[jgazal]

What I understand from the ui overview document:
You can create presets for which you can pick speakers from different PRIRs.
For example you can create one 7.1.6 PRIR, and create a seperate PRIR with the 2 extra speakers for 9.1.6, and create a 9.1.6 preset with speakers from those 2 PRIRs. Also you could measure the height channels for Auro 3D seperatly to combine them with the 7 ear-level speakers from the 7.1.6 PRIR in another preset. Etc.

That sounds really fantastic.
But I don't see that in the ui overview document. Do you mean the October 2017 edition?

You can load speakers from different PRIRs:

http://smyth-research.com/downloads/additional_KS_info.pdf

AFAIK there are two user interfaces: one is “dedicated” (panel buttons, remote and lcd panel) and the other is web based (network).

 

[sander99]

Yes, that is what I read, I was just confused about in which document...

 

[462429]

Thank you very much, sander99 and jgazal, for reminding me of the August 2016 'Additional Technical Information'.
Obviously, the time has come for me to read this document again.

 

[MichaelJames99]

Looks like more competitors coming THX Spacial Audio:

http://www.avsforum.com/thx-spatial...ontent-unsold&utm_source=AVSForum.com20180227

 

[Erik Garci]

I wonder if Smyth will add a way to make a PRIR using a phone camera. That would help the Realiser compete with THX Spatial Audio Platform, Creative Super X-Fi and IDA Audio.

 

[cachi]

I wonder if Smyth will add a way to make a PRIR using a phone camera. That would help the Realiser compete with THX Spatial Audio Platform, Creative Super X-Fi and IDA Audio.

Definitely not, unless Smyth has a huge database of ear morphologies and measured HRTFs to train with machine learning. This is what THX has ( a database) and it will only get better as people submit their ear morphologies and match to a good HRTF.

Machine learning is only as good as the database

 

[Erik Garci]

Another possibility is to use THX or IDA to make the HRTF, and then convert it to a PRIR for the Realiser.

 

[cachi]

Another possibility is to use THX or IDA to make the HRTF, and then convert it to a PRIR for the Realiser.

I agree, but at that point why even get the realiser, just get the THX solution

 

[MichaelJames99]

From what I can tell, the A16 is going for the very best possible sound whereas these other solutions are going for the easiest acceptability/adoption from non super users. Will it sound as good? Only time will tell.
Using a model of an ear vs a direct reading are 2 different levels of ways of achieving the same goal. In the ear is an actual measurement. The other is a educated guess. If that makes sense.

 

[cachi]

From what I can tell, the A16 is going for the very best possible sound whereas these other solutions are going for the easiest acceptability/adoption from non super users. Will it sound as good? Only time will tell.
Using a model of an ear vs a direct reading are 2 different levels of ways of achieving the same goal. In the ear is an actual measurement. The other is a educated guess. If that makes sense.

One positive of doing a machine learning method is that the measurements are probably done at more points around the listener than would be practical in a realiser studio room recording. That along with the added benefit of measuring anechoicly which gives the flexibility of measuring speakers separately. This would allow for the same HRTF to be used with many different room+speaker configurations

 

[castleofargh]

measuring a response "in situ" with the mic in the ear is clearly the most precise method right now. with time I expect models from 3D scans of the head and ears to become just as good, and at some point in time, even better because they will bypass some of the limitation of an actual recording of sound, and they will be able to be used to calculate even more positions with the actual 3D acoustic model. but I'm not sure moving a cellphone around is it just yet. just like adding a lot of intermediary angles is very nice on principle, but if it's going to make even the most modern processor to burst into flames, maybe we should wait a little ^_^.
for now as a quick and easy "close enough" approximation, focusing on cellphones sure is a good idea and a great way to spread custom stereo through the world(if it's not stupidly expensive). that could be how we'll put the last decades behind and let it be known later as the dark age of headphones. *plays big movie music and pretends like he just said something deep*.
I'm hyped, I can't lie, I've waited for those stuff to become the norm for years and it's almost there, I'm not young anymore but better late than sorry(works for the A16 too I guess...).

 

[Fox1977]

The TrueDepth sensor on the Apple iPhone X sounds a good way to modelize ear shape because it can create a real 3D model of it, not an extrapolation based on 2D pictures. The TrueDepth sensor is very similar to the XBox Kinect (i think it was developped by the same team).

 

[snejk]

Update:

Kickstarter Update, 28 Feb 2018
Posted by James Smyth (Collaborator)
1. Circuit board testing is continuing. We’re currently testing the board onto which the LCD display is mounted. Still to test are the head-tracker boards and the HDMI interface boards. No significant problems have been detected so far.

2. The user interface for the A16 is still not completed but should be soon.

3. All the head-stand and 2U metalwork has now arrived from China and we have started mounting accessory parts onto the front panels of the HS model.

4. The production plastic parts (microphone, head-tracker, set-top etc) are now due to arrive around the second week of March – we missed the Chinese New Year holiday cut-off date for our production run.

5. Whilst the bulk of the ‘Realiser Exchange’ has been developed, with features such as membership, cloud integration, audio playback for assessing individual speakers, sharing & purchasing PRIR/BRIR files, some of the more complex features such as the PRIR personalisation functionality and the user forum are still being developed and may not be completed before launch. These and other items in the development pipeline will be added as continuing updates to the Exchange site.

6. We are confirmed for exhibiting at the CanJam LA show in April and will shortly make available an online signup sheet for scheduling demos.

Thank you for your patience.

 

[musicday]

I was just about to post the update.
But i don't understand number 6.
In April at CanJam LA the A16 is the final version, ready for shipping or just a prototype? Also in the number 3 they seem to prioritize the head stand? I hope not. Anyway we are getting there slowly-slowly and i would like to believe that is worth the extra delays.

 

[sander99]

But i don't understand number 6.
In April at CanJam LA the A16 is the final version, ready for shipping or just a prototype?

I assume it just means that they arranged to be present there, reserved the space etc. Whether they will have a final version or only a (maybe new model) prototype: they probably don't know for sure themselves yet.

Also in the number 3 they seem to prioritize the head stand? I hope not.

I also hope not, but I don't think we should be worried: they are just talking about about one first assembly step and they have to start with the one or the other.