[musicday]

I would first like to receive the A16 in the next couple of months, and then worry about issues related to the firmware. There is always room for extra features once the product is released.

 

[sander99]

The A16 uses Analog ADSP21489 according to the block diagram.
https://www.analog.com/en/products/adsp-21489.html#product-documentation
The A8 comes with a ADSP21369: http://signalsurbruit.blogspot.com/2011/03/svs-smyth-realiser-a8.html with a datasheet at https://www.analog.com/en/products/adsp-21369.html#product-overview.

The 21489 is binary code compatible to the 21369 according to the data sheet. I had assumed that it would be multiple times as fast, but all I can find is 2.4 GFLOPS peak for the A8 and 2.7 GFPLOS peak for the A16. There's also https://www.analog.com/en/design-center/landing-pages/001/sharc-benchmarks.html with 27.43 us for a 1024 point fft on the A8, and 20.44 μs on the A16, and similar ratios for other common DSP tasks.

The A16 has 2 of those ADSP21489 chips, one per user, and in dual user mode each of these chips only has to do the SVS processing, surround decoding is done in yet another chip.
And the A8: does it have 1 or 2 ADSP21369 chips?

 

[Richter Di]

So this is what it has come to, some one posing as a Smyth because the real company doesn't give a damn. How about because they are spending their time working on the project for sE Electronics and basically dropped this project because Zou wasn't stupid enough to give them the money up front?

What project?

With some of the posters, it feels like the main item on their agenda is to paint the company in the worst possible light, proclaim that the thing won’t ever ship (e.g put it in the same bag as ossic and these other vaporware kickstarters).

As I was the one mentioning my Ossic fail in the letter to the French dealer, let me assure you that all I want is my A16. And I have to say that backing it in September 2016 with the promise at Kickstarter and in person in November in Paris to get in May 2017, it seems only fair to have more transparent insights what the Smyths are doing.

It is basically the same as with Ossic. I saw after the Ossic Kickstarter campaign ended, every time I was online, multiple Ossic adds. So I was sure they were spending incredible money on advertising. Shortly before the firm went bust they tried to get more cash and for this they had to become transparent. In this very moment you could see in the reports that they had spend the 2.5 millions US Dollar missing to fullfill the pledges in unnecessary advertising.

Now if we take a moment and ask ourselves how could the Smyths promise in September 2016 fullfillment in May 2017? The must have been pretty confident that they would be able to do all the necessary steps. Why didn’t they do them?
(And yes I remember that at the beginning they were missing some parts from Cina.)
I think it is a fair question to ask someone who I gave money in Septembe 2016.
So it has nothing to do with „worst possible light“. There behavior of not telling what is happening and what has happened puts them in a bad light.
I do not have to do anything.

Pretend for a moment the Smyths would be people who work for you as members of your team. Month by month you pay them, and month by month they tell you that in some weeks they will have finished this or that step. And some months later you find out nothing of what was promised is finished. Would you feel that withouth a very transparent communication from their side you would trust them? What would be the light they present themeselves.

Again, I am a big fan of what the Smyts have done with the A16 and I dreamt for years to finally get one. I read every article and every comment in the forums about them.
With the A16 this dream finally could happen. But now it feels that all my trust and goodwill is very depleted.

 

[462429]

...
With some of the posters, it feels like the main item on their agenda is to paint the company in the worst possible light, proclaim that the thing won’t ever ship (e.g put it in the same bag as ossic and these other vaporware kickstarters).

I think we discuss our questions constructively and tolerantly and probably better than our local-minded Gilles will do.
Smyth's lousy planning and reporting give us full right to question even their very core work.
And forum is a place to discuss and question and not to sit with the mouth shut.

 

[Dixter]

This is a repost of Giles answers for this week.... remember the original is in French and this is a google translation so you have to read and interpret a few items... as in helmet is actually headphone... ect...

Hello

As you know, the theme of the day is: answer all your questions concerning the detailed presentation of the A16 in the 13 previous messages.

Without further ado, here we go. There is no ranking. I just eliminated duplicates.

I wonder if there is, as with many audio devices, a kind of reliable data sheet summarizing the performance of the unit. Yves

Not yet. The initial technical file has been updated (and it is not for want of asking ...). Nevertheless, it will remain a classic specifications. Because the numbers were never allowed to judge the performance of a device (or very marginally). Especially audio.

Possessing several years the A8, I did capture my room HC 7.1 I love it and I would like to know if buying the A16, it can add 6 additional speakers to the Atmos or DTS-X or Auro 3D without making another catch as having no physical speakers in my room (everything was sold) for the 7.1.6 or, let's be crazy, add the wide speakers for the 9.1.6. Julian

But yes. The A16 allows reuse A8 capture files to enjoy, either as is. Either by adding virtual speakers other catches (Ceiling & wide). Preorders by AV-in provides access to catch 5.1 / 7.1 Club Realize A8.

