[Kristofa]

It seems this product doesn’t help those fans who are into multichannel already.

It is for fans who are currently only into stereo and want a simulated surround sound setup—so add a bit of atmosphere to their existing stereo signals—and don’t have the means to do this with the current technologies already on the market.

 

[Birch]

So, they still just plug into the USB and off you go? I would guess they are also quite robust.
ORT

Maybe you can relate to this - think IBM Selectric typewriter. Robust, positive and tactile feedback.
.

 

[Ohno Schiitizen]

Maybe you can relate to this - think IBM Selectric typewriter. Robust, positive and tactile feedback.
.

Olympia built something electric too, but not a metal ball, it is a disc made of plastic, it breaks from time to time ......

 

[ArmchairPhilosopher]

It seems this product doesn’t help those fans who are into multichannel already.

It is for fans who are currently only into stereo and want a simulated surround sound setup—so add a bit of atmosphere to their existing stereo signals—and don’t have the means to do this with the current technologies already on the market.

I wholeheartedly disagree, but I fully understand where you're coming from.

Analog matrix surround sounds considerably better than digital multi-channel surround does. It creates a cleaner, much more organic surround image.

This of course goes against everything the market has been working very hard and spent billions in marketing dollars to make you believe over the past 20, 30 years, but those of us who actually remember what the first analog surround setups (Dolby Surround, quadrophonic, etc.) sounded like know that it can—if done well—kick digital multi-channel surround's ass.

On paper, Syn might look like a few steps back from what the market wants you to believe is the bees knees in surround. But at least in terms of sonic qualities, it's very much an improvement. No, you won't be able to locate that fly farting over your top-right shoulder as you may or may not be able to do with your digital multi-channel surround setup. But it'll sound considerably less fatiguing, more natural, and just overall nicer.

But I suspect that breaking through those decades of marketing, and through the "damage" those billions in marketing dollars has done, will take quite a bit of time. And so I just hope that Syn gets a chance to stick around for long enough for the wider market to realize that a few steps back actually means an improvement in sonic quality.

 

[O8h7w]

VR might some day find its "killer application." And if anyone will find it, it'll probably be Apple.

But it won't be the casual consumption of media or casual gaming. That much I'm willing to bet the farm on.

I know of two, that are almost the same. They are not-that-casual sort-of-gaming: flight simulators and racing (or regular driving) simulators.

These might see significant uptick as the unsustainability of burning gas makes going for a flight or going for a drive ever less financially advisable, but they will probably never be of extremely broad appeal.

Simulators used for training purposes rather than recreational purposes have a lot of use for it as well.

I think their broad appeal killer application - when they can finally pull it off - is to simulate a movie theatre. With the equivalent of infinite surround channels. But maybe we'll end up looking at virtual giant flat screens through these devices for the most part, because that's just how movies work the best? Maybe with occasional 3D special effects that appear "in the theatre"? Ah, there it is: live theatre, live music, classical and opera... watching a performance. These might work really really well. Best seats at lowest cost. Like going there but at home.

 

[Ohno Schiitizen]

I remember those 3D glasses in the old days to trick the brain, it makes me feel dizzy.....

 

[Maximus Pain]

Freya-S came in today. Patiently waiting on the URD to be released so that I can finally complete my system.

 

[xTrIpX]

2023, Chapter 4
Mortal Syn?

If I end up dead, this is why.

What? No bluetooth encoder/decoder? No AC/DC line filter? No 2.5 metric ton inductive coil? No HDMI? No MQA? No Front power switch? Not even a built-in toaster? With a proprietary phone application dedicated solely toward a few simple functions?

(Kidding)(because the lack of these things is the reason I continue to buy more Schiit)

 

[Maximus Pain]

Andrew in Texas

Oh Schiizztle! Andrew just slammed the Aegir as being too specialized, "the Aegir doesn't deliver the thrills".

 

[Kristofa]

Ignoring the fly fart and marketing brainwash hyperbole, I totally understand (and enjoy) simulated surround, and having my Bifrost 2/64 doing the digital conversion and sending the analog signal out to more than two channels is great! But mastering engineers and producers create wonderful multichannel mixes and have been for decades (both discrete and aggressive) as you point out. They are expressions of art just like stereo mixes.

When I read surround for the Syn, I got really excited. I would love to shed my AVR and make it far more simple than it has become, as I feed multichannel PCM files to it for both channel mapped and for stereo-to-simulated surround to my AVR for that simple/basic need.

What this offers multichannel enthusiasts is the opportunity to add another box to the chain for their simulated surround. I may just do that, because I enjoy simulated surround, have an AVR that will accept mch external inputs, like Schiit products and don’t always jive with Dolby Surround and/or DPLIIx, but I still regret this does nothing for greater-than-two-channel sources other than disregard them as inferior because what the Syn can do will be superior than what the mixer created using modern (or with 3-channel or quad not so modern) technologies.

 

[OldRoadToad]

Maybe you can relate to this - think IBM Selectric typewriter. Robust, positive and tactile feedback.
.

Thank you. I guess they must use USB for modern computers.

I shall look further in to getting one of these as I like their looks and from what Drop keeps sending me, I can perhaps customize one so that it is toadish. I am very shallow that way.

ORT

 

[ghfiii]

I do not need SYN in my life

Do I?

 

[OldRoadToad]

Yes. Normal USB keyboards. The good ones have high quality mechanical switches, replaceable keycaps, programmable RGB, etc. But really it's the mechanical key switches that are the draw.

That works for me and on top of that the looks one may achieve will be high on my list of reasons to own one. Thank you.

ORT

 

[Ohno Schiitizen]

Oh Schiizztle! Andrew just slammed the Aegir as being too specialized, "the Aegir doesn't deliver the thrills".

Jason will phone him .....

 

[Verde And Black]

VR might some day find its "killer application." And if anyone will find it, it'll probably be Apple.

But it won't be the casual consumption of media or casual gaming. That much I'm willing to bet the farm on.

Porn. It’s going to be porn.