Tombo Audio‘s Headman, Mr.Vattana ‘Audio Playboy‘ Prasertnasung was present at the recent KLAV 2023 event and he demonstrated his Lotus Harmonic Enhancer ( LHE-01) for me at the SIMPLICITY AUDIO‘s sizable exhibition room. The result was immediate and clear to my ears…without hesitation and with eagerness, I asked him for samples to review. He obliged me with the six (6) units of LHE-01 which were at the room then.
What is the Lotus Harmonic Enhancer?
‘Inspired by Nepal singing bowl, Tombo Audio has created a groundbreaking acoustic tool named Lotus Harmonic Enhancer. The bell on the top gives high resonance frequency while the tip on the top of the bell performs as a wave guide streaming high frequency up to the ceiling.
Key Features
1. Effectively control the direction of the sound reflection through 5 ways wave guide design.
2. Optimize the main sound by controlling the room reflection sound redirection through waveguide.
3. Confusing noise was managed in a good order. Make the main sound clean and clear, so that harmonics appear in the playback process.
4. Very affordable and useful for audiophiles who cannot afford a dedicated listening room.’ (as per their website: www.tombo-audio.com)
Did they Work as Advertised?
Mr.Vattana did recommend that one (1) LHE-01 be placed at the following positions:
- farthest corner of each loudspeaker top (2 units),
- at the floor of every corner in the room (4 units),
- at the floor of the center at the front wall (1 unit),
- at the height of around 5 feet or slightly higher at the front wall (1 unit).
Of course, the above positions were not final and,…more positions may be added later.
He recommended that each LHE at the loudspeakers (2 units) and corners of the room (4 units), be positioned with the wave guides (at the side of the cup) at an ‘X’ pose (where one of the wave guide pointing at the listening position). However, the LHEs at the floor and height (2 units) of the center front wall (between the loudspeakers), be positioned with the wave guides at ‘+‘ pose (where one of the wave guide pointing at the center of the listening position). The above would result in the following:-
a) sharper defined images,
b) more articulation and definition at the mid to low bass,
c) clearer spacing and boundaries among images,
d) higher palpability and density of images,
e) deeper depth at the soundstage,
f) stronger presence at mid stage,
g) clearer detailing of instruments, and
h) more intimacy and weight to vocal(s).
As I played around with the ‘X‘ pose of the LHEs at the loudspeakers (2 units) and at the corners of the room (4 units) [by pointing the wave guide away from the listening position,…lesser toe in to the listening position], I noticed the followings:-
A) shift in the size, definition, weight, palpability, and delineation of images,
B) spacing between images, and the audible ambience within the soundstage, and
C) size and breath of the soundscape.
That would allow the user to fine tune the musical presentation to his/her liking,…according to the genre and recording of the music at play.
A DEFINATE AFFIMATIVE!
In my audio book, the answer to the above question was a definative affirmative. Those LHEs were indeed potent and useful to tune the audio set up and more importantly, the audio room…
A Must Have!!!