[madbull]

Oh for f... sake, I want a Realiser so bad now.

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

However, I have walked down the street while listening to the emulation without any ill effects.  I do notice however, that the 3d effect diminishes the more I move around.  But, sit in one place and there you are at AIX!  

 
Thanks.  I do seem to be pretty sensitive to that kind of thing but I wonder if more people are likely to notice it with an better DSP.

 

[arnaud]

It's interesting to read you get convincing result by using an iem for playback. Reason is the iem blocks your ear canal while the realiser mic leaves it open when acquiring the hrtfs and hpeq. Obviously, the ear canal resonances are quite different when using an iem, but looks like it's still rather convincing.

You don't notice any serious peculiar peaks in the mid-highs when playing back through your iem? I mean alterations besides the individual coloration of the drivers, the old 2sx were rather dark sounding, the jh13 beeing more neutral I suspect.

 

[songmic]

Hey folks, are there any link to audio samples or videos where I can listen and compare how the Smyth Realiser changes music in headphones to surround sound? They say I have to hear it to believe it, yet I've never had a change to actually listen to the results of Smyth Realiser in person. I've heard of some binaural recordings, but they were never quite satisfactory and I really would like to experience the supposed magic of the Realiser. I know some of you have actually used Realiser to convert pre-existing audio recordings to surround sound in music files for outdoors listening. Could any one of you point me to a link where I can hear the effects of the Realiser, or would any one of you be kind enough to send me (via email) a few samples of those converted files, so that I can hear it to believe it?
 
Oh yeah my email address is songmic@hotmail.com, and I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

 

[wsilvio]

Quote:

It's interesting to read you get convincing result by using an iem for playback. Reason is the iem blocks your ear canal while the realiser mic leaves it open when acquiring the hrtfs and hpeq. Obviously, the ear canal resonances are quite different when using an iem, but looks like it's still rather convincing.
You don't notice any serious peculiar peaks in the mid-highs when playing back through your iem? I mean alterations besides the individual coloration of the drivers, the old 2sx were rather dark sounding, the jh13 beeing more neutral I suspect.

Hi Arnaud,
 
No, the sound is fine.  I don't notice any peaks in the mid-highs.  Although the next time I listen I'll see if anything is there.  When I made the recording I made it without a HPEQ since you are taking the outer ear shape out of the equation.  Plus there would be no way to measure with the mics and iems at the same time.  Yes, the 2x-s are on the dark side but the isolation is great.  The jh-13's are more neutral and maybe more crisp and definitely faster.  They do a better job of replicating the effect.  Like I said before, it definitely isn't as good as listening through the stax 009's but sitting on a noisy train it's a real treat!
 
will

 

[Elysian]

Quote:

Hey folks, are there any link to audio samples or videos where I can listen and compare how the Smyth Realiser changes music in headphones to surround sound? They say I have to hear it to believe it, yet I've never had a change to actually listen to the results of Smyth Realiser in person.

 
If you get a proper PRIR made, it sounds very close to speakers.  I would not recommend purchasing the Realiser unless you have access to a good speaker system and can get your own PRIR made.  I listened to other people's PRIRs and while they were listenable, my own PRIR sounded noticeably better.
 
If you know what speakers sound like, that's how the Realiser sounds like.  A SR009 helps, too, but I'll be getting by with a SR007.
 
It's a pretty cool device and I don't want to discourage you or anyone else, but the coolness is heavily predicated on your willingness to do a proper PRIR.

 

[Hoax]

I just got the LCD-2's + Burson amp but I feel I kinda went the wrong way here .. Is there anyone who has tried a Stax and LCD-2 on the Realiser? If so, what are the differences? I really love the out of the head sound and on this department the LCD-2's are not that great. I do love the actual sound though ..
 
Reason I went for the LCD-2's is because on the forum people said those will deliver the best basses but i kinda missed how important sound stage is as well, especially for the realiser where depth of sound is key. I guess soundstage must be huge on a stax compared to a LCD ?

 

[HDMan]

Quote:

I just got the LCD-2's + Burson amp but I feel I kinda went the wrong way here .. Is there anyone who has tried a Stax and LCD-2 on the Realiser? If so, what are the differences? I really love the out of the head sound and on this department the LCD-2's are not that great. I do love the actual sound though ..
 
Reason I went for the LCD-2's is because on the forum people said those will deliver the best basses but i kinda missed how important sound stage is as well, especially for the realiser where depth of sound is key. I guess soundstage must be huge on a stax compared to a LCD ?

