Well, the guys at Smyth said that the headstand form factor was controversial. I guess it continues to be. I feel the exact opposite. I think the sharper angles move it more toward the industrial design of a standard rack case--in a really good way. I'm still getting the 2U but I really like the look of this new case.
Well, the guys at Smyth said that the headstand form factor was controversial. I guess it continues to be. I feel the exact opposite. I think the sharper angles move it more toward the industrial design of a standard rack case--in a really good way. I'm still getting the 2U but I really like the look of this new case.
The visual aesthetic really doe matter to me. This version looks better to me, and it also looks smaller, more compact. If and when I get mine, I will still probably opt for a rack mount version, however. I also think that a rack mount version would be far less cumbersome to take to other sites to obtain PRIRs. I would just buy a pellicn case, and have something relatively compact and easy to tote, the other shape just seems awkward, especially if you're taking it on a plane as a carry on.
Since visual cue is important, it would be good if they can support Oculus Lift / HTC Vive for a more realistic sound stage. This can be done by way of a simple music player with the VR image shown depending on the positioning of the speakers. That would be the end game for binaural.
This is one of the reasons that I'm seriously considering jumping on a Realiser during the pre-order period. I want to be able to do surround and 3D audio through my headphones, and while the Realiser is the most expensive of all the solutions, it is also the one that seems most fleshed out and has the least amount of questions surrounding it. I currently use Out Of Your Head on my laptop, and I must say that the surround effect is pretty convincing. Problem is that I can only use it on my laptop. I think I would have seriously considered the OSSIC X at the $299 price, but I feel like there are too many questions surrounding whether it will actually support more formats in the future such as Atmos and it in some ways feels like a product in beta. With the Realiser, while it will sting my wallet more than OSSIC X, I feel like I would be getting a fully featured product out of the box.
What are the improvements compared to the A8 and why it's so much cheaper than the older version (I heard 1.9k vs 3.2k for the A8). Is it possible to use multiple devices with it like TV, Console, PC without manually changing the HDMI cables? What's about 4k pass-through and such stuff?
I guess you will need an expert to calibrate it right? At the moment I don't own a 5.1 (or higher) system so I guess my only option would be to visit a Hifi-shop and let it calibrate there. Is it a problem if I don't do it at home in my room? In terms of calibration is it all about positioning or also about the Speakers quality. Does it make a difference which 5.1 or 7.1 System I will use for the calibration?
This is one of the reasons that I'm seriously considering jumping on a Realiser during the pre-order period. I want to be able to do surround and 3D audio through my headphones, and while the Realiser is the most expensive of all the solutions, it is also the one that seems most fleshed out and has the least amount of questions surrounding it. I currently use Out Of Your Head on my laptop, and I must say that the surround effect is pretty convincing. Problem is that I can only use it on my laptop. I think I would have seriously considered the OSSIC X at the $299 price, but I feel like there are too many questions surrounding whether it will actually support more formats in the future such as Atmos and it in some ways feels like a product in beta. With the Realiser, while it will sting my wallet more than OSSIC X, I feel like I would be getting a fully featured product out of the box.
For me it is the next step after a descent amp , i tried multiple amps and the variation wasn't big , and i was looking for something new and exciting to try and experience
the OSSIC X didn't catch my attention , i think it will work but the effect will be small .
There's a risk to the headphone stand version that must surely make it the minority choice, though I do take your point that the stand version will be a lot better for carrying from room to room compared to a rack version that is literally screwed into place. You could always leave the rack version freestanding; and if you did that then they would be more or less equivalently difficult to move.
Unless something has changed since I asked Smyth months ago, the "rack mount" version is somewhat of a misnomer. The side mounts are optional, and the unit has legs to rest upon like any traditional receiver.
edit: I don't know why anyone would bother with the Ossic X, unless they don't realize that it uses a multiple driver per ear cup setup. Those have always historically been utter trash. Most of the all-in-one "3D audio" headsets have been rubbish, but those that use multiple drivers are the worst of the worst.
OK so I've read the FAQ and a lot of this thread and a lot of the Smyth website, and I have two hopefully not-dumb-or-annoying questions:
1. So I can buy/download a quality "BRIR" and improve it with my own "PRIR" using any random crappy mono speaker that I just move around the room, right? (And they may sell this kit as an add on.) And then do I also do the HPEQ after all of that, which measures how the headphones interact with my ears? So the basic process for those of us not doing our own measurements is: Step 1: get a BRIR, Step 2: perform my own PRIR, and Step 3: do my own HPEQ?
