[sillysally]

For you guys that have a Oppo BDP-83SE there is a new firmware update, I suggest you install this new firmware.

 

[DaveN]

Thanks for the head up. I just checked yesterday after months but the new firmware wasn't posted yet.

 

[sillysally]

http://oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-83/bdp-83-firmware-54-0130b.aspx

 

[Jema]

I just discovered this device a few days ago, and find the possible uses for it amazing - even more so if it becomes more readily available in the future.
 
Has anyone tried it with both closed and open cans to see if there is a difference?
 
I was wondering, since it effectively makes the sound signature of different headphones unimprotant, what would possibly be the cheapest combo of can and amp to still be able to faithfully reproduce most speaker systems? That is, a can and amp to have sufficient detail, transient response etc.

 

[travis-bickle]

 
Quote:

I just discovered this device a few days ago, and find the possible uses for it amazing - even more so if it becomes more readily available in the future.
 
Has anyone tried it with both closed and open cans to see if there is a difference?
 
I was wondering, since it effectively makes the sound signature of different headphones unimprotant, what would possibly be the cheapest combo of can and amp to still be able to faithfully reproduce most speaker systems? That is, a can and amp to have sufficient detail, transient response etc.

thats a wrong assumption. in my experience the quality of equipment is very important. so the better the headphone/headamp, the better the experience. maybe you can compare it to a vision of somebody. if a person with bad vision looks at a painting he still sees the picture, but only a person with good vision is able to see the whole beauty and structure of something like botticellis "venus"
 

 

[dsperber]

 
Quote:

thats a wrong assumption. in my experience the quality of equipment is very important. so the better the headphone/headamp, the better the experience. maybe you can compare it to a vision of somebody. if a person with bad vision looks at a painting he still sees the picture, but only a person with good vision is able to see the whole beauty and structure of something like botticellis "venus"
 

Good analogy, and true.
 
Better still, how about trying to see that painting from afar, through either (a) cheap inexpensive opera glasses with low magnification, low light-gathering optics and field of view, and only modest sharpness/focus capability, vs. (b) expensive high-power binoculars, with huge light-gathering optics and field of view, enormous magnification, and ridiculously sharp focus.
 
Now... which one would make the enjoyment of viewing that painting from afar "more enjoyable"?
 
Same with headphone/amp.  The better the equipment, the better ANYTHING sounds listening through it.
 
The goal of the Realiser is to combine PRIR+HPEQ so as to try and duplicate the listening experience of the measured room, through the measured headphones, to your own ears... as best as possible.  As such, it may try and "compensate" in some way (i.e. EQ) as best it can for headphone/amp (as described by the HPEQ) that doesn't have the greatest tonal quality capability, in order to try and duplicate the sonic characteristics of the original room (as described by the PRIR.  But it will likely sound less to you like the original room, than if a better quality headphone/amp with much better tonal characteristics is used with the same PRIR.
 
There just are limits to what a "cheap" headphone/amp can sound like, no matter what you feed it.

 

[paulchiu]

hi all
 
quick scan of the April issue of Stereophile pointed me to the A rated Smyth SVS Realiser A8.
the out of head experience really interest me.
 
can you guys tell me how good the default prerecorded sessions the system comes are?
i understand of course that these are made (measured) at the ears of some person, which may differ greater from mine.
would these default settings give that out of head experience right out of the box?
 
i am asking because i really do not have access to a nice traditional speaker system or a great sound room.
would i get a decent out of head experience using my sennheiser hd800 or grado gs1000 with the prerecorded files that come with the SVS A8?
 
many thanks!
 
paul
 
 
(i am planning to order just the A8 at $2650) 

 

[bmoura]

Quote:

hi all
 
quick scan of the April issue of Stereophile pointed me to the A rated Smyth SVS Realiser A8.
the out of head experience really interest me.
 
can you guys tell me how good the default prerecorded sessions the system comes are?
i understand of course that these are made (measured) at the ears of some person, which may differ greater from mine.
would these default settings give that out of head experience right out of the box?
 
i am asking because i really do not have access to a nice traditional speaker system or a great sound room.
would i get a decent out of head experience using my sennheiser hd800 or grado gs1000 with the prerecorded files that come with the SVS A8?
 
many thanks!
 
paul
 
 
(i am planning to order just the A8 at $2650) 

 
The default settings work for some people (for me they are OK) but not effective for others.  To get the best Surround Sound experience with the A8 is to get your own measurements.  No question about that.
 
 

 

[bobski32]

For me personally, the default setting did not work very well. I also have yet to find a good PRIR that's not my own that works for me. On the contrary, I have done a few PRIRs with my own ears and it works amazingly well, it's scary.

 

[bmoura]

Quote:

For me personally, the default setting did not work very well. I also have yet to find a good PRIR that's not my own that works for me. On the contrary, I have done a few PRIRs with my own ears and it works amazingly well, it's scary.

