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Long awaited Smyth SVS Realiser NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE - Page 9

post #121 of 1807
6/7/09 at 8:33am
So let me state what I think is correct, one can have their ears+amp profiled then this can be mixed with a room profile from someone else. Am I correct here?
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post #122 of 1807
6/7/09 at 10:22am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cecala View Post
So let me state what I think is correct, one can have their ears+amp profiled then this can be mixed with a room profile from someone else. Am I correct here?
No. This is incorrect.

The room profile has "your ears" associated with it, as the profile itself is created through measurements made by having binaural calibrated microphones inserted in your ears while sweep signals are sent to each speaker in the room.

Similarly, the headphone/amp profile also has "your ears" associated with it, as the profile is created through measurements made by having calibrated microphones inserted in your ears and also wearing headphones over your ears (with the microphones also in your ears) while sweep signals are sent to the headphones, to set a proper equalization curve.

These are two separate profile file types, reflecting two separate measurement sets. But both measurements involve "your ears" as perceived by the inserted binaural microphones.

You can create any number of each type of profile file types, for (a) any number of rooms you might visit with your calibration microphones and a Realiser box, and for (b) any number of headphone/amp combinations you might own and that you might someday want to listen to SVS-processed sound through. But again... each of these files involves "your ears", as reflected by the binaural microphones inserted in your ears when the measurements are made from the sweep signals.

Then, you can combine any file of type (a) with any file of type (b) to produce a "personalization profile" for that room's listening environment as heard through that headphone/amp equipment... via "your ears". Up to four such personalization profiles may be stored into the four preset memories of the Realiser, available for easy access through the P1-P4 buttons on the remote.

You cannot use files of type (a) or (b) which were produced from "somebody else's ears" and have the result sound correct to "your ears". If you do it will sound "off" in any one or more "virtual sound directions" or "virtual sound elevations" (if you use someone else's room/ear profile), or even on tonal/volume equalization from the headphone/amp (if you use someone else's headphone/amp/ear profile). Sound, as heard through "your ears", is unique to you and your ears.
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post #123 of 1807
6/7/09 at 1:03pm
It would be fantastic is we could use a room profile that we've never visited, with headphones/amps that we have. Or the other way around.
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post #124 of 1807
6/7/09 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ripley View Post
I would definitely be willing to buy $100 worth of AIX Records for the opportunity to calibrate in your studio!
Same here.
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post #125 of 1807
6/8/09 at 8:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. AIX View Post
BTW Our first Blu-Ray sampler disc will be bundled with the new Oppo BD-83 (the unit that I was showing at the CanJam event). It's almost finished and should be replicated next week. Anyone that's interested in real HD surround audio should enjoy it a great deal.
Aw man! I already got my BDP-83

Quote:
Originally Posted by Edwood View Post
I'm definitely interested in getting an SVS Realiser profile done in your studio.

-Ed
Oh well. it's just a day or two of vacation time . I would also be interested.

I'm about a month away from having all the money to order. Must... work... more...
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post #126 of 1807
6/8/09 at 9:14am
Thread Starter 
Just a reminder in case it slipped by unnoticed...

The Realiser accepts only analog inputs (up to 7.1, or eight discrete analog channels of source).



All multi-channel DD/DTS decoding is expected to be done earlier by the preamp/receiver/processor, with the resulting discrete multiple analog channels then fed to the Realiser's analog inputs. The Realiser contains no licensed multi-channel decoding capability of its own.

So if you have an older receiver that does not provide discrete analog preamp outputs, you'll need to upgrade your hardware to utilize the Realiser.
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post #127 of 1807
6/8/09 at 10:55am

Can Someone...

Can someone refer me to a concise, "layman's" description of what the "Realiser" is and does, and how it does it??? And... binaural recordings for that matter.

I've skimmed over some of this thread, but, I still would like a simple summary.

It sounds like its a device to recreate the spacial, and perhaps even the frequency range, characteristics of a particular audio system in a particular listening room, unique to each person's ears - giving them the impression they're listening to speakers (or live performance), with the same soundstage, rather than headphones.

