OK - DSPeaker Cinema 8033 "Anti-Mode" first impressions:

I plugged the little box in between my preamp's sub output and my vented 15" subwoofer. I set the calibration microphone atop a tripod at the listening couch at the same height & distance from the back wall as my head would be while listening. I started the "calibration" sequence and my wife INSTANTLY demanded to know what I was doing! The subsonic rumble did shake the house a bit... After explaining that the noise was temporary, I closed the door to the room where she was to minimize her discomfort. The thing cycles four times before calibration is complete.

After calibration, I put on the usual suspects (Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor, etc.). Not much difference. I tried the box's equalization (15 to 25 Hz boost or 25 to 35 Hz boost) and neither made any significant difference.

I left it on 25 to 35 & tried some "normal" music. Now I DID hear differences. They came in several different aspects:

1. Bass notes start & stop more quickly. I've always had plenty of bass with this sub, but although the drums & bass notes had plenty of "whomp," they didn't start or stop very abruptly. Leading edges were blurred, and when the notes stopped, there was significant decay time. Don't get me wrong - it sounded good, but not as "live" as the rest of the spectrum. With the box in the signal chain, bass is significantly "dryer." The midrange transient of the drumstick hitting the drum skin or the transient of the pick/thumb on the bass string is now more noticeable at the start of a bass transient. Similarly, when the note stops, the decay is not as long. This robs some of the "bloom" effect, but it seems more accurate to my ears.

2. Bass notes now have better tone: Before the box, there was plenty of bass, but unless a note was sustained, there was some difficulty in appreciating the actual pitch of the note. This is an exaggeration, but I don't quite know how else to describe it. With the box in the signal chain, one can (far) more easily follow the bass lines and their counterpoint with the rest of the music. I played some Glenn Miller and was instantly aware of how the bass notes actually played a clever counterpoint to the main melody. Without the box, this counterpoint was more "suggested" than "explicit." With the box in the system, the pitch of each bass note or of each drum is more discreet and easily discernible.

3. Midrange is more dynamic: This I seriously didn't expect! But without the former "mud" in the bass, the midrange seems to have significantly better "jump factor." I listened for a couple of hours to a wide variety of music (everything from Dash-Rip-Rock to Jennifer Warnes to Big Luther Kent to Itzhak Perlman) and the midrange was strikingly different than what I've previously heard. Note that the box does NOT affect the main speakers AT ALL - It is inserted only between the preamp sub-out and the subwoofer's input jack. Nevertheless, the acoustic benefits to the midrange were perhaps more striking to me than the benefits to the bass.

So to summarize - I knew that I had an excellent sub, but I never realized HOW excellent until the box tamed the room resonances (which I wasn't even aware of until they were gone). The box may not make as big a difference as a new pair of main speakers, but it's definitely more difference than a replacement pair of amplifiers. I think it's a keeper.

Keep in mind that these are very initial impressions, and that some experimentation with box equalization (flat - 15 to 25 boost - 25 to 35 boost) may make some additional difference. I give the box a "thumbs up" and encourage any who may be considering it to give it a shot. For the $$ spent, it makes a big difference.

Boomzilla

PS - The Anti-Mode 8033 has done things that neither Emo-Q nor Yamaha's "YPAO" correction accomplished in my room. I don't know whether this is because the 8033 is subwoofer-specific or not, but it is FAR more successful (to my ears) than any "generic" room correction that I've previously heard. Note that I have NOT heard Dirac, and therefore can't comment on it.

Last edited by Boomzilla; 05/17/15 02:16 AM.
My opinion is worth exactly what you're paying for it!