[sander99]

Woah, very handy information!

Also, it was what I was looking for, I want to experiment a bit, I am getting somewhere with it.

Tried the A16 vs a high-end DAC/AMP like the Mytek Brooklyn DAC+. Tried it with HE400i 2020, because i had it on hand

At first, A16 sounds different from what I was expecting, a bit too airy and not quite enough bass (not sure where I am doing something wrong), Then when switching back to a standard DAC/AMP, the differences are huge, it sounds like the sound of a traditional DAC/AMP has bulky and blocky parts, which with A16 are just a natural soundscape. It is amazing what it can do, but I feel that I can also get the bass right with more experiment - I think that I'm doing wrong the HPEQ settings, or that I'm stuck with the default one which was meant for HD800. It surely is not easy to use and set up, but man, I was not expecting such results, going back to not using it feels like going between a hi-res file (a16) and a very compressed mp3 file (most traditional dac/amps) - I'm talking about the magnitude of differences in how natural the stage sounds.

I am not sure I understand what you did exactly?
Do you mean that you tried the A16 without any SVS (short for Smyth Virtual Surround in case you were wondering) processing? In other words: you used the "stereo mixdown" function?
And did you also use it with SVS processing? With a self made PRIR?

Then when switching back to a standard DAC/AMP, the differences are huge, it sounds like the sound of a traditional DAC/AMP has bulky and blocky parts, which with A16 are just a natural soundscape.

In above quote, are you talking about switching back from SVS processing to normal headphone stereo?

I think it would be wise to be more clear - in your own mind as well as later to your readers - what you are comparing to what.
I think the most relevant comparison regarding the A16 is: A16 with SVS processing versus A16 without SVS processing. Because SVS processing is not so much a change in fidelity but more a transformation to a different perspective (as a figure of speech). The audibility of this transformation is at a completely different level (much more audible I mean) compared to differences between amps and DACs (to put it mildly).
You could compare the A16 without SVS processing to another DAC/amp without SVS processing, or compare the A16 with SVS processing using it's internal DAC/amp to the A16 with SVS processing using another DAC/amp (connected to the A16's spdif output). But comparing the A16 with SVS processing to another DAC/amp without SVS processing is not very meaningfull. That is like comparing apples to oranges.

 

[You Gene]

Published on Gilles (French dealer) facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/pg/smyth.realiser.fr/posts/?ref=page_internal
…Register for the first 100% online edition of the HiFi, home-cinema show "Paris Audio Video Show". Two days of broadcasting, the weekend of November 14 and 15, with among the innovations presented, the processor for home cinema headphones Smyth Realiser A16…
https://www.parisaudiovideoshow.com/

According to "Paris Audio Video Show" home page :
…Discover the latest Hi-Fi and Home-Cinema news through a fully digital event online on November 14 and 15 and available in replay on the Facebook page and the Youtube channel of the "Paris Audio Video Show" as well as on the Facebook pages and the Youtube channel of our partner Son-Vidéo.com!

Edit : any marketing event elsewhere worldwide ?

 

[Litlgi74]

Ladies and Gentlemen...

WOW, WOW, WOW!

If you haven't heard/seen The film Gravity... especially the Diamond Luxe Edition Blu-ray. Stop whatever you are doing and get a copy. It is by far the best Doby Atmos experience I have heard of yet. And the A16 does an incredible job reproducing it. The soundtrack is chilling, crystal clear, and is everything you want Dolby Atmos to be... Completely Immersive! This is a reference soundtrack for sure. WOW, WOW, WOW! I am going to combine the Atmos track with my 3D version of this disk... I can't wait to EXPERIENCE this!

Unfortunately, the Diamond Luxe version is the only version that comes with Dolby Atmos. And it is very rare and expensive.

 

[m8o]

If you haven't heard/seen The film Gravity... especially the Diamond Luxe Edition Blu-ray. Stop whatever you are doing and get a copy. It is by far the best Doby Atmos experience I have heard of yet.

Yep, I can believe it... its award winning:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mixonline.com/technology/gravity-wins-2014-academy-awards-sound-editing-sound-mixing-380215?amp

Award Totals

98 awards

174 nominations

 

[Litlgi74]

Yep, I can believe it... its award winning:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mixonline.com/technology/gravity-wins-2014-academy-awards-sound-editing-sound-mixing-380215?amp

Award Totals

98 awards

174 nominations

Lol... didn't know about the awards... nice to know I'm not alone in my thinking.

 

[Dobrescu George]

I am not sure I understand what you did exactly?
Do you mean that you tried the A16 without any SVS (short for Smyth Virtual Surround in case you were wondering) processing? In other words: you used the "stereo mixdown" function?
And did you also use it with SVS processing? With a self made PRIR?

In above quote, are you talking about switching back from SVS processing to normal headphone stereo?

I think it would be wise to be more clear - in your own mind as well as later to your readers - what you are comparing to what.
I think the most relevant comparison regarding the A16 is: A16 with SVS processing versus A16 without SVS processing. Because SVS processing is not so much a change in fidelity but more a transformation to a different perspective (as a figure of speech). The audibility of this transformation is at a completely different level (much more audible I mean) compared to differences between amps and DACs (to put it mildly).
You could compare the A16 without SVS processing to another DAC/amp without SVS processing, or compare the A16 with SVS processing using it's internal DAC/amp to the A16 with SVS processing using another DAC/amp (connected to the A16's spdif output). But comparing the A16 with SVS processing to another DAC/amp without SVS processing is not very meaningfull. That is like comparing apples to oranges.

