“To my amazement, he put a 10” Trap directly behind each speaker to absorb the backwave. Details previously lost in the ambient murk leapt out vividly. Then he flanked the speakers with Studio Traps, reflective side facing the listening position, which fleshed out the tonal balance with an almost bodily presence.

Studio Traps have height-adjustable stands; by raising the Traps above the floor, Bruce threw the soundstage up so that it presented an illusion of height that greatly facilitated the presentation of sonic holography. Bruce then added another pair of Studio Traps on the outside edges of the speakers, rotating them as though focusing their projection, and I’ll be damned if that didn’t alter—and improve—the amount of precise detail discernible at my listening position.

By day’s end we had placed a total of 16 Tube Traps around the room, and the difference between the sound of the system that evening and when we had started was (ahem) day and night.”