[derekphone]

Just thought I'd create a page for the goodhertz line of audio plug in products, especially CanOpener and Mid-Side. I mostly mean the desktop plug-ins, but we can also discuss the mobile aps as well.

The products I've purchased so far are: CanOpener for mac and iOS and Mid-Side (the full version, although I have used mid-side matrix, which is the free, stripped down version).

To me, CanOpener was a game-changer product. Before CanOpener, I only really looked for amps or DACs that had crossfeed built in, as to me, crossfeed is a necessity for long listening sessions. All the other crossfeed DSP programs I had tried were complete crap. So, I developed a prejudice for only using analog, amp/dac built in solutions. I liked the crossfeed solutions built into the Grace m9XX and the upper tier Chord products. However, I saw a few recommendations for CanOpener, and decided to try it out on their free trial. I was almost immediately blown away with both the quality of the crossfeed (which makes sense because the product is marketed to be used for recording studios) and also the flexibility. That was one thing that somewhat annoyed me with built in analog crossfeed, is that it was either on or it was off, there was no tailoring, despite that the crosfeed I'd want for different songs and different headphones and even different DACs and amps could differ. So, this not only improved the sound I was getting, but also meant I didn't have to worry about limiting my amp/DAC searches to units with crossfeed built in. CanOpener mostly fixed what is, to me, the fundamental problem of headphone soundstage. That is, music is mastered with speakers in mind, and thus when you put headphones on, you have three distinct blobs of sound, a central blob, a left blob and a right blob. With speakers the physical placement of the speakers in space allows your brain to turn these blobs into a coherent plane of sound, thus a realistic soundstage. CanOpener doesn't get you ALL the way to Speaker soundstage, though, as I experienced it, it was still a bit "wrapped" around your head, as opposed to the mostly flat plane a good speaker setup presents. And the soundstage was still a bit more narrow than a speaker setup could ideally produce. That's where mid-side came in. Mid-side allowed me to take that connected, realistic soundstage and then shape it, without disconnecting it.

I guess it's time for some pictures. Here is a rough idea of how I experienced soundstage with the HD800 and m9XX:



In the first image, labeled "No Crossfeed" you see the "traditional" headphone soundstage as I experienced it, and this is with a very good soundstage headphone, the HD800. With the HD800 I at least could experience the "blobs" outside of my head. Like with a Grado SR series headphone you'd actually see those three blobs inside my head. But it still wasn't really impressive to me, because even if it got outside of my head, it was disconnected an unnatural sounding. This is why, for a long time I didn't really care about stoundstage. Like I didn't care if the blobs were in my head or outside, if they were just going to be disconnected blobs of sound anyway. Binaurally recorded music fixed this, but there's so little music I want to listen to recorded binaurally, that it mostly just served as a tease. Then came the m9XX and its crossfeed unit. The blobs were no longer distinctly disconnected. You can see it didn't really completely come together, as there was a small gap in perceived soundstage, but it came really close. And depth marginally improved as well. This, to me, drastically reduced listening fatigue, and it also made me care about soundstage in headphones again. With the m9XX crossfeed, there was a much more realistic sense of space and soundstage with a good soundstage headphone like the HD800, compared to, say, the SR80e, which even with crossfeed, all the blobs are still in your head.

Then came canopener. A night and day difference between the perceived soundstage would be underselling the difference I experienced. First of all, everything was connected now, completely. While it felt like I had the band sitting around me, instead of fully in front of me, and the soundstage was a tiny bit narrow, compared to ideal, I much more quickly could get the "close your eyes and think you're there" feeling.

Then I pushed it a little further with the mid-side program. The mid-side program allows you to individually control levels of the middle and sides of the mix, and also even give them different EQ settings. The free mid-side matrix is good, but only allows you to control levels, not EQ. And it also seems to have a rougher way of creating width. It's a good starting point for free, but if you want to go fully next level with soundstage, mid-side is the key. You can see that with this, I come startlingly close to experiencing a real quality speaker like soundstage with the HD800. I can close my eyes, picture a band on-stage and within seconds feel like I'm there.

