[iAudio365]

Does anyone know the answer to the below.

"On to the real question, I know the a16 can be hooked up to an amp in this case it will be running through my mcintosh mha100 which can also drive speakers, will the a16 decode dolby atmos etc to the speakers through theamp? "

 

[Clive101]

I’m just worried the silver one would stretch a headphone band out of shale after a while

Exactly that was the same as I was worried about so the 2u model is for me (in silver) so sadly cannot place an order.

Perhaps next year a silver model will come out....?

 

[sander99]

On to the real question, I know the a16 can be hooked up to an amp in this case it will be running through my mcintosh mha100 which can also drive speakers, will the a16 decode dolby atmos etc to the speakers through the amp?

Or any amp driving speakers for that matter?

(Here we go again, this question and misinterpretations of the answer can be found a dozen times in this thread)
The SVS (Smyth Virtual Surround?) processed 2 channel output is intended for headphones (or can be used with special beamforming/crosstalk free speakers, but I don't dare to go into that anymore...), not for (normal) speakers.
The signal intended for the headphones is available via the normal headphone output, and as analog stereo over RCA/Cinch, and digital (optical and coaxial).
The A16 can also be used as a 16 channel surround processor preamp using the 16 channel analog outputs (implemented as 8 stereo 3.5 mm jacks).
If you want atmos over speakers you will need more than 2 channels of amplification and more than 2 speakers.
Unless you downmix the atmos to stereo of course (which the A16 can do).
You can connect amplifiers, power amplifiers or active speakers to the 16 channel analog outputs (in most cases you would need stereo 3.5 mm jack to 2 times RCA/Cinch cables).
Maybe a normal stereo downmix (not SVS processed) can be output over the user A or B digital output also, but I am not sure (in your case that would be practical, assuming you only want to use the speakers for stereo downmixed playback, you would only need one digital stereo connection to the mc intosch, but when you switch from speakers to headphones or back you should adjust the A16 to the appropriate mode of operation - normal downmix for speakers or SVS processing for headphones).

 

[sander99]

Do you need to use headphones with this or could you feed an amp that then ouputs to speakers to give you the atmos experience in your living room without using any headphones?

I just now saw this earlier version of your question, from which I conclude you were not thinking of a normal downmix to stereo. So to make it absolutely clear: playing over 2 normal speakers you will not have the atmos experience.

 

[sander99]

I’m just worried the silver one would stretch a headphone band out of shale after a while

Exactly that was the same as I was worried about so the 2u model is for me (in silver) so sadly cannot place an order.

Perhaps next year a silver model will come out....?

You could buy a silver headstand model and simply not hang your headphones on it.

 

[sahmen]

One perfectly good reason why I shall never go for the silver version (and, yes, there is more than one reason): It reminds me too much of this pictured medieval sculpture, even though I do not completely understand why. So don't ask me why... I just know that I won't. YMMV, and that is okay too

 

[sahmen]

Edited

 

[iAudio365]

(Here we go again, this question and misinterpretations of the answer can be found a dozen times in this thread)
The SVS (Smyth Virtual Surround?) processed 2 channel output is intended for headphones (or can be used with special beamforming/crosstalk free speakers, but I don't dare to go into that anymore...), not for (normal) speakers.
The signal intended for the headphones is available via the normal headphone output, and as analog stereo over RCA/Cinch, and digital (optical and coaxial).
The A16 can also be used as a 16 channel surround processor preamp using the 16 channel analog outputs (implemented as 8 stereo 3.5 mm jacks).
If you want atmos over speakers you will need more than 2 channels of amplification and more than 2 speakers.
Unless you downmix the atmos to stereo of course (which the A16 can do).
You can connect amplifiers, power amplifiers or active speakers to the 16 channel analog outputs (in most cases you would need stereo 3.5 mm jack to 2 times RCA/Cinch cables).
Maybe a normal stereo downmix (not SVS processed) can be output over the user A or B digital output also, but I am not sure (in your case that would be practical, assuming you only want to use the speakers for stereo downmixed playback, you would only need one digital stereo connection to the mc intosch, but when you switch from speakers to headphones or back you should adjust the A16 to the appropriate mode of operation - normal downmix for speakers or SVS processing for headphones).

Thanks for your detailed reply so the short is no I guess for normal speakers, thats a bummer.

Ok last question, if I use my Mcintosh mha100 as the amp for the A16 but just use my headphones connected to the amp and not the actual realiser itself, will it still out put the dolby atmos and other 3d sound options even though I’m amping it? Or can you only get those benefits by connecting directly to the a16 itself?

