Passive Multivocal Resonator - further thoughts and experiences

… fiddle, fiddle… listen, listen…  fiddleagain, fiddleagain… relisten, relisten...  my experience with PMR Referenz is going on, folks, thanking the monsoon-like heavy rains so ideal for music and audio activities.

Yesterday I had another listening session… first with Gotorama and vinyl playback.

Mixed feeling…

The positioning of the Referenz when listening to the larger system isn’t so easy… I listened to a nice Malcolm Arnold EMI I bought in Munchen, very dynamic, horns and tympanis and assorted percussions, a truly great recording Goosens/Bournemouth Orchestra, when I took away the PMR, the sound was sort-of (slightly, but audibly) tilted on highs…

Meaning I got better orchestra overall sound without any resonator in the room... yes, I had to "throw away" them all, placing them in an annex.

Far away.

Out of sight and, most of all, ear.

Something I didn’t noticed or experienced when listening to 300B and Cabasse, where the balance was pretty right, even better as I recently shared, as the slightly rolled-off highs of Cabasse were a little improved, apparently.

The Goto SG160 tweeter (maybe) simply doesn’t need any “enhancing”.

So… four days after the first PMR trial I’m now able to say that, in my studio, a Referenz is really, mean REALLY useful and blessed when using the smaller system, conveying music and improving soundstage to a truly unexpected level.

A blessing, indeed.

With larger Gotorama… just guessing: I’m phisically unable to place the resonator as suggested by the maker – i.e. between speakers, a little back-stage, as the EMT 930, Mayer’s preamp(s) and CD player and DAC make busy the area where to ideally place the Referenz  PMR.

The vertical placement is paramount with these passive devices… height, something I immediately noticed… should mandatorily be at slightly more than ear level (height).

If lower, the soundstage collapses, worsening the sans-PMR…

… but also the horizontal placement is really important and something to be not under-considered!

The so-so results with larger system where it’s impossibile to place properly is the demonstration.

I must honestly point it out that the above vertical/horizontal tips are, in my humble opinion, referred to the reflective properties of the Referenz, while the vibrating character made me confident the polished highs, which sounded a little bit excessive with larger system… well, I’ve no solutions in my room…

I suspect, by gut feeling, also if moving around like a perfect idiot trying to reach same “magic” so easily reached with smaller system, I should dismantle whole system and back wall!

… not doubtful, only my straightforwardness makes me to say: beware!

The “mature audio/musical knowledge and system” I quoted in the previous prose on the matter, makes me affirming that - with such a device and our different audio system layout, listening tastes and habits, rooms, etc. -  a before-the-deal loan should be invoked and strongly perused and obtained.

Not me or other reviewers, no Web hypes should be enough to handle the wallet, pronto.

Make your own experience, pals.

This and previous post are related to my own, very own experience and system in my room and my own ears.

Consider the above advice necessary with such an expensive, exotic, esoteric and voodoo item.