 
GET STAX >

 
No other headphones can provide you with the speed and detail that the Stax can, this actualy is more important in the accuracy of the Realiser, not bloated hyped up bass. I noticed when i introduced the Stax to my System, I was like holy crap, now I see what the fuss is about, the speakers (PRIR) really came to life as did the rear surrounds, it was like the headphones got removed..
 
If you want subwoofer bass, add a tactile transducer.
 
 
Note: I was having some trouble previously with the Bass in my headphones, couldn't quite get it right, so I ran a few different HPEQ's using the different size ear plugs, finaly got it right using the smallest ear plug and not pressing the microphone to far into the ear canal. The Stax are really sensitive, they pick up the slightest details and anamolies, so everything has to be spot on.
 
I found if I pressed the mic to far into the ear canal during the HPEQ, I would get this weird but very slight vibration that was very annoying in quite scenes on movies.

 

[Kiritz]

Quote:

 
GET STAX >

 
No other headphones can provide you with the speed and detail that the Stax can, this actualy is more important in the accuracy of the Realiser, not bloated hyped up bass. I noticed when i introduced the Stax to my System, I was like holy crap, now I see what the fuss is about, the speakers (PRIR) really came to life as did the rear surrounds, it was like the headphones got removed..
 
If you want subwoofer bass, add a tactile transducer.
 
 
Note: I was having some trouble previously with the Bass in my headphones, couldn't quite get it right, so I ran a few different HPEQ's using the different size ear plugs, finaly got it right using the smallest ear plug and not pressing the microphone to far into the ear canal. The Stax are really sensitive, they pick up the slightest details and anamolies, so everything has to be spot on.
 
I found if I pressed the mic to far into the ear canal during the HPEQ, I would get this weird but very slight vibration that was very annoying in quite scenes on movies.

 
I would agree that using a transducer or external subs for bass does the trick.  Plenty of depth, even when I play organ music.  I have two subs hooked up, and they move the air for me and support the bass from the phones.

 

[Kiritz]

Quote:

Hey folks, are there any link to audio samples or videos where I can listen and compare how the Smyth Realiser changes music in headphones to surround sound? They say I have to hear it to believe it, yet I've never had a change to actually listen to the results of Smyth Realiser in person. I've heard of some binaural recordings, but they were never quite satisfactory and I really would like to experience the supposed magic of the Realiser. I know some of you have actually used Realiser to convert pre-existing audio recordings to surround sound in music files for outdoors listening. Could any one of you point me to a link where I can hear the effects of the Realiser, or would any one of you be kind enough to send me (via email) a few samples of those converted files, so that I can hear it to believe it?
 
Oh yeah my email address is songmic@hotmail.com, and I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

 
There is absolutely no way to experience the effect of the Realiser without using it.  It's a little like asking "is there a way to see what HDTV would look like on my non-HDTV?" or "are there some audio samples of stereo sound I can listen to on my mono speakers to see what stereo is like?"  You need to find a dealer and try it out.  If there are converted files (??) they would be files that are made using one person's (not yours) ears, and therefore they could very well sound like crap when you listen to them.  Yes, some of us have tried other people's PRIRs, but no one is saying that this replaces the experience of having your own PRIR made.

 

[googleli]

The SR009's bass depth is pretty amazing if you ask me. It actually has deeper sub bass than my LCD3.

 

[Hoax]

Quote:

The SR009's bass depth is pretty amazing if you ask me. It actually has deeper sub bass than my LCD3.

LOL the SR009's cost 5.999 EURO here .. which is close to 9000 USD And then you still need to get an amp as well. I dont understand why Stax has to be so expensive. You could buy a cool 2nd hand car for the same money. Think its not too late yet to return my LCD2 and Amp but Im in love with the sound. Im afraid I will end up with the opposite when buying Stax instead, (a gread sound stage but the sound itself a step back from what I liked). I guess i'll have to wait until I can buy a stax as well The SRS-3170 I want to give a try 1 step up from the basic model but still affordable. After that prices go insane

 

[dsperber]

Quote:

LOL the SR009's cost 5.999 EURO here .. which is close to 9000 USD And then you still need to get an amp as well. I dont understand why Stax has to be so expensive. You could buy a cool 2nd hand car for the same money.

