Correct. I have 3 sources as well......and use a quality optical switcher for the Headzone.
Smyth Research Realiser A16
Well, it would be nice if it arrived before the end of March. Let's hope so - at least they are working on it!
I think that the word wonderful oversells it. Wonderful would be a shipping date in the immediate future. This is a ‘welcome’ update but does nothing to suggest a shipping date, and I'm discouraged that there's nothing at all about Dolby accreditation, which hardly seems possible to conduct on a product with neither final manufactured unit, U.I or firmware. I also vaguely wonder why the U.I. is not complete since to my (completely inexpert) mind they must have a workbench version of the A16 on which that could have been perfected. But, that said, at least the fact of an update pushes down my anxiety for another month.
Fox1977
500+ Head-Fier
Indeed, the update is welcome but the news are not that wonderful. Eventually, basically it's moving forward but very slow. I was hoping a shipping date in march, but sounds like it will rather be late april or early may. The final version will be ready by the beginning of april, doesn't mean that it will be certified by Dolby and DTS at this moment. We're looking at a whole year of delay compared to what was initially announced. Not cool but there is not much we can't do about it.
cachi
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This is great news for you guys, the product will actually be made and delivered eventually. Take this from a guy that got scammed by kickstarter for $500 and the product NEVER got delivered. There has been people who tried to create a law suit but to no avail. Kickstarter does NOT guarantee a product for your money and there is absolutely no legal avenue you could take if you never receive anything for your money.
The good news here is that Smyth is actually a legitimate company with a man behind it that want to make his product a success. The update in my humble opinion is great news
The good news here is that Smyth is actually a legitimate company with a man behind it that want to make his product a success. The update in my humble opinion is great news
Got the Shakes
500+ Head-Fier
So the one thing we do know is that they are planning on having the Realiser completed by late March/early April as their plan is to demo the completed version at CanJam L.A. on April 7-8. Not that it means that all Realisers will be built by then, but that at least gives us some sort of idea as the worst case scenario that they are currently planning on. Obviously this is a fluid situation, but that gives us a bit of insight about when they are planning on having everything finalized for April.
Richter Di
1000+ Head-Fier
For me it is the opposite of a “wonderful” new update.
I think it is devastating.After the very long radio silence Smyth emerges with no solid delivery date.
Really?
I am very unhappy.
Nah, that's not the way to look at it. I measure a Kickstarter not by whether I got anything at all but whether I got something that was worth the outlay. (The majority of them have, but only just.) I'm never going to ge grateful just to get something in the post.
462429
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It is not even something. It is nothing.
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illram
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April LA Canjam now has me officially interested for no other reason than to get a PRIR done by them quickly and efficiently. I believe I read somewhere here that the PRIR's done at the previous shows might be suboptimal as these were at a show, i.e. not ideal acoustically... do folks think its worth it? It would involve a plane ride....
You and others may not be unhappy but i am, let me explain why.
If the latest updates are accurate and we get to see/hear the final commercial A16 that's fine by me.
As long as i get it before may, is great.
By then I am hoping to see a a even better sounding A16 then in summer of 2017.
So in my opinion may the latest for delivery of the amazing A16, with stable firmware update and final UI,is acceptable.
At the end of the day, other then waiting there's nothing we can do.
In Smyth Research we trust
One interesting comment from the Kickstarter I just noticed relates to eARC support (ie. asking whether the Realiser A16 will get it). The existing ARC standard only supports 5.1 due to bandwidth limitations. eARC allows TVs to send Atmos/DTS:X bitstream back to an audio receiver.
The post was met with a "hurr there's always a new HDMI standard" response, but that misses the point entirely. eARC means that modern audio receivers won't be constantly outdated by HDMI standards that they don't care about... This post on avsforums puts it best:
(Yes, ARC can have compatibility issues, let's hope that eARC standard will be less "open to interpreation" by manufacturers than ARC was)
Some 2017 TVs/Receivers are reportedly going to be getting eARC support via firmware update.
I don't really understand what's involved, but looking at the HDMI repeater that the A16 is using, it sounds like CEC/ARC functionality is implemented in software (implemented external to the HDMI repeater?)
Also here, The Sil9777 chip used refers I2S extraction/insertion capabilities, rather than the hard-coded ARC support of other models:
http://www.latticesemi.com/en/Produ...=Data+Sheet#_3677ED579A524F1189E150EC7A639EE7
That said, the A16 specs don't even mention ARC support? Does anyone know if this has been confirmed anywhere?
http://www.smyth-research.com/downloads/Realiser A16 new datasheet Jan 2017.pdf
Even if it requires a future HDMI repeater board upgrade, I will be much happier about the long-term viability of the A16 if eARC support can be added.