To give you an idea of the settings I use, I'll include some pictures:

CanOpener



If I didn't use mid-side, I wouldn't max out crossfeed percentage like I do here, I'd probably just go 100%. At 150% it starts to make the soundstage wrap around your head a bit too much and become a bit too narrow. You get the benefit of much more accurate imaging, and much better perceived depth, and much greater coherency. 100% is a nice compromise. I use most realistic processing. It take a bit more processing power, but is definitely worth it if you have the power available, because it's a much more realistic sounding effect then.

So why did I use 150% if I said that 100% is the best compromise? Because the issues that 150% creates can be fully undone with mid-side, without undoing the benefits of coherency and depth 150% gives you. So if you are gonna use mid-side, in addition to CanOpener, go with 150%, if not go with 100%.

One other thing, the stereo spectrum vizualizer is new, and so great. It's fun in and of itself, but also useful to see what frequencies are where in the music. The "ideal" soundstage is something like a flower, where the bass, ie stem of the flower, is dense in the middle. This gives the music a very solid sounding foundation. Then the midrange is a bit wider, this keeps things focused, but gives a bit greater sense of space. Then the highest frequencies are much more spread out, to give a sense of air. Luckily most modern recordings follow this pattern, but some older music especially deviates from this (especially 60s era british recordings, when they really didn't understand what the point of stereo even was, since they were culturally mono, but had to make stereo recordings for america). But if you're noticing some music deviates from this, it will probably 1) irritate you and 2) you can use canopener to fix it. Some recordings have the kick drum panned hard one way or the other, which I find extremely irksome. But with canopener, just slide that mono-below control, and now your bass is centered again, and much more pleasant (yes, I'm looking at you early beatles recordings). If you like The Beatles and listen to headphones, canopener is basically a must own app for just them alone.

Mid-Side



With mid-side the first thing I do is set the width at 115%. While this may not seem like much, for the purposes of listening to music, rather than studio music creation, it's enough. I am usually between 110% and 140% depending on the music and the headphone. With the HD800 I almost never need more than 120% width. I use the natural setting. So, this adjustment alone gets us really close, except the sides are a bit too close, which gives the "curved" soundstage effect that headphones produce. With CanOpener on 150% crossfeed, it sounds like the band is playing AROUND you (which can admittedly be cool on its own, but doesn't sound realistic). With CanOpener on 150% and mid-side on 115%, it sounds like you're listening to a gently curved stage, such that the left, right and center are equally distant. I then use the Mid and Side specific EQs to pull and boost some presence frequencies, which has the effect of "straightening" the stage, such that the far left sounds farther away, as it should. Basically I have a slope EQ adjustment from 8kHz-20kHz that is bumped by 1dB in the middle, and pulled by 2dB on the sides. Those numbers are very subtle, but when it comes to soundstage, subtlety makes all the difference. From headphone to headphone you can adjust those settings a bit, and even album to album if you want (in my experience live recordings can do with a bit less).

Anyway, if anybody else has any testaments to these or any other GoodHertz products, fire away. Or feel free to ask any questions!

So I tried to install Can Opener before I get my proper rig, to test things out. But I have no idea what I'm doing. Looking things up online, this whole processing part of the chain seems way out of my knowledge arena. Do I need studio mixing software? Can I use this with Tidal? I don't use any other player other than iTunes once and a while. I thought it was just as simple as downloading and use it. Looks like there is a lot more to it, like I had to look up what VST is? So lost lol.

Based on what I'm using (Mac, Tidal and iTunes), how do I proceed? Thanks in advance.