 

[raband]

It'll output the processed signal

 

[sander99]

Ok last question, if I use my Mcintosh mha100 as the amp for the A16 but just use my headphones connected to the amp and not the actual realiser itself, will it still out put the dolby atmos and other 3d sound options even though I’m amping it?

The signal intended for the headphones is available via the normal headphone output, and as analog stereo over RCA/Cinch, and digital (optical and coaxial).

 

[sander99]

so the short is no I guess for normal speakers, thats a bummer.

After all your questions I am starting to wonder do you really understand what this device does?
It makes headphones sound like (a set of up to 16) speakers, and I mean really, really sound like speakers, including the feeling that the sound is coming from outside, from a distance. And really sounds almost identical to the particular speakers and room where you measured your PRIR. And using the head-tracking it keeps the virtual speakers fixed at their positions when you move your head.
And that is very, very special and worth it. And do note it can do this for 2 persons indepedently at the same time. The fact that it also can act as a 16 channel processor-preamp is a great bonus.
Maybe you should read some more in this thread. For example my own experience with the A16 (I had a demo at the High End Munich):

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/smyth-research-realiser-a16.807459/page-78#post-13741847

To be able to do all that it must control exactly what each ear hears. This is not possible with a stereo pair of normal speakers because both ears hear both speakers.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Thanks for your detailed reply so the short is no I guess for normal speakers, thats a bummer.

Ok last question, if I use my Mcintosh mha100 as the amp for the A16 but just use my headphones connected to the amp and not the actual realiser itself, will it still out put the dolby atmos and other 3d sound options even though I’m amping it? Or can you only get those benefits by connecting directly to the a16 itself?

Regarding using normal speakers, the short answer is yes, not no. The A16 is a preamp, so it will pass 2 channel, 4 channel, 16 channel signals--in short whatevers is fed to it. And if you don't want to use an HRTF, I think it will act just as a normal preamp. You will of course need a separate amplifier for the speakers, just like you would with any other preamp.

And yes, it will still put out a binaural signal which you amp can amplify further, if that's your pleasure. A lot of people on here will not be using the onboard headphone amp, as I understand it. You get the 16 channels, ATMOS, etc. through headphones b/c they're downmixed to a binaural signal and output to your headphones. This will occur if you use the onboard, or an external headphone amp, or even DAC/AMP.
'

 

[sander99]

Regarding using normal speakers, the short answer is yes, not no.

The thing is, I did not read his first version of his question good enough myself, but iAudio365 was actually asking if he would have "the atmos experience in his living room without using any headphones" using 2 normal speakers, as if the whole HRTF/PRIR thing would work over 2 normal speakers, the answer to that question is no. But of course he can play normal downmix to 2 channel over speakers. And of course he could play the binauralised signal over the speakers too, but it would not sound good or make sense. And of course if he buys more (power-)amps and speakers he can have the atmos experience in his living room without using headphones. For fun he could go the cheap path (like I do, and leave the more serious approach to the headphones): buy a couple of used obsolete 7.1 receivers with analog 7.1 inputs for a few tens of dollars each, and the wanted amount of used simple small speakers. Of course that would not hold up quality wise with the mcintosch but as I said for fun. Or build a 5.1.2 system (or even 4.0.2, only 4 extra channels of amplification need to be added to the mcintosch)(the A16 can downmix and upmix to just about any number of channels from 2 to 16) with a little bit better quality amps and speakers, at least you would have captured all dimensions (left-right, front-back, low-high).

 

[sander99]

And do note it can do this for 2 persons indepedently at the same time.

Ok last question, if I use my Mcintosh mha100 as the amp for the A16 but just use my headphones connected to the amp and not the actual realiser itself, will it still out put the dolby atmos and other 3d sound options even though I’m amping it?

Just one more thing: as I already said indeed you can use the mcintosch to amplify (and even to do the DA-conversion) of the processed signal with virtualised (including atmos-) speakers for the headphones, BUT that would be for one user (because the A16 does 2 independent simulations for the two users, creating 2 different stereo signals for the 2 users), so a second user would have to use the direct headphone output from the A16 (or a second DAC/headphone amp can be used).

 

[jgazal]

The SVS (Smyth Virtual Surround?) processed 2 channel output is intended for headphones (or can be used with special beamforming/crosstalk free speakers, but I don't dare to go into that anymore...), not for (normal) speakers.

And if you don't want to use an HRTF, I think it will act just as a normal preamp.

Roughly, PRIR = RIR (a given room impulse response) + your own HRTF (head related transfer function) in such given room.

So instead of HRTF, I would use “PRIR”.