Might Virtual Reality be better than reality in HiFi?

[Flak2]

"If we can manage to design the ideal custom listening space and speakers in the virtual domain, well, then we have also succeeded in creating the ultimate room correction solution—replacing the real room with a virtual room, decked out to provide the best possible listening environment!"
 
More on this here: http://www.dirac.com/dirac-blog/in-hifi-virtual-reality-might-be-better-than-reality
 
Thanks for sharing your opinions and thoughts,
Flavio

 

[castleofargh]

my thoughts are:
1/ we'll still lack the body being shaken by the low frequencies.
2/ shut up and take my money! ^_^
 
 

 

[watchnerd]

Yes, VR (or more likely augmented reality) is where things will go next.
 
'Regular' stereo and audio as we know it has reached the end of its innovation chain.  At best it offers incremental improvements.

 

[watchnerd]

  my thoughts are:
1/ we'll still lack the body being shaken by the low frequencies.
2/ shut up and take my money! ^_^
 
 
 

 
Yeah...all these $100k systems that will be obsolete in 5-10 years.
 
Will old school stereo audio become valuable and collectible in the future like vintage cars, or just old garbage tech like B&W televisions?

 

[phoenixdogfan]

1. Subpac
2. There does not seem to be a real product to buy at this time.
3. This seems like a direct competitor to the Smythe A16 coming out in June.
4. Would be nice to know how far along they are in bringing a product to market.
5. Also nice to know the product architecture.  Will this be mostly software, with the only hardware being the head tracker? How will they compensate for the "deficiencies of the system employed. Will you be required to send your headphones in and have them measured a la Sonarworks,  will  they need to take personal measurements to determine the personal HRTF and will you need to go somewhere to be measured? And, finally, what's all this gonna cost?

 

[spruce music]

I think the Dirac link is about marketing.  Quite a few makers of gear believe VR systems are about to take off and be a huge market.  There are at least a half dozen companies touting new ideas for headphone reality.  Some of them do have considerable R&D behind them.  They may be real advances for headphone users.  I believe Schoeps of microphone fame has some big developments in this area.  What they all want is to get effective systems in on the ground floor of VR sound.  The VR headphone equivalent of Dolby Surround in video. 
 
Now having said that, one of the big problems with speakers has always been the room.  However, with headphones of such variable construction, and everyone having different shaped ears/head I think the space between headphones and ears is an even bigger problem.  No two listeners can even be in the same 'room'.  Everyone's room is unique.  Headphones I love once they go on your head are working in a differently shaped environment.  You may wonder why I like them so since your headroom is different.

 

[Flak2]

....However, with headphones of such variable construction, and everyone having different shaped ears/head I think the space between headphones and ears is an even bigger problem.  No two listeners can even be in the same 'room'.  Everyone's room is unique.  Headphones I love once they go on your head are working in a differently shaped environment.  You may wonder why I like them so since your headroom is different.

 
A good point... individual HRTFs and our (somehow unexpected) findings are discussed in the last section of the above linked document

 

[pinnahertz]

  Yes, VR (or more likely augmented reality) is where things will go next.
 
'Regular' stereo and audio as we know it has reached the end of its innovation chain.  At best it offers incremental improvements.

Perhaps, but it will take a long time.  There is significant inertia already in traditional 2-channel speaker and headphone systems.  The "purists" will not adapt to VR any better than they adapt to room EQ now. And cling to a hobbled method of sound field production.  
 

   
Yeah...all these $100k systems that will be obsolete in 5-10 years.
 
Will old school stereo audio become valuable and collectible in the future like vintage cars, or just old garbage tech like B&W televisions?

Doubtful.  A VR box is just a small box, and initially likely tethered.  Ultimately it's built into a portable player.  There's no show-off factor at all.  Nothing quite dominates the room like a set of MBL speakers.  At least some $100k system buyers are purchasing prestige. 

 

[pinnahertz]

 
How will they compensate for the "deficiencies of the system employed. Will you be required to send your headphones in and have them measured a la Sonarworks,  will  they need to take personal measurements to determine the personal HRTF and will you need to go somewhere to be measured? And, finally, what's all this gonna cost?

Headphone EQ could be handled from a testing database, like Audyssey has done.  They measure in their own controlled environment, you buy your specific headphone tuning.  Accurately measuring a personal HRTF is non-trivial, but full accuracy may not be necessary, and something done by the user may be adequate. But that's the tricky part for sure.

 

[pfzar]

Everyone in this industry is working on it. Myself included. The team at Dirac know how do rooms very well. Smyth brothers have been doing this far longer and have
years of "trade secrets" they founded DTS. They also wrote the code for APTx.

Qualcomm is working of image based HRTF. Along with other production tools.

Fraunhofer is on the same path.

Dolby is working on atmos for headphones

All the university's in audio research are working on HRTF related theories.

Everyone has the same issues. The human!

 

[Flak2]

A proof of concept has been demoed at CES, this a video about it...
 

 
Flavio