Topaz AM5

Hermann, thank you from the bottom of my heart for the placement measurements you provided for my KEFspeakers. This has literally been one of the best (and least costly) upgrades of my audio life. I was skeptical at first, but decided to try and when I did, was blown away. And this was better than instrumentation. My room is SMALL, around 42m 3 in volume, almost square but with a sloping roof and a passage to one side. Most acoustic experts would say abandon all hope... Previously, I had placed my speakers using an Audio Control spectrum analyzer and had achieved, after many hours of sliding speakers around to the joyous drone of Pink Noise what I considered to be good sound albeit in a narrow sweet spot. Well, I could have saved myself the time and the effort. You asked for my room dimensions and the type of speaker and sent me precise locations to place the speakers relative to the speakers themselves, the walls,and the listening position. And you provided a precise toe- in measurement. It took me around an hour to follow your instructions with a tape measure and later, as I’m a bit of a fanatic, with a laser measuring device (optional). Well, what an amazing improvement! EVERYTHING is better. The most noticeable change may be in the low end, the deep and mid-bass. Now, bass notes have better definition and are more nuanced,composed of not just one or two tones but three or four and maybe more, and in the room, with 165mm woofers I have a genuine 30hz tone with 26hz lower in volume but apparent. Wow! There is now more ‘weight’ in the 200-350hz region giving the music more force and drive. This is by no means all, as clearing upthe bass allowed more midrange and high detail to appear. Now, it’s possible to hear more into the soundstage that appears widened beyond the speakers and deepened. Instruments are better separated and their locations, where the recordings allow, more discernible. The tonality is improved.I’ve been diving back into my collection to hear what I’ve been missing. What a gift! The bottom line – I’m convinced proper speaker placement is THE most important thing an audiophile or even a casual listener can do to improve the listening experience and the emotional connection with the music. So again, thank you very much – I’vetold all my audio friends to get in touch with you. Highly recommended!

Hi Hermann, Thought I’d let you know how the “Max Decor” speaker placement recommendations you sent have worked out. In two words, very well. And I highly recommend that audio folks interested in improving their listening experiences get in touch with you to benefit from this. I’ve already passed your information on to a couple friends. Through the use of an Audio Control spectrum analyzer the sound in my room was already pretty good. However, the Max Decor recommendation moved this up noticeably. I noted: improved bass response – in volume, detail and in low frequency harmonics. There was more bass, it was clearer and tighter and there was more information. With the bass improved there was now more clarity in the midrange and high frequencies. The soundstage also improved, opening up and offering more space for the instruments. The progress of each instrument in a track was more revealed. The sound is now more ‘locked in’ and musical. Turns out I didn’t need the analyzer and I would have saved a lot of time if I’d just followed your suggestions from the start. Very impressive and highly recommended. Thanks Hermann. Wishing you well and let’s stay in touch. If I have room acoustic and indeed audio questions I hope you won’t mind if I contact you. Cheers,

Once I decided to add a subwoofer to my system I consulted with Hermann. It was clear from how he’d calibrated my PMC monitors last year that his understanding of the dynamics between speakers and the environment they’re in is unmatched. Hermann dialled my REL S3 subwoofer into place with precision. Then he guided me through the tricky crossover and gain fine tuning. Out of nowhere the lower, mid and top end locked into balance. Longer, fuller decays emerged. I could feel the pluck of the double bass in the room. I’ve used subwoofers before but I’ve never heard such a seamless integration of subwoofer with loudspeaker until now. Thank you Hermann for finding the sweet spot for my monitors and sub.

A few months ago I had a feeling I wasn't getting the best out of my system. I gave Hermann my very irregular room dimensions After calibrating my speakers everything about the music works. Tighter base, clearer treble, naturally fading decay, realistic soundstage. So real the speakers disappear. I thought ''it all the things I've wanted from my system but couldn't hear" Then a month ago Hermann emailed with an update. Layer after layer in Nina Simone's You Can Have Him coming forward ... notes rippling across the piano betrayal, bitterness conviction, desire, freedom, Short of being at the Town Hall in 1959 I can't imagine getting closer to the soul of this piece of music. If you're thinking of upgrading your system save your money. Ask Hermann to calibrate your speakers instead. Chances are you're going to discover music you've never heard before.