 
I was talking with Tats today (at Yama's, picking up my SR-009) about this European price I'd seen you post.  Apparently other parts of the world are "complaining" that the US prices are too low, relative to the consortium/cartel agreement they have over there that keeps the price so high.  In fact, Yama's American prices are low to (a) be reasonably consistent with Stax Japan's prices, and (b) discourage "gray market" sales here in the USA.  But he may be forced to raise the price here in the US to be more consistent with the worldwide price which is much higher, say to about the $8000 range.  Thankfully, he's not budging at the moment.
 
Anyway, you could certainly consider taking a trip to the US (to LA), pick up an SR-009 + 727 amp here in LA at US prices ($5250 + $2200, plus tax), arrange with Lorr for a visit to AIX, and fly back home... all at a considerable savings to the 6000 Euro price you've quoted for just the headphones alone over there.
 
 
P.S. - couldn't resist today, so as long as I was there I also bought a new Stax wooden headphone stand and plastic cover, and a new 2.5m "silver" extension cord for the SR-009.  What the heck, it's a lifetime investment.  Might as well do it right.
 
Tats said that the export models are now QC'd at the factory with about 100 hours of pre-use burn-in, just to try and significantly reduce the failure rate of what actually gets shipped overseas.  So I should be able to just go ahead and "sample" them right away, plugged into my 007 along with the SR-Omega for quick A/B-comparison.
 
 
P.P.S. - I was talking with Lorr about something I'd read somewhere about the Eagles' live recording of "Hotel California" on their "Hell Freezes Over" DVD being a stunning demonstration track for both Realiser and SR-009, in particular the lead-in intro where there is a very large conga drum played beautifully and producing wonderful bass notes and tones.  He asked me if I had the "first release" of that DVD, which was produced with a DTS 5.1 soundtrack, or a later reissue which had a Dolby soundtrack.  I actually had the original version, with DTS sound.
 
Well, he then proudly stated that he was at DTS at the time that DVD was produced, and he was on the engineering team that produced the sound for it.  Why am I not surprised, then, that the sound on that "live performance" DVD is truly stunning?
 
He also mentioned that there was a special "audio-only bonus track" on that original DTS DVD, of "Seven Bridges Road", with each Eagle recorded individually onto their own individual channel.  So if you "solo" each channel with the Realiser while playing this track, you will be able to hear each Eagle individually singing out of his own one of five physically distinct channels "arrayed around you".  Perfect demonstration and reference track for both the Realiser, your PRIR, your headphones/amp/DAC, etc..

 

[Elysian]

Just received the Realiser today!  Chained it into my system from my PC's HDMI-out -> Realiser Toslink-out -> Berkeley Alpha DAC.  Took a few tries to get a good HPEQ with my SR007s.
 
Sounds absolutely phenomenal with my PRIR made with my friend's Duntech Sovereigns.  It's been some time since I've had the "I'm hearing things I've never heard before" moment, and it's happening over and over again.  The difference is, frankly speaking, magnitudes more than going from the SR007 to SR009, and based on memory, I'm preferring the Realiser with the SR007.  I'm hearing a lot of tracks where certain parts just can't be satisfactorily reproduced with a pair of headphones.  It's blindingly apparent on acoustic vocals, electronica, jazz, as well as some pop, metal, and rock.  It's really interesting how some tracks have a minimal delta compared to a normal headphone chain, while others sound incredibly different.  For fans of ambient, there are some really amazing things happening in the sub-100hz range.
 
This is a really amazing device.  That said, it's really shocking how it can sound so bad with an improper measurement; even a several millimeter misalignment with the mic can cause a pretty drastic change.
 
When a few HF friends initially told me about the Realiser, I was completely uninterested.  This is one of those "you won't get it until you hear it" devices.  It's also a definite exception to the diminishing returns curve.  I'm going to try dialing in some more humble headphones later to see how it performs with dynamics.
 
One day I hope to have a pair of Sovereigns and the space to set them up in, but until then, this is the next best thing

 

[hekeli]

Quote:

Anyway, you could certainly consider taking a trip to the US (to LA), pick up an SR-009 + 727 amp here in LA at US prices ($5250 + $2200, plus tax), arrange with Lorr for a visit to AIX, and fly back home... all at a considerable savings to the 6000 Euro price you've quoted for just the headphones alone over there.

 
It's 5500€ in EU from quick googling.
 
Unless you want to pay for vacation in LA, couldn't you just order from pricejapan.com? The price ends up as 3500€ shipped (4200€ / 5250$ _after_ customs/vat, there's always a small chance that you evade it!). From LA, you are still subject to customs at home.