By Juan C. Ayllon The last several months have been a swirl of activity and adaptation, and suddenly, I find myself fast approaching the end of my time with a pair of Gold Note PA-10 amplifiers configured as monoblocks that I"ve been reviewing. It's been a fun ride, but as I finalize my notes and observations for my review at Positive Feedback, I find myself thinking about the diffuser panel utilizing Mio Acoustic Paperform tiles on my front wall between my speakers. Maybe that's just my ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) kicking in, but a recent exchange on an audio page on Facebook triggered it -- especially since I haven't been able to access www.Ayllonmedia.com where I originally posted a review on it for the last several days. This morning, I was going to contact its hosting service, iPage, but tried reaching it one more time -- and presto! I was there, and immediately sought out the article. Check! Back when I originally built the diffuser panel, it covered the TV cavity in my wife's old entertainment center that we were using at the time and has since moved upstairs to our living room to be replaced by a much sleeker equipment stand. For those unfamiliar with the Mio Acoustic Paperform tiles, they are a series of alternating semi-circular disk shapes protruding like shallow, rounded off porpoise fins from a flat base constructed of recycled paper (a pack of 12 retails for roughly $50). Although I found it to be effective at sound diffusion, after I'd built it, I considered filling the jutting fins with plaster of Paris, as an acquaintance offered up the superior acoustic diffusive qualities of this material over pulp-based products. I actually tried this with one, but found that working with plaster was messy and it warped the form, which bulged slightly during the weeklong drying process (my attempt to seal the paper with rubber cement failed). Moreover, just one tile weighed close to 10 lbs., and since the tiles used in my diffuser were permanently bonded to the backing, I abandoned the idea for the time being. However, I still believe the benefits of using solid plaster versus paper would be well worth the inconvenience. Regardless, for those interested, you can find the link to my review of the Mio Acoustic Paperform tile HERE.
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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