 

[buonassi]

You need a software that can process the tidal stream and run it through AU plugins. VSTs are not the first choice for Mac. Thankfully goodhertz have AUs

My favorite solution for software player on Mac that does tidal and AUs is Audirvana plus. It’s not cheap but worth it my a mile IMO

 

[derekphone]

You need a software that can process the tidal stream and run it through AU plugins. VSTs are not the first choice for Mac. Thankfully goodhertz have AUs

My favorite solution for software player on Mac that does tidal and AUs is Audirvana plus. It’s not cheap but worth it my a mile IMO

Thanks for the response. This is trial upon trial lol. And learning curve upon learning curve. I have heard that Audirvana's sound quality is better than Tidal so that would be a plus. Do you think I can test this on a trial version of Audirvana? Also, is it intuitive to find out how to use the plugins in Audirvana?

 

[derekphone]

Thanks for the response. This is trial upon trial lol. And learning curve upon learning curve. I have heard that Audirvana's sound quality is better than Tidal so that would be a plus. Do you think I can test this on a trial version of Audirvana? Also, is it intuitive to find out how to use the plugins in Audirvana?

Would I be using Audirvana to find music on Tidal? Or would I still be using Tidal's interface?

 

[derekphone]

Would I be using Audirvana to find music on Tidal? Or would I still be using Tidal's interface?

Ok just saw how Tidal works within Audirvana. Cool!

 

[buonassi]

I believe there is a two week trial or maybe it’s down to one week now I’m not sure. But there’s definitely a trial period for Audirvana

I think it’s pretty easy to get the plug-ins working it’s a rather simple step that you take in the settings configuration.

If you run into trouble I can get you some screenshots or try to walk you through setting it up

 

[buonassi]

I think you’re gonna like CanOpener studio. It definitely sounds natural and not overly processed at all. Sometimes depending on the recording it can be a very mild effect but it really does pull everything away from your head a little bit further and create a sense of spaciousness. At the same time it also centers the bass, so the lower frequencies are localized in the center and they don’t spread so aggressively out to the Sides.

I think that sonically speaking it is the most transparent of all I have tried. It is quite different than other studio speaker emulator software. The frequency response is mildly affected if you use the ‘most realistic’ setting and nowhere near as big a tonal shift as other software. It was clearly designed for headphone enjoyment and not speaker emulation.

Edit. Works great with IEMs as well!

 

[derekphone]

Thanks buonassi. So I'm playing with it right now. I've been testing out Out Of Your Head software for a couple of days. Wow, Can Opener is way more subtle. With OOYH it literally tricks my brain when I A/B. It's very noticeable. But, the sound quality/FR is changed. With Can Opener, the sound quality is very good, feels like it's retained. The out of your head effect is pretty subtle though. I've only just began to play with it. To be fair, I've been testing this on Bose QC 15's. I'm waiting for my HD6xx's and will be picking up a Woo WA6 amp soon. That will be the real tests here. At this point it feels like, at least between these two products, there's a big give and take - Sound quality and effect. I guess you can't expect the effect without changes to the sound quality. I would love to A/B the best analogue implementation (maybe ifi Pro iCan, which is what I heard crossfeed on) vs Can Opener vs OOYH.

My first impressions are, damn I wish Can Opener had the same effect of tricking my brain into thinking my headphones aren't connected and sound started coming from my computer speakers as OOYH does. If we are just talking about the out of your head feeling that we are trying to obtain here, OOYH software literally does it 5-10x more than Can opener. But man I'm not sure if I can deal with the sound quality loss (not sure if that's the correct way of explaining it. It bugs me that I know some parts of the song are either exaggerated or barely heard, based on which live room/speakers are chosen). We will see how this all pans out with the proper equipment. Perhaps, I might get the HD800 in the near future and mod it or put sonarworks in the chain, that way I can get better soundstage (I like a bit more warmer sound, and that).

I haven't even listened to the HD6xx, so as you can see I have a few pieces in the air with my set up. Fun stuff.