It allows Realiser A16 whether the incoming signal is a 2-channel or a multichannel? Then we know immediately if something went wrong! Yves

Yes. The signal icon family is not very explicit (I'll try to change that) on the screen. However, in the schematic powered speakers, you can see at the meters if the signal is mono, stereo, 5.1. iff the upmix is not switched course (see below).

If the incoming signal is stereo, what kind of sound can I expect on the helmet at the exit of the A16? Yves

If no upmix is activated, you will have made a stereo played on the 2 front virtual speakers. If upmixing is active, you will have a multichannel signal.

For my part, I will be interested to know if the A16 will come with a detailed manual and French and if the installation is not too complicated. You may already working in the translation of the manual to the A16. Matthew

I will do the best possible, but I am not responsible for the ergonomics ... But know that it's not Apple. No, not at all ... I have planned, so it is technically too complicated to produce in addition to book a video manual that will be accessible by private site to AV-in bookings.

Could I use the A16 with XXZZBBRR headphones? Jacques

I have no answer to that. The mall 8 explains the important criteria of a good helmet for the A16 and provides a selection of validated models (here: https://av-in.com/collections/accessoire-complementaire ). Now if you already have the helmet in question, you just have to try to receive your A16. A combination that does not work is easy to detect: no air, and always seem to listen with headphones.

Pending my Realize A16 I currently have a sound bar XYZ.
Is it better to either connect the A16 on my bar or the opposite (my bar on the A16), and then connect the A16 directly to the TV? Jacques

The important thing is the source. The best thing is a Blu-ray player with two HDMI outputs, to dedicate exclusively A16

Overall, I was wondering if you had a calendar with important deadlines that you see today, even if the future will probably show slippages in time ... Jean Noël

The A16 will pass Dolby certification. He is ready for this. We're just waiting now for the GB Dolby send review.

I have 2 questions: know the cable length for head tracking and if it is too short, can you buy a cable jack 3.5 male / male without compatibility problems in trading? Sandrine

The micro-jack cable follower (that to be fixed to the helmet) is 4 m
The mini-jack cable from the optical reference (the one to place on the TV) is 5 m.
The cable microphone (mini jack) is 3 m.
It is necessary to respect the right type of connector for possible extensions.

With no home theater amp (failure / too old so no planned repair) can I capture my speakers (high yield) and my room as well as the imprint of my ears. Sandrine

Not for pregnant and the room because it takes an amp to power them. You can just measure the headphones on your ears.

What do you recommend as a BD player in place of the Oppo 203 more sold? Christian

Design 2 HDMI outputs. And preferably Japanese ...

I have a question about the email on 3 decoding. The recent decision of Dolby prevent opportunities for upmixing algorithms by competitors she will impact the A16 and cause additional delays or a significant change in the software part? Pascal

No.

Will Realize the A16 allows HDMI Standby Pass Through? Mark

As it stands, no. But I hope it is something that will be corrected. It is under investigation.

Regarding the capture room, not so much for the room itself as customizing (binaural convolution): I am afraid that is quite difficult to do yourself. Do you know if it will be possible to do this manipulation by a professional, in France? Eric

Without a doubt. But as the A16 is not released, it is difficult to answer.

Where it is with Auro 3D? Nyma

No progress. Plan B decoding software is still relevant, if MDS does not activate hardware manner. So, there is unlikely to be launched.

Can manually calibrate? Nyma

I do not understand sorry...

Could you tell me the different types of payment. (PayPal, etc.) Can you pay in installments? And if so, how should we go about it? Nyma

Yes for payment in installments. Check back me, and I will make you a financing plan.

How will be transmitted to the software upgrades? Ronald

Via the website. It will download them, put them on the micro SD card supplied, and follow the instructions.

Are there plans to upgrade the manual in parallel? Ronald

Yes, to explain the new features.

Will it capture is a room with a single speaker that is moved every time? Ronald

Yes, one or more. It is possible (but not simpler).

Does the Immersit Vibes, which you did the pub there is more than one year is already on the market and what has changed since? Ronald

It was on the market, but not anymore today. Immersit ceased operations.