While, I realize it may provide an experience that is unique to each audio system, room and person... is that substantially better than binaural recording techniques, with good recording equipment in a good studio / venue.

Do such techniques do much the same thing - just not as personalized?

Are such techniques better, since they remove the "middle man" of the the particular playback audio system, room, and listener - reproducing the sound of the live performance and venue more directly?

Does the "Realiser" do the same thing as a binaural recording system does, except that it does it via a playback audio system and room, rather than the live performance and venue?

I'm not even sure I understand how binaural recordings are made, and why they're unique. Or, if its relevant, since they don't seem to be widely available at reasonable prices.

Though, I do recall multi-channel recordings of years ago - through multiple mic locations (maybe up to 32 in a venue), which seemed to reproduce more of the spacial experience of the live performance.

Forgive my rudimentary questions - but... I'll bet a lot of "laymen," who are just being introduced to the "Realiser" and binaural recordings have no idea what these are, or how they work. And... don't have the time, or patience, to wade through pages and pages of fragments of discussions attempting to infer "what its all about."
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post #128 of 1807
6/8/09 at 11:14am
As you already gathered from this thread, it does indeed recreate the sound of speakers through headphones. What sets it apart is the degree of accuracy (or so I've read) and even more importantly, the use of head tracking. You'll see from the pictures that the demonstration set up shows a transmitter on top of the headphones and a receiver on top of the television. This means that when you move, the Realiser makes it sound as if your position has changed in relation to the sound emitted from the virtual speakers.
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post #129 of 1807
6/8/09 at 11:43am

So Then...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Quadrangulum View Post
As you already gathered from this thread, it does indeed recreate the sound of speakers through headphones. What sets it apart is the degree of accuracy (or so I've read) and even more importantly, the use of head tracking. You'll see from the pictures that the demonstration set up shows a transmitter on top of the headphones and a receiver on top of the television. This means that when you move, the Realiser makes it sound as if your position has changed in relation to the sound emitted from the virtual speakers.
So then... the "Realiser" alters the timing and frequencies of the sound waves being heard by each ear of the listener, based on a real time feedback loop between the listener and the "Realiser," to provide the impression / illusion that the listener is listening to speakers, and that the sound is coming primarily from the front, with delayed / reflected sound from the sides and back of the room, and reflecting the shape and materials in the room, as well as the speaker systems, etc.?

So... that's all achieved by varying the timing, frequencies, amplitude, etc. for multiple segments of the sound waves, and the contrast between those when heard by a particular listener via the speaker system vs their headphones?

That is... the "Realiser" adjusts all those parameters to reproduce the same timing, frequencies, amplitude, etc. for multiple segments of the sound waves, when heard by the listener via his heaphones, as when those are/were heard by the listener via the specific speakers in a particular room - so that the sound seems to be coming primarily from the front, with greater spacial properties?

Does this technique then "adjust / adapt" for the variations in various headphones and set ups, then - since its adapting all of those parameters to recreate the sound heard from the speakers, etc., given a particular set of phones and set up - essentially eliminating unique charactersitics of the phones and set up??? So that it makes less difference whether the listener is listening via Grados, or Senns, or AKGs, or whatever, since its adapting their sound to the sound of the speakers, room, etc.???
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post #130 of 1807
6/8/09 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict View Post
It would be fantastic is we could use a room profile that we've never visited, with headphones/amps that we have. Or the other way around.
In theory, in the near future, one could get their ears laser scanned and this information would be sent over the net to central computer(database) that could analyze the characteristics necessary to form an ear profile.

All the top phones and amps would be profiled and stored on harddisk.
All top sound rooms would also be profiled and stored.
Your ear profile would be combined with your chose of amp and room.
Profile sent back to you over the net, then stored on your SD card or Harddisk.

