Echea

An echea or sounding vase is a pot, chamber or vessel, similar in function to a modern-day bass traps. They were originally used in ancient Greek theatres to enhance the voices of performers by resonance. They were usually made of bronze, but could also be earthenware if necessary for economic reasons.

Echea were placed with a "due regard to the laws and harmony of physics" according to the Roman writer Vitruvius. The number of echea used and their positioning depended on the size and shape of the theatre. The vases operated by resonance, enhancing key frequencies of the performers' voices and absorbing those of the audience, thereby changing the sound in the theatre to make voices clearer and more lush.

Similar devices have been used in early churches, and some discovered in the vaulted ceiling of the choir of Strasbourg Cathedral, and in mosques dating back to the 11th century.