How IsoThermal TubeTraps Create Better Sound For You
The new ASC IsoThermal TubeTrap is a self contained broadband acoustic absorber/diffuser. It works by utilizing a reactive acoustic circuit that is powered by the sound pressure in your room.
Like all of our TubeTrap line, the IsoThermal works best where the sound pressure is the strongest, which is in the corners and against the walls in your room. IsoThermal TubeTraps are an improved TubeTrap that provides double absorbing power in the sub-bass range, below 60Hz and enhanced bass absorption up through middle C, or 260Hz.
The IsoThermal TubeTrap includes the traditional, built in treble range diffuser to back scatter and diffuse the upper treble range back into the room and to also enhance development of fine-grained lateral ambience in the room.
Combined with the extended and doubled low-frequency absorption range, the new ASC IsoThermal TubeTrap is the perfect upgrade to your high-end audio system because it helps get your listening room out of the way of your listening experience.
We developed the IsoThermal TubeTrap to aggressively manage typical HiFi rear wall bounce phase-cancel effects. What we got was a major performance boost across the entire bass spectrum. And we did it without altering the fundamental voice of a TubeTrap.
Check out the absorption data for the new 16″ Isothermal TubeTrap compared to a standard 16″ TubeTrap. Power is doubled in the sub-bass range, while the LF rolloff is extended by over half an octave! The efficiency of the unit is a solid 40% greater all the way up through the “muddy” range of bass.
We were even more impressed when third party theoretical calculations made in ESI’s NOVA software (a multi layered acoustic simulator used in advanced acoustic engineering) corroborated our data to an uncanny degree.
As with standard TubeTraps, larger diameter units reach to lower frequencies. However, with the IsoThermal upgrade, the operating frequency of each size TubeTrap has come to match that of the next model size larger, approximately. This means that if you previously used and loved the sonics of a 16″ TubeTrap, you can now replace your old tubes with new 13″ IsoThermal TubeTraps, with very similar voicing. Better yet, if you always wished you had the space in your room and money in your wallet to fill your corners with deep-breathing 20″ TubeTraps, now you can simply upgrade your system with 16″ IsoThermal TubeTraps to manage that 35 Hz rumble.
What is the IsoThermal effect? The short story begins with the statement that when you compress gas, it heats up, while when it expands, it cools down. High pressure sounds entering the acoustic capacitor of a TubeTrap cause a rise in pressure, or compression. When the air pressure inside the TubeTrap reaches that of the ambient air outside it, the capacitor is essentially “full.” The air then cools off fairly rapidly due to thermal and hydraulic losses, and returns to low pressure, ready to be filled up again.
The frequency of this “filling-up” is proportional to – you guessed it – the frequency of the sound. Therefore low frequency sounds “fill up” the capacitor much more quickly, due to the slowness with which they propagate through the media. A larger capacitor (think of a 24″ TubeTrap) takes the longest to fill, and so reaches the lowest frequencies.
The conversion of the capacitive section of a TubeTrap into an isothermal vessel alters this behavior in a very beneficial way. The low-pressure air inside the capacitor is prevented from rising in temperature upon being subjected to a high-pressure pulse. Through this action, the effective size of the capacitor is increased by 40%, almost as though the IsoThermal TubeTrap is 40% larger than it appears! (This comparison is not quite accurate, since other factors come into play regarding the resistance of the absorptive material among various TubeTrap models, but it is a good approximation).
Description
Just like the classic TubeTrap you know and love, the new IsoThermal TubeTrap is a self contained broadband acoustic absorber/diffuser. Both models work by utilizing a reactive acoustic circuit that is powered by the sound pressure in your room. Both models work best where the sound pressure is the strongest, which is in the corners and against the walls in your room.
IsoThermal TubeTraps are an improved TubeTrap that provides double absorbing power in the sub-bass range, below 60Hz and enhanced bass absorption up through middle C, or 260Hz. That’s why the IsoThermal TubeTrap has two chrome dots along the rim instead of the traditional one dot: two dots means twice the power!