I was comparing using A16 with everything engaged, although I believe I did not create the files correctly (not sure if my PRIR is good yet) (and I believe I never applied a good EQ), and comparing that to any other DAC/AMP. Not sure how you turn SVS on and off.

Stunning idea to use A16 as a processor and pass through the SPDIF Signal to an external DAC/AMP, to test what the actual processing does, that should be closer to oranges to oranges, thanks for the heads up

There's no clear guide on how I should review it, it is a unique product all in all, and I'm trying to remove as much user error as I can before I start the actual review process

 

[Litlgi74]

Not sure how you turn SVS on and off.

IMO... this is one of the features that sells the A16.

If you have an iPad... you can use the App Centro Control to switch between Stereo and SVS.

Or you can use the remote.

But first you must enable the stereo feature in the Listening room>Manage Bass/Reverb/Tactile setting

But you must also have the AV feature disabled in the main SVS Preset

Make sure you reload the preset for the changes to take effect.

 

[sander99]

Not sure how you turn SVS on and off.

In addition to what @Litlgi74 said, also make sure that in the preset AV is switched off. (Otherwise pressing the "loudspeaker" button will activate AV mode instead of "stereo mixdown".)
Oh, and (more in general): some changes to the preset only become active after reloading the preset. Reloading a preset can be done by moving the cursor to the top line in the preset menu and press the enter button (the button in the middle between the 4 arrow keys).

 

[esimms86]

Ladies and Gentlemen...

WOW, WOW, WOW!

If you haven't heard/seen The film Gravity... especially the Diamond Luxe Edition Blu-ray. Stop whatever you are doing and get a copy. It is by far the best Doby Atmos experience I have heard of yet. And the A16 does an incredible job reproducing it. The soundtrack is chilling, crystal clear, and is everything you want Dolby Atmos to be... Completely Immersive! This is a reference soundtrack for sure. WOW, WOW, WOW! I am going to combine the Atmos track with my 3D version of this disk... I can't wait to EXPERIENCE this!

Unfortunately, the Diamond Luxe version is the only version that comes with Dolby Atmos. And it is very rare and expensive.

Thanks for posting! I haven’t seen the movie yet but it’s one of a handful of blu rays that I put in my personal time capsule. It’s squirreled away, waiting for the day when I receive my CanJam Atmos PRIR. So I just went and checked and it turns out that I own the Diamond Luxe Edition!

 

[Litlgi74]

Thanks for posting! I haven’t seen the movie yet but it’s one of a handful of blu rays that I put in my personal time capsule. It’s squirreled away, waiting for the day when I receive my CanJam Atmos PRIR. So I just went and checked and it turns out that I own the Diamond Luxe Edition!

Awesome...
It is a beautiful soundtrack... I liked it so much... I've been listening to it on Tidal all day.

https://tidal.com/browse/album/104823359
Unfortunately... it's only in two-channel stereo.

 

[m8o]

waiting for the day when I receive my CanJam Atmos PRIR

Got some bad news for you ... but, I dont think anyone has been getting theirs.

 

[esimms86]

Got some bad news for you ... but, I dont think anyone has been getting theirs.

I know that. I’m waiting, like so many others, for my PRIR to become available to me when the Realiser Exchange goes live. Though I’m not about to place any bets, I am hopeful that this will happen before the end of the year.

 

[pervysage]

I'm a surround sound noob so it might be a dumb question but what is the difference between TrueHD and Atmos, if any? I noticed when I play content that is TrueHD 7.1, the Realiser will be showing as a Dolby Atmos track? Is that correct?

 

[musicreo]

I'm a surround sound noob so it might be a dumb question but what is the difference between TrueHD and Atmos, if any? I noticed when I play content that is TrueHD 7.1, the Realiser will be showing as a Dolby Atmos track? Is that correct?

I think the object based audio format Dolby Atmos always uses TrueHD or EAC3 as base layer and contains additional information of audio objects that are mostly used for height channels.

 

[GeorgeA]

......what is the difference between TrueHD and Atmos, if any?.......

I think that the following quote is a reasonable explanation for your query.

“Dolby TrueHD is a lossless audio codec that supports up to eight audio channels on Blu-ray Disc. Dolby Atmos soundtracks, in contrast, consist of audio objects — up to 128 of them — that are mixed in a 3D soundfield during the production process. When the soundtrack is played back in a movie theater or home environment, the audio objects are rendered by an Atmos decoder to the available speaker set, which includes overhead ceiling speakers.

While Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD are two separate soundtrack formats, Atmos data on Ultra HD Blu-ray is actually an extension to TrueHD that is folded into the bitstream to maintain backwards compatibility. Here’s how that works: If you play a disc with an Atmos soundtrack, the Atmos extension data is decoded by an Atmos-compatible receiver. If your receiver isn’t Atmos compatible, the extension data is ignored and the soundtrack is decoded as regular Dolby TrueHD.”

Source: https://www.soundandvision.com/content/how-do-dolby-truehd-and-dolby-atmos-differ