 

[derekphone]

 

[derekphone]

Ok sorry fellas for the second image. I didn't realize that I forgot to save some settings. Here's what I'm currently using for the Bose QC 15:

 

[buonassi]

@derekphone I think you nailed it in terms of your description. OOYH sounds like it's more of a 'frontal localization' tool that tricks your brain by way of exaggerated inter-aural delay to make it sound like monitor speakers in front of you. This was the effect I felt when I sampled this product: https://www.112db.com/plugins/redline/monitor/

Canopener doesn't attempt this and its use case is solely aimed at headphone enjoyment - reduced listening fatigue, etc. And just as you say, it doesn't screw with the FR very much at all. There is advanced delay modeling at work here though - yet it's subtle. Too much of this effect blurs transients and creates a sloppy mess. Canopener have found a way to make headphone listening better without ruining it - or trying to make it sound out in front of you by way of too much effect.

Here's what I get with canopener and why I use it. These are things you can listen for to hear it at work. If you just observe the overall FR presentation, it's hard to hear what it actually does. The standard settings you have listed in your pic are fine. Just make sure under advanced settings you have 'most realistic' delay selected. It should be by default. You have to focus on the 'image' it casts instead of the frequency. Start with drum fills..... without the effect on, you should hear 'hard panned' drums that sound very close to you. It's unnatural, but we head-fiers have become accustomed to it given all the listening we do with cans. You have to remember that most music historically has been mixed for 2 channel speakers in front of you. Even if the sound engineer hard pans an instrument to the left channel only, both ears still hear it during 2 ch playback.

When the high rack tom is struck, it is so loud in the left and barely heard in the right ear that it gives the impression the tom is immediately to your left. As the fill rips down to lower toms and finally to the floor tom, you'll hear it pan quickly to the right, and the floor tom will have bass resonating only out of the right ear. Drums aren't like this in real life because we hear them with 2 ears and the panning isn't this extreme in 2 ch or in the real world. It's especially unrealistic with floor toms because bass can't be localized and you hear it equally with both ears in the real world. Headphones make it possible to only hear the bass with one ear - acoustically impossible due to physics and our auditory systems. Canopener works by allowing more of the sound to bleed into the opposite channel so the panning isn't as extreme. Higher frequencies aren't treated as heavily with crossfeed as lower ones. So now when I hear a drum fill on the toms I hear a more moderate panning, it's not so wide from left to right. The bass on the floor tom now comes through both ears MUCH more evenly and it feels more natural, centered, despite the transient smack still coming from the right. Then, the icing on it's convincing sound: the delay modeling. This creates a slight delay of the transient between left and right making it sound further away from you. NO. not in front of you like speakers, but simply pushed further out (taller, wider). Wherever the transient was before, it'll still be there, it'll just sound further away slightly.

So now that drum kit during the fill no longer sounds like it's 6 inches from my ear (and only that ear). It now sounds like I can reach out and grab it in space. I can localize it, but it's not in front of me - it floats out higher above or to the side of my head. When the bass hits, it hits near center as my brain expects to hear it even though the transient higher attack frequencies are still acceptably off-center.

There are a few albums I can suggest for the drum experiment if you'd like. Listen to a song and it seems so much more like you're sitting right at the drum kit. The effect that you are the drummer is convincing!

 

[martyp87]

If you are using a Mac, you can actually run AU all the time - so it works regardless of what software is in use.

I use Audio Hijack by Rogue Amoeba, you can set it up so it captures system audio, add Mid Side and Can Opener and output direct to your DAC or even headphone port on the Mac.

Screen shot of how I have it setup as you have below although have -2dB on the output on CanOpener to avoid clipping. Currently listening on SE846 on the Mojo and it sounds great.

I also have Audirvana but to be honest, I prefer just using the usual iTunes and Tidal apps.