By eliminating the thermal component of acoustic pressure, The IsoThermal TubeTrap has an effectively 40% larger internal volume below 150 Hz, which doubles its absorbing power while retaining all of the other familiar sonic characteristics of the TubeTrap you know and love.
Finally: You can get rid of the dreaded “rear wall bounce frequency suckout.” (and also increase your bass absorption below 250 Hz!)
Bass and Treble: How to Improve your Sound System
Woofers and subs generate high power, huge bass waves. Mids and Tweets generate low power, small treble waves. Bass is omnidirectional, and quickly expands to fill the room with reverb. Treble is directional, expands off the speaker front in a well-controlled beam pattern. Bass reverb overwhelms fine grained treble range image and musical detail while blurring transient dynamics in the bass range. Corner-loaded TubeTraps attenuate bass reverb and restores full range musical clarity to your sound system.
Treble is projected out the front of the loudspeaker in the direction of the listener. Sound panels along side the walls absorb early treble reflections which would otherwise mix with the direct signal to cause; 1: sound stage distortion 2: image blurring.
Bass is projected in all directions, forward, to the sides, backwards and vertically. Corner bass traps efficiently absorb bass reflections which would otherwise; mix with the direct signal, causing phase add/cancel tonal distortion, and build up bass modes and reverberation which create a sluggish bass line and blurred transient dynamics.
The Isothermal Advantage
IsoThermal TubeTraps (TM) absorb and diffuse treble just like the traditional TubeTrap. However, IsoThermals provide up to 30% more absorption in the muddy bass range below middle C and up to 100% more, double the absorbing power, in the sub-bass range below 60 Hz. As with all TubeTraps, IsoThermals work best when positioned in the corners of the room and against the walls of the room nearest the speakers. Keep the treble diffuser rotated towards the room to maintain and enhance upper treble room ambience.
While the IsoThermal TubeTrap is very similar to our Standard TubeTrap, its extended low frequency absorption makes it perfect for treating the rear wall of your room. In any listening environment, the rear wall bounce creates the most bothersome of LF low frequency problems: the phase-cancel effect, also known in HiFi as a “suck-out”. If someone has an 8 dB suck-out at 49 Hz, they usually get tired of hearing the same note drop out of double bass riffs.
Imagine listening to your HiFi outside. Your speaker has a flat frequency response and the sound waves are flying right past you at the speed of sound.
Now imagine someone drops a wall a few feet behind you. Now, the sound that used to fly right past you and out of your life forever bounces off the wall and flies past you again a few milliseconds later.
Basically, it’s easy to control the rear wall bounce. Just get rid of it. Open the window or door behind you and let the bass wave keep on going.
Make the most of your audio investment by allowing the system to perform at its fullest potential
- New patented technology bass trap with ~2x bass absorption (below 60hz) over our Standard TubeTrap
- Add to existing system or can be used as a standalone solution
- Adjustable room ambience and bass reverberation
- Adjustable treble diffusion and broadband absorption
- Floor standing and stackable with sturdy exoskeleton
Sturdy Construction
- Durable, long lasting
- Welded and woven steel exoskeleton
- Spill/stain resistant texture-lacquer finish
Easy setup requiring no installation
- Free standing / Floor Standing
- Simple adjustment; rotate or pick up and move!
- Additional hardware can be use for mounted installations
Adjustable Reflector
- Improved soundstage imaging: depth, clarity, localization and stability
- Increased spaciousness
- Increase musical clarity and dynamics
- Maintains ambience
Bass Trapping
- PATENTED Next Gen Bass Absorption from IsoThermal technology
- Controlled reverberation and room modes
- Reduces mid-bass mud
- Turn “room boom” into a tight musical bass line
- Improved signal to noise ratio, allowing higher playback levels without coloration and distortion
