[Sordel]

I currently have the AKG K712 for the past 6 years... struggling with whether I should buy the HD800 or HD800S or buy nothing. Im almost 100% movies. Wanted that big bass impact you get from a sub or something similar. Already ordered A16.

My 2c: wait & see what you feel the A16 needs once you've heard it. Also, it's not out of the question to run a subwoofer along with open-back phones, surely? I'm not 100% sure of the routing in the A16, but it would seem to be an approach.

 

[LajostheHun]

For movies I'll use my Sony MDR Z7 since it has a very strong bass output to infrasonic FRs, though obviously they won't create [no headphone can] the tactile feedback of my subwoofers. For music my Fidelio X2 will be my most likely candidate. The tech is with the A16 not your chosen headphones.But in any events no matter which headphone you own the "bottleneck" will always be them.

 

[Azurik]

For movies I'll use my Sony MDR Z7 since it has a very strong bass output to infrasonic FRs, though obviously they won't create [no headphone can] the tactile feedback of my subwoofers. For music my Fidelio X2 will be my most likely candidate. The tech is with the A16 not your chosen headphones.But in any events no matter which headphone you own the "bottleneck" will always be them.

Trust me the headphones are not a bottleneck.
With good open headphones like the stax or HD800(s) there is only the weight that reminds you of wearing them.

Imagine wearing open headphones but sitting in a room with a 7.4.1 speaker setup. The headphones are not connected to anything but only the speakers are playing. You can exactly pinpoint where the sound is coming from. That's what the a16 is capable of. I was literally blown away and had to check numerous times that the sound is really coming from the headphones not the speakers.

The bass is quite strong (but of course not body shaking) and plenty enjoyable.

I have spoken with Stephen smyth and there should be some pictures of both final units on their website in the next 2-3 weeks and they are still well on course to deliver everything by the end of the year. Probably quicker

 

[Sordel]

they are still well on course to deliver everything by the end of the year. Probably quicker

You act as though this is good news ... I was still expecting my A16 in the next couple of months ... end of the year would be a bad result for me.

 

[Azurik]

You act as though this is good news ... I was still expecting my A16 in the next couple of months ... end of the year would be a bad result for me.

I'm just in no rush and happy if it arrives by the end of the year. If i could have it now I obviously would. It's all paid off and it arrives when it does

 

[Fox1977]

For those like me who ordered the A16 during the Kickstarter campaign, we've been waiting already for nearly a year... originally delivery was supposed to start in May. Then it was pushed back to August, then likely in September so when you mention "by the end of the year", it sounds like we may have to wait again an extra 3 months. Time flies fast but when you are waiting for something that gets pushed back several time... not so much !
Hopefully, we can be optimistic and hope that the Smyth brothers are planning to start deliveries in September for the Kickstarter backers and then continue till the end of the year for the latter orders...

 

[Azurik]

Sorry, I should have made it clear that by the end of the year, I meant when I am expecting my unit to arrive having ordered only last month. I'm sure people who ordered early will be receiving theirs way earlier. In the end Q4 starts in October

 

[dsperber]

I'm just in no rush and happy if it arrives by the end of the year. If i could have it now I obviously would. It's all paid off and it arrives when it does

Agreed. In the end, it will all be worth the wait.

Again, my apology for repeating what I've already stated previously, I waited for the A8 to become "available for purchase" from September 2004 until April 2009, when it finally did emerge from its long development process and entered manufacturing and true availability.

Well worth the 10 month or so wait here for the new A16, I'm certain. Aside from 16-channel support and other wonderful enhancements, the real breakthrough is the built-in audio format decoders now self-contained inside the A16 itself. At the added expense of some licensing fees and need to probably keep current with firmware updates, this really frees it up from the way the A8 was designed and implemented which depended on being paired with external upstream-decoding by a player or AVR or other device which could then deliver to the A8 the now-decoded discrete multi-channel digital audio via LPCM over HDMI. Built-in codecs and the implied ability to accept still-encoded bitstream HDMI source is a monster step forward for letting the A16 become acceptable to a much larger number of potential consumers and home equipment setups.

 

[LajostheHun]

Trust me the headphones are not a bottleneck.
With good open headphones like the stax or HD800(s) there is only the weight that reminds you of wearing them.

Trust has nothing to do with anything, transducers are always are the bottleneck or weakest link since their reproduction of the signal is the least accurate compared to amps and DACs or anything electronic, and it's hardly debatable just look at any headphones's FR than compare it to the cheapest amp you can find. The amp will "win" hands down.

 

[castleofargh]

my opinion too. the only limitation to such reasoning is that in the end we still do need a transducer. real audiophiles use probes stuck into the auditory nerves!

 

[musicday]

Trust me the headphones are not a bottleneck.
With good open headphones like the stax or HD800(s) there is only the weight that reminds you of wearing them.

Imagine wearing open headphones but sitting in a room with a 7.4.1 speaker setup. The headphones are not connected to anything but only the speakers are playing. You can exactly pinpoint where the sound is coming from. That's what the a16 is capable of. I was literally blown away and had to check numerous times that the sound is really coming from the headphones not the speakers.

The bass is quite strong (but of course not body shaking) and plenty enjoyable.

I have spoken with Stephen smyth and there should be some pictures of both final units on their website in the next 2-3 weeks and they are still well on course to deliver everything by the end of the year. Probably quicker

I have same feelings like you Azurik. Realiser A16 is truly something never heard or possible before.
I will order mine as soon as i free some cash.
My one and only experience with it was fantastic at CanJam London.
Also beside movies i love the ability to play a 2 channel stereo recorded audio CD in surrounding mode such as 5.1ch , 7.1ch ,7.1.4 ch.
And more features will be added over the firmware updates.

 

[Got the Shakes]

I have spoken with Stephen smyth and there should be some pictures of both final units on their website in the next 2-3 weeks and they are still well on course to deliver everything by the end of the year. Probably quicker

Their last update in June said that they would be giving us a delivery update in late July. If that is still the case then I would think we should hear something in the next few days. They also said that as long as their HDMI board didn't experience a giant delay that they should be receiving them in late August or early September. If they are 2-3 weeks away from posting pictures of the final units and the board from MDS hasn't gotten a big delay I am still optimistic about receiving the A16 sometime in the October time frame (fingers crossed).

 

[phoenixdogfan]

my opinion too. the only limitation to such reasoning is that in the end we still do need a transducer. real audiophiles use probes stuck into the auditory nerves!

Me I'm gonna wait until they put that out in diy complete with drill bits.

 

[NigelJ]

When I spoke with the Smyth team at CanJam London they were still hoping to start delivering at the end of next month, ie August.

 

[musicday]

When I spoke with the Smyth team at CanJam London they were still hoping to start delivering at the end of next month, ie August.

That's what I've been told also.
I think by Christmas the latest,everyone will receive his order if placed this month.