Home Review AAI pads – Mini – Midi – Maxi – Ultra – Anti Resonance

Review AAI pads – Mini – Midi – Maxi – Ultra – Anti Resonance

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Pros

  • Can increase sound stage
  • Can make bass tighter and richer in detail
  • Can bring calmness

Cons

  • Price can go up considerably
  • Requires patience to try everything
  • One set often leads to more

Price: € 98 - 349 per piece

Build quality
Usability
Sound
Price

The Sound

Contents

This is actually the second listening test we do with the AAI Pads. However, now we have been able to try more flavors and that gives more insight. In particular, we tried a lot of AAI Pads under the TADs. Speakers are a grateful component for decoupling: there is immediate feedback. But make no mistake: amplifiers and sources also show changes. It’s not always better, but you can certainly tune with these AAI decouplers….

Not always better!

Now we think the AAI Pads are particularly nice products. And the AAI Midi seriously works wonders with our TAD E2. It is audibly better across the range compared to the Blue Horizon discs. Which, by the way, do cost a quarter…. You get what you pay for in this case.

However, we notice two things: when we put the Ultra under the TADs, we hear more looseness but less air. That has everything to do with the ratio of the weight of the TADs to the AAI Ultra; the ratio has to be right, or the AAI Pads won’t work well. So we think the specs are a bit goofy. Carrying capacity is something other than the ideal spectrum within which they work. The weight of the TAD E2 is around 30 Kg (32 to be exact) which is much less than the carrying capacity of the Mini. However, the Midi works much better. And the Ultra sounds less refined… in short: try before you buy.

Devices

Among devices, we hear equivalent results. Bigger is certainly not better and not every device likes it we have noticed. The Sonnet DAC, for example, not really: the whole thing gets a bit thinner. But the Mutec MC3+ again really likes the Mini: more air, tighter placement…. nicer bass. With the Metrum Ambre, we hear that it gets a bit messy in the bass with the Midi’s.

With the Pass Labs, it gets a bit too thin and a bit sterile with the Maxi for our taste. The Midi goes better (that’s our favorite so far). This is quite audible with Metropolitain / Barbes. The whole thing feels a bit stacato and less rich than we are used to with the Maxi. A balance seems to have been struck with the Midi. Weirdly, the Ultra is wonderful in some ways: there really is more room in the imaging. The question now is – as with the Maxi – whether the bass is still right. After all, it varies per track. But man … that spaciousness!

Now, you can use these pucks – or discs – with practically anything. We remember Keith from Isotek / Blue Horizon informing us that we could also use the discs under the legs of the Bassocontinuo furniture…. “Sure…”, we said… “whatever”. But we did try it AND we don’t want to do without it now; it just sounds better (less smearing).

Balance

The moral of this story … or the message of this review of the AAI Pads, is multiple. First of all: yes … these AAI Pads work. In all cases, we hear a change in sound, impulse behavior … imaging. However: not in all cases it is better. That makes sense, because the behavior of the pucks depends on the load. The larger pucks need more weight than the small ones to work. And if they are loaded too lightly, they don’t work well and balance gets lost.

In addition, not every device is equally sensitive to it AND not every device will like it. This also makes sense, because in the case of Naim, for example, the PCB is often already partially decoupled. Or completely, as in the 500 series and Statement. Then disconnecting the device again can be disadvantageous.

In short: try before you buy and certainly try several models. You will be surprised to what extent the behavior changes.

Type test
Single Test
Accessory type
Decouplers
Conductor material
Copper
Type of conductor
Stranded
Shielding
No
Suitable for
  • Sources
  • (Amplifiers
  • Speakers
  • Record players
Weight class
80>500KG
Material used
Multiple metals
Production country
Slovakia
Sound Samples

Winkels met AAI

Cort van der Lindelaan 11
9722 LP Groningen, NL