2. Can I skip the PRIR step above (step 2) after getting the BRIR and just do the HPEQ (step 3)? Or do I have the whole process incorrect??
Sorry if this has been asked before. I have known about this product for a while but am just now diving down the rabbit hole on it.
Also side query: has anyone raised the issue of HDMI pass through and whether there is any added input lag, for those of us who intend to use this for surround in games? Even a few ms is going to be important to some people, i.e. me.
OK so I've read the FAQ and a lot of this thread and a lot of the Smyth website, and I have two hopefully not-dumb-or-annoying questions:
1. So I can buy/download a quality "BRIR" and improve it with my own "PRIR" using any random crappy mono speaker that I just move around the room, right? (And they may sell this kit as an add on.) And then do I also do the HPEQ after all of that, which measures how the headphones interact with my ears? So the basic process for those of us not doing our own measurements is: Step 1: get a BRIR, Step 2: perform my own PRIR, and Step 3: do my own HPEQ?
2. Can I skip the PRIR step above (step 2) after getting the BRIR and just do the HPEQ (step 3)? Or do I have the whole process incorrect??
Sorry if this has been asked before. I have known about this product for a while but am just now diving down the rabbit hole on it.
Also side query: has anyone raised the issue of HDMI pass through and whether there is any added input lag, for those of us who intend to use this for surround in games? Even a few ms is going to be important to some people, i.e. me.
These are very good questions and I'll be curious to see the response as someone who just learned about this thing maybe a little more than a month ago.
I have another sort of related question. I have a 5.1 setup at my house that is a pretty decent setup with Boston Acoustics speakers. It's what I would end up having to use to get my PRIR. If I was able to snag someone's 7.1 BRIR off of the marketplace that they are supposed to setup, can the Realizer A16 take my 5.1 PRIR and use it to customize a 7.1 BRIR to my ears? I know the optimal way of doing it is to get a BRIR and PRIR in the same room, i.e. sit in a 7.1 setup physically and take the measurements, but if I went about it the way I described above, using my PRIR from my 5.1 room to customize someone else's BRIR to my ears will that actually work, and if it will work will I be missing out on much not taking the measurements in a 7.1 room myself?
I am really close to pulling the trigger on one of these before the June 30th preorder price cutoff, but I'm just trying to get a bit of a better understanding of how it work work for my use case before spending this amount of money.
If I was able to snag someone's 7.1 BRIR off of the marketplace that they are supposed to setup, can the Realizer A16 take my 5.1 PRIR and use it to customize a 7.1 BRIR to my ears?
During the process of measuring the PRIR you can (I presume) take as many measurements as you please up to the sixteen maximum channels. The key thing is not how many speakers are in the room when you do the measurement but at how many angles of inclination you take the measurement. Presumably there are diminishing returns on this: I imagine that the three prime measurements are what the test sweep sounds like to your left, right and directly in front. My approach, though, would be to measure the PRIR so that I have as many virtual channels as I would need to play back using any BRIR. Ideally you never want the realiser to be outputting a virtual signal at a point in space where it has no PRIR data, although that may be unavoidable if you like models of exotic speaker configurations.
During the process of measuring the PRIR you can (I presume) take as many measurements as you please up to the sixteen maximum channels. The key thing is not how many speakers are in the room when you do the measurement but at how many angles of inclination you take the measurement. Presumably there are diminishing returns on this: I imagine that the three prime measurements are what the test sweep sounds like to your left, right and directly in front. My approach, though, would be to measure the PRIR so that I have as many virtual channels as I would need to play back using any BRIR. Ideally you never want the realiser to be outputting a virtual signal at a point in space where it has no PRIR data, although that may be unavoidable if you like models of exotic speaker configurations.
Thank you so much. That all makes sense. I'm sure no one really knows the answer to this, but how exactly would I know that I was taking measurements that to the Realizer seemed to be replicating the two side speakers of a 7.1 setup? Is it just an estimate or does it walk you through the process? My 5.1 setup is essentially mounted in place and I can't really move the rear surrounds to mimic the side channel in a 7.1 setup because they are mounted on the wall and the speaker wire is running through the ceiling. So a best I could move around the room and turn my head to try and recreate the side channel.
I believe that moving your head is exactly how it works. The realiser uses the angle calculation of the headband sensor to work out when you are at the correct angle and then outputs the sweep when you are in place. Never having done a PRIR measurement I am not exactly confident of my understanding but Smyth himself has indicated that a satisfactory measurement can be taken with a single tweeter so you may be better off ignoring the actual setup in your room. Just guessing though.
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