hear from live acoustic music in a concert hall.

When I first started with Apertures in 2014 I had a few Real Traps devices including corner bass traps. Paul Wakeen (Stillpoints) brought over several Apertures to try. (Experimenting with them without permanent mounting is so easy.) His first suggestion was to remove all other acoustic panels and work solely with the Apertures to best understand what they do and how they interact with my room. That turned out to be an excellent idea. The Apertures are about half the size of the Real Traps but at least twice as effective.

The effect of a single Aperture is easy to hear. If you have one each at the first reflection points, when your budget allows I suggest trying just one in the center of your front wall or one behind each speaker before introducing other brands.

What I've learned is it is wise to go slow in adding acoustic treatments because it is so easy to over damp a room. Asking yourself what you want your system to sound like can help in assessing acoustic treatment.

Here is another thread that discusses placement options.

Thank You Tim for pointing me to the thread. Great info. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

This is great advice. I was fortunate to have friends nearby who could bring over Aperture panels and a few stacks of ASC isothermal tube traps. I was using GIK traps at the time.

A stack of the bigger isothermal tube traps in the front corners brought a tremendous improvement. These improved treble range clarity, dynamics, imaging and sound staging. Adding another pair of tube trap stacks just outside my speakers but against the wall brought another huge improvement. The Apertures complimented the traps exceptionally well. I ended up with one Aperture behind my audio rack, but plan to add one behind me, and then a pair on the side walls. Whereas the tube traps improved the purity of sound coming to my ears, the Apertures seemed to make walls disappear by extending the soundstage beyond the walls. A friend also combines both products and it was so wild to close your eyes and listen there as his walls and system completely vanished. It was jarring to open my eyes and find myself in a room much smaller than the room I had been transported to.

As far as my GIK traps, I had to get most of them out of my room. They reduced the benefits of the tube traps + Apertures if used anywhere in my field of view. A few GIK remain behind me where they are still beneficial.

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