Edit: I contacted MDS and eARC will definitely require a new HDMI repeater board. Let's hope we may see an A16 upgrade in the next few years.
The post was met with a "hurr there's always a new HDMI standard" response, but that misses the point entirely. eARC means that modern audio receivers won't be constantly outdated by HDMI standards that they don't care about... This post on avsforums puts it best:
This would allow the Realiser A16 to be used alongside bleeding edge displays for ten years or more - in the same way that a 2009 HDMI 1.4 audio receiver is still serviceable for 5.1 audio over ARC today - even though it doesn't know about or care that the TV is displaying 4K/HDR, etc.
(Yes, ARC can have compatibility issues, let's hope that eARC standard will be less "open to interpreation" by manufacturers than ARC was)
Some 2017 TVs/Receivers are reportedly going to be getting eARC support via firmware update.
Also here, The Sil9777 chip used refers I2S extraction/insertion capabilities, rather than the hard-coded ARC support of other models:
http://www.latticesemi.com/en/Produ...=Data+Sheet#_3677ED579A524F1189E150EC7A639EE7
That said, the A16 specs don't even mention ARC support? Does anyone know if this has been confirmed anywhere?
http://www.smyth-research.com/downloads/Realiser A16 new datasheet Jan 2017.pdf
Edit: I contacted MDS and eARC will definitely require a new HDMI repeater board. Let's hope we may see an A16 upgrade in the next few years.
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dsperber
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How do I deal with ARC (streaming from a smart app from my Panny 65VT50) and my A8, as well as also using my A8 for standard BluRay playback and cable HDTV and Netflix/YouTube streaming from a smart app on my Oppo BDP-103)? Obviously the objective is to be able to use the A8 to listen to multi-channel audio from ANY of these sources.
(1) My A8 is connected via HDMI to the HDMI2-out of my Oppo BDP-103 player. Any digital audio output produced by the 103 comes out HDMI2, in already-decoded 8-channel LPCM. This is the expected perfect HDMI input for the A8, i.e. discrete multi-channel LPCM for any number of channels, 2, 5.1 or 7.1. It all arrives on the 8-channels of LPCM fed by the Oppo out HDMI2 to the A8. So anything handled by the Oppo (including multi-channel BluRay/DVD and 2-channel CD audio discs, streaming Netflix/YouTube apps, or external inputs HDMI1/HDMI2 fed from my cable HDTV DVR) is decoded to 8-channel LPCM and fed via HDMI2-output to the A8. So, I can listen through the A8 and headphones to any source handled by the Oppo, using the HDMI input.
(2) My A8 is also connected via its 8-channel analog inputs to the 8-channel preamp analog audio outputs of my Yamaha RX-V867 AVR. If it is the 867 which is the "source" for something I want to listen to through the A8 and headphones, I flip the A8 input to be analog-line input instead of HDMI. Yes, this still sounds excellent even though the 8-channel analog input must first be converted A-to-D for digital SVS processing by the Realiser.
(3) My Panny 65VT50 is connected from its HDMI2 input (ARC-enabled) to the HDMI1-output of the 867. So when I want to watch through a smart app on the Panny, the multi-channel encoded digital audio is fed via ARC from the Panny to the 867 where it gets decoded. There is no LPCM digital output via HDMI on the 867 as there is on the Oppo 103, which is why I tap the 8-channel preamp analog audio outputs of the 867 instead, to feed the A8 via discrete 8-channel analog input.
(4) The Oppo BDP-103 is connected from its HDMI1-output (for video-only) to the HDMI1-input of the Yamaha 867 (with all video processing inhibited), which in turn relays the video from its HDMI1-output to the Panny's HDMI2 (ARC) input.
So once again, the A8 and my headphones are not part of any "daisy chain" HDMI-input/HDMI-output arrangement. It is simply an "end node", connected for its 8-channel HDMI input to the Oppo which feeds it already-decoded discrete multi-channel LPCM for any source handled by the Oppo. And it is connected for its 8-channel analog input to the Yamaha 867's preamp 9-channel analog audio outputs, for any source handled by the 867.
This eliminates all interface considerations of trying to somehow configure the wiring to/from the A8 for anything other than being fed audio. It is being used purely to handle the already-decoded discrete 8-channel audio it is designed to process, either via HDMI or analog, having been decoded to discrete multi-channel either by the Oppo or the Yamaha.
