[Tiemen]

Pardon my ignorance, but what is a SVS Realiser?
I tried Google, but that didn't help a bit. What is it's relation to a headphone?

 

[blubliss]

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyb /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is for sale as I have been corresponding with Steve Chueng at Symth for a long time about availability. He contacted me last week and said they are for sale. I am sending my check today.

Yes it's for sale, but their sales rep told me yesterday that the units they had made were already sold out.

 

[Erik Garci]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blubliss /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes it's for sale, but their sales rep told me yesterday that the units they had made were already sold out.

How long is the wait for more units?

 

[blubliss]

He said maybe a couple months, but he was not real clear.

 

[dsperber]

Just a word about "availability"...

Apparently the first manufacturing run produced a relatively small number of boxes, maybe 20?

And these few first boxes have been "spoken for" by studios and professionals, here in the US and in Europe. I was quite lucky to get mine, as #0001.

But it seems there's now already a "waiting list" as all of the existing first-run has been allocated.

No ETA on the next batch. Best bet is to contact Smyth via email for updated information and status.

 

[rogue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiemen /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pardon my ignorance, but what is a SVS Realiser? I tried Google, but that didn't help a bit. What is it's relation to a headphone?

From my understanding, it's a fancy cross-feed/DSP system that purports to take into account your personal HRTF as well as (speaker-based) listening room acoustics in order to faithfully recreate the stereo image. It also supports pan/tilt by way of an IR-based tracker mechanism (think Nintendo Wii) that you attach to your headphones.

Personally, I'm skeptical, as I've yet to hear any sort of DSP or cross-feed implementation that didn't degrade the sound to some degree or just sound plain unnatural, and $3K is way too much for what is basically a DSP and a bit of code.

 

[blubliss]

Might want to listen first before making judgments. I understand the skepticism, but it is truly remarkable and unlike anything I have heard before. Just read all the glowing reviews from Can Jam 08. As far as sound degradation, time will tell when more people have the unit. I do know that studio professionals are interested and some have already bought the unit.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue /img/forum/go_quote.gif From my understanding, it's a fancy cross-feed/DSP system that purports to take into account your personal HRTF as well as (speaker-based) listening room acoustics in order to faithfully recreate the stereo image. It also supports pan/tilt by way of an IR-based tracker mechanism (think Nintendo Wii) that you attach to your headphones. Personally, I'm skeptical, as I've yet to hear any sort of DSP or cross-feed implementation that didn't degrade the sound to some degree or just sound plain unnatural, and $3K is way too much for what is basically a DSP and a bit of code.

No fancy cross feed or DSP..

 

[dsperber]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue /img/forum/go_quote.gif Personally, I'm skeptical, as I've yet to hear any sort of DSP or cross-feed implementation that didn't degrade the sound to some degree or just sound plain unnatural

From the Widescreen Review by Gary Reber of early prototype SVS back in 2004 when it was nowhere near as developed as it is today, five years later:

WSR Reber: "We have been experimenting with STAX SR-202 Basic and SR-007 Omega II electrostatic earspeakers over the past two days, and the experience delivered is phenomenal. I mean, the fidelity of our reference holosonic system exactly translates to the STAX earspeakers with perfect transparency, bass extension, and dynamics. The end result is just remarkable!"


There are copyright issues so I can't post that WSR article, but I have it in PDF form its entirety (if you're interested).

Note: as a "treat", when I went to Smyth for my personal demo back a year ago in March 2008, they gave me a physical copy of that actual WSR magazine from 2004 in which the article appeared, to keep... as "a treasure". I was not a subscriber at that time, so this was a very nice gift.

 

[rogue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsperber /img/forum/go_quote.gif From the Widescreen Review by Gary Reber of early prototype SVS back in 2004 when it was nowhere near as developed as it is today, five years later: WSR Reber: "We have been experimenting with STAX SR-202 Basic and SR-007 Omega II electrostatic earspeakers over the past two days, and the experience delivered is phenomenal. I mean, the fidelity of our reference holosonic system exactly translates to the STAX earspeakers with perfect transparency, bass extension, and dynamics. The end result is just remarkable!" There are copyright issues so I can't post that WSR article, but I have it in PDF form its entirety (if you're interested). Note: as a "treat", when I went to Smyth for my personal demo back a year ago in March 2008, they gave me a physical copy of that actual WSR magazine from 2004 in which the article appeared, to keep... as "a treasure". I was not a subscriber at that time, so this was a very nice gift.

Interesting, thanks for heads up regarding the article. My biggest beef with these DSP based systems in the past is the alteration of the audio signal to sound 'muddy' or 'dirty' when compared to the original (similar to converting RB audio to 128kbps MP3), but it sounds like this isn't the case here.

$3k is still a lot, but I would be interested in hearing one of these sometime to see if it really creates the stereo image as well as some well-placed (and high-quality) speakers.

However, I take it that this system is rather useless if you don't have the acoustics or speakers to create a well-defined stereo image and the corresponding HRTF? For instance, the acoustics in my living room are rather terrible - we have large cathedral ceilings and openings on two sides, so the sound ends up bouncing all over before finally reaching your ears. I take it that in my circumstances this wouldn't really be of much benefit

 

[dsperber]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue /img/forum/go_quote.gif However, I take it that this system is rather useless if you don't have the acoustics or speakers to create a well-defined stereo image and the corresponding HRTF? For instance, the acoustics in my living room are rather terrible - we have large cathedral ceilings and openings on two sides, so the sound ends up bouncing all over before finally reaching your ears. I take it that in my circumstances this wouldn't really be of much benefit

True.

Find a friend (or audio store) with a terrific sound room willing to let you do a calibration on their premises.

Then take home the profile and from now on listen through headphones instead of through your speakers. You won't be listening to the "rather terrible" large cathedral ceiling effects on sound any longer. Instead you'll believe you're actually listening in the profiled environment you "cloned".

 

[dsperber]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rogue /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would be interested in hearing one of these sometime to see if it really creates the stereo image as well as some well-placed (and high-quality) speakers.

Again, the purpose of this processor is to duplicate a sound environment, as heard by your own ears.

And it succeeds.

You will not be able to tell the difference between the sound coming from the speakers, and the sound coming through the headphones. You'll A/B yourself to death, trying to pick it apart, and you'll be unsuccessful.

Amazing as it sounds, it really does duplicate everything about that environment from the tonal quality of the speakers to the directionality and spatiality of the 3D-like surround sound coming from all of your true loudspeakers.

So yes... hopefully you have access to a great listening environment somewhere, to calibrate SVS from.

 

[randyb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyb /img/forum/go_quote.gif It is for sale as I have been corresponding with Steve Chueng at Symth for a long time about availability. He contacted me last week and said they are for sale. I am sending my check today.

Well, it ended up being a wire to UK.

 

[dsperber]

Quote:

Originally Posted by randyb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, it ended up being a wire to UK.

Interesting. I assume you didn't pay sales tax.

They were willing to take my check in their office last Sunday, but the invoice definitely was from their London office.

 

[dsperber]

Just for something to look at...

Here come the pics...

SVS front view

SVS rear view

SVS remote