Like most audiophile chaps, I'm definitely up for a tweak which is preferably all of the following things:
1. Effective
2. Easy to install (i.e. doesn't require a degree in electronic engineering!)
3. Cheap.
So as if by chance the perfect tweak offer dropped into my lap seemingly out of nowhere! After extensive listening and loving of my Revel M22s and having tried them on different surfaces and with different cables etc etc I was very VERY pleased with their performance, surely nothing could make them even better?
Well yes actually, and for a darn sight less than they cost to buy. In fact an amazing tweak was had for just 1.4% of the price of the speakers. YES! For £28 including taxes and shipping, my esteemed acquaintance Jim from diffractionbegone created a pair of baffle covers to perfectly fit my speakers.
So the science is not really up my street, but what I can hear are the effects of a scientific principal working in my favour, and boy can I hear a difference with these things! Have a look and see how they fit, and I'll tell you how they effect (read as 'improve') the sound.
Now you may balk a little at the looks, but in the flesh they look superb and if I'm honest the looks have really grown on me. However, it's not about the looks I hear you say. So the sound...
Well my friends, the difference these things have made is nothing short of staggering. I was expecting it to effect the treble, but in actual fact it's quite the opposite.
The first thing that really struck me was the midrange clarity - think 'crack of the snare', 'clap of the hand' and 'strum of the guitar' and you're on exactly the right lines. The focus in this audible region has to heard to be believed, but that's not all - oh no! The other amazing element is in the bass lines, particularly bass guitar, which takes on a start/stop nature that is as tight as the deft handwork as any talented guitarist. Again I'm going to use the superlative 'focus', clarity in this region is so improved, amazingly in fact.
So is that it? Nope, there's two other areas which are even more impressive, namely imaging and vocals. Imaging on my Revels was always a little bit of a sticking point after owning some Martin Logan electrostats, but these baffle covers have augmented the imaging to near-electrostat levels, and that's saying something. I guess this is why vocals sound sooo good, they just stand so clear from the mix with such audibility and yet never become overblown.
When I discussed my findings with Jim he was glad that I 'got it' and clearly the aim of his product is exactly as I found.
If you have thirty quid that you fancy putting towards a positive tweak in your system, you'll NEVER go wrong with these.