And it leaves the Oppo 103, Yamaha 867, and Panny 65VT50, to handle all "source" and ARC digital video/audio issues as well as any video routing or handling or conversion, via HDMI. Any video processing considerations (e.g. upcoming 4K upgrades and all that goes with it) will thus all be external to the A8 (or the someday-to-arrive A16), left to be handled by the devices designed to process video.
I use the A8 for audio, not video. In fact i have wired it in my topology so that it is purely for audio, completely independent of any video considerations whatsoever. No video pass-through of any kind, and no multi-device HDMI handshake fragility to contend with.
When the A16 arrives, and I finally get to use my new Oppo BDP-203 that has been sitting in its carton unopened for about 5 months now (as well as the new Oppo SDAC I also bought to go with it, to be fed from the A16's optical output), to presumably someday feed a new 4K OLED HDTV, I will STILL be using the Realiser for audio-only. Keep it simple, let the audio devices do their audio thing, and let the video devices do their video thing.
(1) My A8 is connected via HDMI to the HDMI2-out of my Oppo BDP-103 player. Any digital audio output produced by the 103 comes out HDMI2, in already-decoded 8-channel LPCM. This is the expected perfect HDMI input for the A8, i.e. discrete multi-channel LPCM for any number of channels, 2, 5.1 or 7.1. It all arrives on the 8-channels of LPCM fed by the Oppo out HDMI2 to the A8. So anything handled by the Oppo (including multi-channel BluRay/DVD and 2-channel CD audio discs, streaming Netflix/YouTube apps, or external inputs HDMI1/HDMI2 fed from my cable HDTV DVR) is decoded to 8-channel LPCM and fed via HDMI2-output to the A8. So, I can listen through the A8 and headphones to any source handled by the Oppo, using the HDMI input.
(2) My A8 is also connected via its 8-channel analog inputs to the 8-channel preamp analog audio outputs of my Yamaha RX-V867 AVR. If it is the 867 which is the "source" for something I want to listen to through the A8 and headphones, I flip the A8 input to be analog-line input instead of HDMI. Yes, this still sounds excellent even though the 8-channel analog input must first be converted A-to-D for digital SVS processing by the Realiser.
(3) My Panny 65VT50 is connected from its HDMI2 input (ARC-enabled) to the HDMI1-output of the 867. So when I want to watch through a smart app on the Panny, the multi-channel encoded digital audio is fed via ARC from the Panny to the 867 where it gets decoded. There is no LPCM digital output via HDMI on the 867 as there is on the Oppo 103, which is why I tap the 8-channel preamp analog audio outputs of the 867 instead, to feed the A8 via discrete 8-channel analog input.
(4) The Oppo BDP-103 is connected from its HDMI1-output (for video-only) to the HDMI1-input of the Yamaha 867 (with all video processing inhibited), which in turn relays the video from its HDMI1-output to the Panny's HDMI2 (ARC) input.
So once again, the A8 and my headphones are not part of any "daisy chain" HDMI-input/HDMI-output arrangement. It is simply an "end node", connected for its 8-channel HDMI input to the Oppo which feeds it already-decoded discrete multi-channel LPCM for any source handled by the Oppo. And it is connected for its 8-channel analog input to the Yamaha 867's preamp 9-channel analog audio outputs, for any source handled by the 867.
This eliminates all interface considerations of trying to somehow configure the wiring to/from the A8 for anything other than being fed audio. It is being used purely to handle the already-decoded discrete 8-channel audio it is designed to process, either via HDMI or analog, having been decoded to discrete multi-channel either by the Oppo or the Yamaha.
And it leaves the Oppo 103, Yamaha 867, and Panny 65VT50, to handle all "source" and ARC digital video/audio issues as well as any video routing or handling or conversion, via HDMI. Any video processing considerations (e.g. upcoming 4K upgrades and all that goes with it) will thus all be external to the A8 (or the someday-to-arrive A16), left to be handled by the devices designed to process video.
I use the A8 for audio, not video. In fact i have wired it in my topology so that it is purely for audio, completely independent of any video considerations whatsoever. No video pass-through of any kind, and no multi-device HDMI handshake fragility to contend with.
When the A16 arrives, and I finally get to use my new Oppo BDP-203 that has been sitting in its carton unopened for about 5 months now (as well as the new Oppo SDAC I also bought to go with it, to be fed from the A16's optical output), to presumably someday feed a new 4K OLED HDTV, I will STILL be using the Realiser for audio-only. Keep it simple, let the audio devices do their audio thing, and let the video devices do their video thing.
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