Okay, I'll start. For a year now I have experimented with the number and placement of Stillpoints' Aperture panels to optimize playback acoustics. For context, my 17'x22'x9' room is not real big but I feel fortunate to have it dedicated for audio. All walls and the ceiling use double drywall with Green Glue between the drywall panels.
Acoustic treatments are often indecorous but the Apertures are nicely attractive for their function. Visibly, the Aperture is a 22"x22" finished wood frame surrounding a cloth panel. I chose oak for the frame to go with the room's trim, with cream color cloth to keep things neutral. Stillpoints can imprint digitized images of your choice on the cloth panel using a dye sublimation(?) process. I mention the aesthetics of the panels because the Aperture's look and size allows its placement where other products may not be accommodating to wifely requirements for living rooms and other more publicly visible listening spaces in one's home.
Likewise important is the high effectiveness of the Aperture for its size: it combines a diffuser, absorber, and resonator in a small package. I heard the difference made by each panel I brought in the room and though it took a bit of time to work out their best placement, each time I moved a panel the difference was obvious.
Experimenting is easy. Panels can sit on the floor and be stacked. They come with 3M Command Strips (removable-without-damage Velcro-like thingies) for temporary placement on a wall. Once position is known, the panel can mount to the wall using the included aluminum Z-Hangers.
I tried different numbers and arrangements of panels on the wall behind my speakers. Each side wall reflection point needed only one as two over-damped the upper-mids and highs. Stillpoints suggested two or three stacked behind each speaker and/or stacked in the middle. I tried those positions and many others before arriving at a final placement. They are not for the ceiling.
The room tuning capped off with three Apertures on the wall behind the listening position. Soundstage depth had already increased considerably with the speaker wall set-up. The three rear panels caused the soundstage to pull toward the listening spot while retaining its depth.
I don't know the Aperture's effectiveness cut-off point into the lowest frequencies. They are not bass traps if your room needs that sort of help. Mine did not, but improvements in one part of the frequency range can yield audible benefit in another and I sensed some general improvement in the lower bass. I use one panel on the floor behind my speakers. Its precise placement makes something of a tradeoff between bass tightness versus weight.
With the Apertures in my room I heard improvements in frequency balance, image clarity and placement, soundstage depth, detail clarity, tonality, low frequency articulation, and a general sense of presence and verisimilitude. Fremer's quoted comments reflect my own. The Apertures brought a genuinely real and impressive improvement both to my audio room's acoustics and my enjoyment of music from my stereo. I appreciate having them each time I listen.