 

[derekphone]

@buonassi Thanks for the explanation. Wow I never thought of all that before. I'm going to listen into those elements. That just increased my enjoyment of this program. Yes, the "More realistic" setting is on now. After I took those screenshots I found out how to open the advanced panel. I've been in communication with Emma at Goodhertz and she's helped me understand some of the settings. The Tone Control plugin which is the window on the left, I don't find too useful. I wanted to try the "Linear Phase" (that HQ button) because I thought it would help sound quality. But Emma explained to me it only would improve sound quality if I'm using the EQ in Tone Control. Which I'm not, and for any tiny differences that it provides as a 3rd plugin, it isn't worth the cost.

Yes, any albums you'd suggest for the drum experiment would be great.

@martyp87 Your comment is a game changer lol. I can use AU all the time, no matter what software?? I've been using Audirvana for this test and the Tidal experience frankly doesn't come close to the original experience of Tidal. Searching is a pain in the butt. It doesn't have suggestions, it's finicky to find out how to add to your collection and the design isn't close to Tidal. I plan to use Tidal at least 80% of the time. Amarra works with Tidal as well. I'm going to give that a try. I like the idea of an audiophile player, I just hope Amarra nails the Tidal compatibility. For me, the look and feel matter. I'm like that with my gear too. It's a part of the experience. Also, it's pretty difficult to A/B sound from Tidal alone vs through Audirvana. I don't even know how to listen from Tidal anymore since I downloaded Audirvana. Is there a way, without having to uninstall Audirvana?

When you want to watch a youtube video, is there a way to hear the sound without having to close down Audirvana? That gets annoying.

I just looked up what Audio Hijack is. I see...this is a way to use Mid Side & Can Opener without having to use another audiophile player. Cool.

NOTE on output on CanOpener: Emma said -6dB is more than enough. When I was testing different songs, there were a small amount of songs that would require that -6dB to avoid clipping. So, for now, it's left at that. I asked her if it has any effect on sound quality. She confirmed it does not.

 

[buonassi]

Glad you're getting direct support from Goodhertz. I had previously sent them emails, with no avail, but they were general inquiries before purchasing. I haven't tried to call them after I became a paying customer, so your feedback here is appreciated.

I use Audio Hijack by Rogue Amoeba, you can set it up so it captures system audio, add Mid Side and Can Opener and output direct to your DAC or even headphone port on the Mac.

yup- good recommendation, I used their older product called MenuBus - which worked with limited success. I had intermittent popping noises last I tried, though it was rare and acceptable.
https://www.menubus.audio/versions
it is still available for use free if you want to try it. Heck, I may try their new product you've linked to.

Yes, the "More realistic" setting is on now

I believe you want 'MOST realistic' as this has the most delay algorithm and pushes sounds out just a tad bit further.

. Amarra works with Tidal as well.

It sure does, and it even has a 4 or 5 band EQ. BUT I don't believe it handles AUs.

The case for Audirvana becomes more attractive when you are interested in the highest sound quality possible. Damien Plisson (dev) has created drivers that completely bypass the OSX core audio system - sending the bits from Audirvana directly to your DAC, which to me, sound that much better than any other solution I've tried. It's really only of benefit if you're using the USB out from the MAC, which you likely are. You do have to hack a 'direct mode' workaround in newer versions of OSX. It isn't a breeze to do, but if you can follow a few command line prompts and are willing to backup your system (just in case) it was worth it for me. The hack sticks until you update to a new OSX version, at which point, you must repeat the hack. I simply don't update...so there

Honestly, unless you have a TOTL listening chain setup (power supplies/conditioners, DDC converter/cleaner, DAC, AMP, interconnects, Cans), you're not going to hear the difference with Audirvana. But if you do, it truly does bring SQ to the best possible level. Direct mode hack in concert with integer 'mode 1' was the pinnacle of computer audio quality for me.

 

[martyp87]

Yes, any audio from software on the Mac can be ran through AUs.

So, Safari, QuickTime, iTunes, even notifications etc. I don't even think the software is that expensive, I bought it a while ago and they have a new version and the upgrade was cheap but whatever, it is worth the cost of admission in my book to get the most from these plug-ins for headphones.