As an aside, does the kit come complete with the microphones necessary to form your own profile, or is it done by the company. I ask this for people who live outside the USA.
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post #131 of 1807
6/8/09 at 1:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cecala View Post
IAs an aside, does the kit come complete with the microphones necessary to form your own profile, or is it done by the company.
The two microphones are included in the package, along with ear pads (to surround the mics and allow them to be inserted into your ears and remain comfortably stationary).

You also get a neck cord, which hooks on to a "Y-adapter to which the two microphone cords plug in and from which a 5M cord also plugs in and runs to the Realiser mic input. This allows you to wear the microphones with the wires hanging down to around chest level with the neck cord taking up the weight of everything so that the microphones won't move or pull out of your ears.

You also get a 5M "extension cord" (male at one end, female at the other) which can be used to extend either (a) the 5M microphone cord running from the "Y"-adapter to the Realiser mic input, or (b) the 5M cord running from the IR head-tracker receiver (which sits on top of the TV) to the IR-input on the Realiser, since both of the 5M cords have the identical male plug at one end.

Thus you do your own calibrations, both for the room/ear profile and for the headphone/amp/ear profile.
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post #132 of 1807
6/8/09 at 6:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gradofan2 View Post
So then... the "Realiser" alters the timing and frequencies of the sound waves being heard by each ear of the listener, based on a real time feedback loop between the listener and the "Realiser," to provide the impression / illusion that the listener is listening to speakers, and that the sound is coming primarily from the front, with delayed / reflected sound from the sides and back of the room, and reflecting the shape and materials in the room, as well as the speaker systems, etc.?

Yes

So... that's all achieved by varying the timing, frequencies, amplitude, etc. for multiple segments of the sound waves, and the contrast between those when heard by a particular listener via the speaker system vs their headphones?

Yes

That is... the "Realiser" adjusts all those parameters to reproduce the same timing, frequencies, amplitude, etc. for multiple segments of the sound waves, when heard by the listener via his heaphones, as when those are/were heard by the listener via the specific speakers in a particular room - so that the sound seems to be coming primarily from the front, with greater spacial properties?

Yes

Does this technique then "adjust / adapt" for the variations in various headphones and set ups, then - since its adapting all of those parameters to recreate the sound heard from the speakers, etc., given a particular set of phones and set up - essentially eliminating unique charactersitics of the phones and set up??? So that it makes less difference whether the listener is listening via Grados, or Senns, or AKGs, or whatever, since its adapting their sound to the sound of the speakers, room, etc.???
Yes. It is tuned to the room+ears, and then tuned to the headphone/amp+ears. So, you could get the same sound for a "speaker/room profile" setting regardless of the phones used. But the profile is only good for the particular person's ears that were used for the ear-canal microphones when the speakers and headphones were each measured in separate steps.

Binaural recordings can sound out of head, but often the sound comes from behind you. This actually sounds like the sound is coming from 10 feet in front of you, or to the side, or back, perfectly, etc...
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post #133 of 1807
6/8/09 at 6:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dsperber View Post
Just a reminder in case it slipped by unnoticed...

The Realiser accepts only analog inputs (up to 7.1, or eight discrete analog channels of source).



All multi-channel DD/DTS decoding is expected to be done earlier by the preamp/receiver/processor, with the resulting discrete multiple analog channels then fed to the Realiser's analog inputs. The Realiser contains no licensed multi-channel decoding capability of its own.

So if you have an older receiver that does not provide discrete analog preamp outputs, you'll need to upgrade your hardware to utilize the Realiser.
Why would this device need output jacks? An internal switch from speakers to headphones?
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post #134 of 1807
6/8/09 at 7:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sledge View Post
Why would this device need output jacks? An internal switch from speakers to headphones?
It goes between the source (SACD, DVD, CD, PC) and the headphone amp, and also feeds the audio video receiver.
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post #135 of 1807
6/8/09 at 9:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HeadphoneAddict View Post
It goes between the source (SACD, DVD, CD, PC) and the headphone amp, and also feeds the audio video receiver.
So it acts as a fancy AV switch as well as a processor.
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