I agree that the personal PRIRs are always the best - by far.  But for some (me included apparently) the default ones are OK, just not great.  You'll need a personal PRIR for that! 
 
 
 

 

[arnaud]

I am catching this discussion a bit late but basically I have similar feeling to you regarding the realizer: I am not sure I want to include imperfections from the listening environment. However, in my case, the purpose would be to listen to surround sound from movies. As I understand it, these mixes are made assuming that the surround speakers are in a typical listening environment with some reflections, isn't it? Just like it is advised to not have the surround speakers radiate directly to the receiver but use a bit of bouncing around the back and side walls to improve the realism. Even for traditional 2-channel mixes, they actually don't sound great from dead sounding room (I have tried before in full anechoic chamber).
 
So, in conclusion, I believe that the best option here, as has been recommended is getting PRIR from a  high quality setup...
 
On another topic, I haven't read yet through the thread but any info on a possible revised unit accepting digital inputs / included typical decoders? It's a bit compromising to feed the unit with analog because this must get converted back to digital for the processing and then back to analog... Also, I am not sure head tracking is absolutely necessary when primary usage is movie watching...?
 
arnaud
 
 
Quote:

I'm in the same boat with you in the 'phones vs speakers debate.  I'd prefer speakers, but they bother other people so I have to go with 'phones, and I'm also fully behind the idea of HRTFs and DSPs to make headphones sound more like speakers.  I'm not trying to bash the Realiser, I just don't understand why it does all the things that it does.  Is emulating an entire room that important to some professional field?  If so, why?
 
I understand that it works so well because its customized to your ears, but that customization doesn't need to extend to the whole room.  Assuming you do the calibration in any half decent room it should be simple for something that sophisticated to ignore the room acoustics and just get a personal HRTF.  After that you could easily mix and match the HRTF with the acoustics from any room, real or virtual.

 

 

[TruBrew]

I have a few questions on the Realiser, as I am going to be buying one hopefully soon.
 
1. Where is the best place to have it calibrated. I am guessing I will have to go out of town to get it done. Southeast, or east coast would be best. I live in New Orleans and would rather not fly across the country for a day trip.
 
2. Is there a point in owning more than one pair of headphones after I buy this. I currently own the HE-6 and LCD-2. If it EQ's headphones to sound the same, should I sell one, since I assume they should sound the same when it is done. Also, what is considered the best headphone with the Realiser.

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

2. Is there a point in owning more than one pair of headphones after I buy this. I currently own the HE-6 and LCD-2. If it EQ's headphones to sound the same, should I sell one, since I assume they should sound the same when it is done. Also, what is considered the best headphone with the Realiser.

I don't own one so I couldn't help you with number one, but I know enough about the theory to expound a bit on number two.  It depends what exactly you're going to use it for.
 
If you're planning to play your regular stereo music through it most of the time (or if you somehow have a music collection that's mostly multi channel) then you probably don't need another pair of 'phones.  The Realiser can't correct for a lot, but not everything.  FR can be fixed within reasonable limits but the transducer limits the speed, distortion, and maximum frequency extension on each end.   Both the LCD-2 and the HE-6 sould be suffucently transparent that the Realiser should get rid almost all inherent coloration and make the recorded profile shine through to full effect.  You might get a noticeable upgrade from something like the O2 or 009 but I think it would be a serious case of diminishing returns.  With headphones of that level (and probably with your orthos too) the system you record from will be a limiting factor.  The HD800 would be worth trying too.  The Realiser will get rid of that stupid spike in the treble that ruins (IMO) an otherwise awesome headphone.
 
If on the other hand you decide you only want to use it with multi channel sources like games, movies, and concert DVDs then you may want on headphone for the Realiser and one for plain stereo music.
 
Its been a while since I read through the whole thread but I think that most people preferred not to use it with stereo sources.  You'll probably have to buy it and see which you prefer.

 

[bmoura]

Quote:

I have a few questions on the Realiser, as I am going to be buying one hopefully soon.
 
1. Where is the best place to have it calibrated. I am guessing I will have to go out of town to get it done. Southeast, or east coast would be best. I live in New Orleans and would rather not fly across the country for a day trip.
 
2. Is there a point in owning more than one pair of headphones after I buy this. I currently own the HE-6 and LCD-2. If it EQ's headphones to sound the same, should I sell one, since I assume they should sound the same when it is done. Also, what is considered the best headphone with the Realiser.

 
You'll want to talk to Edwood on question # 2.  He strongly favors the HE-6 over the LCD-2 for use with the Realiser.
 
 

 

[jgazal]

same question, but I am interested in linear pcm only (wav, no proprietary decoders).
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by arnaud /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
(...)
On another topic, I haven't read yet through the thread but any info on a possible revised unit accepting digital inputs / included typical decoders?
(...)