WHAT IT IS:
The Synergistic Research Black Box Carbon replaces SR's original Black Box, the room-tuning device that has been taming bass nodes and room modes in listening rooms for more than a decade. Like the original, it's a fully passive, broad-spectrum low-frequency resonator array: no power, no connection to your system, and the same compact 9.5" square footprint, so it fits where conventional bass traps won't.
HOW IT WORKS:
According to Synergistic Research, the Black Box doesn't simply soak up bass the way a conventional trap does. Inside are tuned resonator arrays, built with SR's UEF material technology, that work through what SR calls tuned sympathetic resonance, based on a mathematically derived algorithm.
SR's key point is that low, mid, and high frequencies are linked through harmonics. Get the phase right at a fundamental, and its multiples clean up too. SR's own example: correct 20 Hz, and 40, 80, and 160 Hz benefit as well. That's why SR describes the result as reaching beyond the bass: less congestion, tighter and more textured bass, greater resolution, and more precise image outlines.
WHAT'S NEW IN THE CARBON:
- Carbon fiber and aluminum chassis. More rigid than the original's, and better at dissipating mechanical vibration.
- Better resonance control in both the chassis and the resonators themselves, which SR says eliminates ringing that could hold the original back.
- Bronze contact inserts in the top plate, chosen after SR tried about a dozen contact materials, so a second Black Box can sit on top on its Stiletto feet.
- Optimized for stacking. Stack two Black Box Carbons, or put a Black Box Carbon on the bottom and an original Black Box on top. SR says the mixed stack is nearly as effective as a pair of Carbons.
PLACEMENT GUIDE:
These are Synergistic Research's recommended starting points. Every room is different, and SR encourages experimenting from here. Keep each Black Box at least 3" from any wall.
- One unit: centered between your speakers, at least 3" from the front wall. Alternative: in a corner behind and to one side of the speakers. Avoid placing it directly behind a speaker.
- Two units, stacked: SR now says a vertically stacked pair offers far greater performance than two Black Boxes in separate parts of the room. Start the stack in the center position.
- Two units, separate: one centered between the speakers; the second on a side wall slightly ahead of the listening position, or behind the listening position.
- Three units: one centered between the speakers and one in each back corner. Alternative: one behind the listener and one in each front corner.
RECOGNITION:
The Black Box series has earned Editors' Choice awards from The Absolute Sound (2018, 2021, 2022) and hi-fi+ (2026), a hi-fi+ award in 2022, and an AudioBacon Editors' Choice.
"There is no other room acoustic enhancement device that I know of that can transform your listening room in the way that the SR Black Box can deliver." — Mike Girardi, Stereo Times
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Type: passive broad-spectrum low-frequency resonator array (no power required)
- Chassis: carbon fiber and aluminum
- Internals: tuned resonator arrays with SR UEF technology
- Top plate: bronze contact inserts for stacking
- Feet: Stiletto feet included
- Dimensions: 9.5" L x 9.5" W x 6" H (8" H on the Stiletto feet)
- Weight: about 8 lbs (about 12 lbs shipped)
- Stacking: with a second Black Box Carbon, or an original Black Box on top
VIDEO:
hi-fi+ – Synergistic Research Black Box: All About the Bass
More on YouTube: Synergistic Research Black Box demo at CES 2015 (original Black Box)
MORE READING:
ALSO CONSIDER:
Chasing deep room modes in the bottom octave? The PSI Audio AVAA C214 is an active bass trap that absorbs room-mode energy from 15 to 160 Hz.
|
