SteinMusic H2 Neo

Your listening room is part of every recording you play, and the H2 Neo helps you hear less of the room and more of the music. It's SteinMusic's active harmonizer, and together with its Stones, Diamonds, and Suns it forms a system for tuning the room itself.

Hear the music with less of the room in the way.

The Design

SteinMusic describes the H2 Neo as an active harmonizer that helps reduce the influence of the listening room, so timing, spatiality, timbre, and the finest details reach you more clearly and naturally. It leaves the recording alone and improves the conditions under which you perceive the music in the room. The H2 Neo is SteinMusic's current H2 system and replaces the H2 Plus and H2 Plus Signature.

SteinMusic offers a simple image for how it works rather than a technical proof. Sound travels through air, and setting air in motion from rest takes energy. Once it's flowing, even the slightest changes carry more easily. According to SteinMusic, the H2 Neo supports this on a very subtle level: it doesn't move the air mechanically, it creates conditions in the room that make the smallest sonic events easier and more stable to transmit.

Setup and Operation

The H2 Neo runs on batteries inserted into the compartment on the underside, so check the polarity. A main switch turns it on, and a control knob adjusts intensity, with a display that shows the current value so you can repeat and compare settings. SteinMusic suggests starting at a moderate intensity, comparable to its earlier recommendation of 9 to 10 o'clock, then raising it in small steps. Small changes can be clearly audible, so give each adjustment a few minutes.

How Many You Need

SteinMusic says the effect doesn't depend mainly on room size. A basic setup is one to three pairs, and two pairs is the most common. You can start with one pair and add more later. A single pair already improves large rooms, and several pairs usually add stability, naturalness, and the self-evident quality of the image.

Placement

• Place the H2 Neo units on two adjacent sides of the room, following the diagram in the instructions.
• With one pair, start at the wall behind the speakers.
• Closer together gives more focus and contour. Further apart gives a larger stage and greater width.
• Face the fronts into the room, toward the area between the speakers and the listening position.
• SteinMusic recommends its stands made for the H2, with about 1 m as the proven reference height, to make positioning simple and repeatable. Behind a curtain, on a shelf, or in a cupboard is usually fine too.

The System Around It

SteinMusic's Black Stones, Acoustic Suns (formerly Blue Suns), and Acoustic Diamonds are essential parts of the H2 Neo System, mounted as the diagram and instructions show. Position and orientation strongly affect the overall result. According to SteinMusic, Suns on the side walls open the soundstage and let the sound detach from the speakers. A Sun behind the speakers adds depth, and its height changes the vertical perspective. A Sun behind the listening position opens the space in front of the loudspeakers, and a ceiling Sun strongly enhances spatial projection. Diamonds work more subtly, refining the Suns or acting understated on their own. Black Stones in the room corners ground the stage and stabilize proportions and naturalness.

Getting the Most From It

If the sound feels too bright or too prominent, lower the intensity slightly. If it feels flat or less tangible, raise it slightly. The display lets you track A/B setups precisely. SteinMusic says the effect takes about 20 minutes to reach full strength after switching on and can become even more consistent after a few days, so it recommends leaving the H2 Neo on permanently. For a true A/B comparison, remove the units from the room, because the effect fades slowly, over about 20 minutes, after switch-off. The H2 Neo works very well with electronic room correction, and SteinMusic advises remeasuring after installation.

Where It Fits

Choose the H2 Neo when you want to tune the room itself instead of changing a component. Start with one pair, and add Suns, Diamonds, and Stones as you listen. We're happy to help you plan how many units and where, for your room.

Press Recognition

The H2 Neo is SteinMusic's current generation, and reviews of it are on the way. SteinMusic's Harmonizer System has earned strong coverage in earlier generations:

• The Absolute Sound, Jonathan Valin, on the Stein Music Harmonizer System. SteinMusic cites his Editors' Choice Award for the H2 system. Read the review at The Absolute Sound
• Stereo Times (December 2011), reviewing the H2 Harmonizers, Magic Stones, and Magic Diamonds under the headline "Call This an Unqualified Rave." Read the review at Stereo Times
• Positive Feedback, Robert H. Levi (2012), reviewing the H2 Harmonizers. Read the review at Positive Feedback

Questions about how many pairs to start with, where to place them, or how to combine them with Suns, Diamonds, and Stones? Give us a call.

Specifications

• Type: Active room harmonizer
• Power: Batteries, in a compartment on the underside
• Controls: Main switch; intensity control knob with display
• Setup: One to three pairs; two pairs most common
• Warm-up: About 20 minutes to full effect after switching on
• System: Works with SteinMusic Black Stones, Acoustic Suns, and Acoustic Diamonds
• Stands: SteinMusic H2 stands recommended, about 1 m height
• Maker: SteinMusic, Germany