My question is about one detail:
You often return to the sensation of listening to the speakers, not headphones.
I have a 8.2 system for home theater and hi-fi.
All attention was paid to the settings precisely to not hear the speakers, and receive a sound stage as uniform and continuous as possible, approaching the cinema really like music.
This is also the case in stereo.
So I'm a little worried to think that the capture area and its recovery could be heard the speakers, ie locate the ear.
What -it? Laurent

Excellent question. The goal, you are right to point out, is to not hear the speakers, in the end, but a sound bubble, technically played by the virtual speakers. But that shortcut is to differentiate more rendering, in the written description, compared to a traditional headphone listening. The A16. It's like with the speakers. But the helmet. And he respects all the work of setting you made on your speakers.



Thank you for all these questions. This concludes this series, which I hope you will be passionate. We will resume next year, on other subjects. Until then, I tell you: pass a very happy holiday. And share your passion for the A16 Realize!

See you soon.

Gilles Gerin
AV-in

 

[sander99]

Because a lot can go wrong with a google translation, I would appreciate if one of the French people here could do a manual translation of the part that google translated as:

Overall, I was wondering if you had a calendar with important deadlines that you see today, even if the future will probably show slippages in time ... Jean Noël

The A16 will pass Dolby certification. He is ready for this. We're just waiting now for the GB Dolby send review.

Edit:

Le A16 va passer en certification Dolby. Il est prêt à cet effet. On attend juste à présent le Go de Dolby pour l'envoyer en examen.

 

[sahmen]

With some of the posters, it feels like the main item on their agenda is to paint the company in the worst possible light, proclaim that the thing won’t ever ship (e.g put it in the same bag as ossic and these other vaporware kickstarters).

Talking about "painting the company in the worst possible light," I do not think the Smyths need anyone's help in doing that... It seems to me they're doing an excellent job at it themselves, with their customer relations/communications MO, which should be the cheapest part of their operation, since it mostly involves sending out e-mail updates.

This is a repost of Giles answers for this week.... remember the original is in French and this is a google translation so you have to read and interpret a few items... as in helmet is actually headphone... ect...



See you soon.

Gilles Gerin
AV-in

Could you kindly post the link to the page where one might find the original French language posting?

I could not find it on the usual thread here:

http://www.homecinema-fr.com/forum/...transcription-fr-en-post-1-t30075654-690.html

 

[Dixter]

this is the non translated version... this is from an email I got..

Bonjour

Comme vous le savez, le thème du jour, c’est : réponse à toutes vos questions, concernant la présentation détaillée du A16 dans les 13 précédents mails .

Sans plus attendre, on y va. Il n’y a aucun classement. J'ai juste éliminé les doublons.

Je me demande s’il existe, comme pour beaucoup d’appareils audio, une sorte de fiche technique fiable résumant les performances de l’appareil. Yves

Non, pas encore. La fiche technique initiale n’a pas été mise à jour (et ça n’est pas faute de demander…). Néanmoins, ça restera une fiche technique classique. Car les chiffres n’ont jamais permis de juger les performances d’un appareil (ou alors très à la marge). Surtout en audio.

Possédant depuis plusieurs années le A8, j'ai effectué la capture de ma salle HC en 7.1 que j'adore et je souhaiterai savoir si en achetant le A16, ce dernier peut rajouter 6 enceintes supplémentaires pour faire du Atmos ou DTS-X ou Auro 3D, sans effectuer une autre capture car n'ayant plus d'enceintes physique dans ma salle (tout a été vendu) pour du 7.1.6 ou, soyons fou, rajouter les enceintes wide pour du 9.1.6. Julien

Mais oui. Le A16 permet de réutiliser les fichiers de capture du A8, pour en profiter, soit tels quels. Soit en y ajoutant des enceintes virtuelles d’autres captures (plafond & wide). Les précommandes par AV-in donnent accès aux captures 5.1/7.1 du Club Realiser du A8.

Le Realiser A16 permet-il de savoir si le signal entrant est un 2 canal ou un multicanal ? On sait alors immédiatement si quelque chose a foiré ! Yves

Oui. L’icône de famille de signal n’est pas très explicite (je vais essayer de faire changer ça) à l’écran. En revanche, sur la représentation schématique des enceintes actives, on peut voir au niveau des vumètres si le signal est mono, stéréo, 5.1. ssi l’upmix n’est pas enclenché bien sûr (cf. ci-dessous).

Si le signal entrant est stéréo, à quel genre d’audio puis-je m’attendre sur le casque à la sortie du A16 ? Yves

Si aucun upmix n’est activé, vous aurez un rendu stéréo joué sur les 2 enceintes virtuelles frontales. Si un upmix est actif, vous aurez un signal multicanal.

Pour ma part, je serai intéressé de savoir si le A16 sera livré avec un manuel très détaillé et en français et si l installation ne sera pas trop compliqué. Vous travaillez peut-être déjà à la traduction du manuel de l’A16. Matthieu

Je ferai du mieux que peut, mais je ne suis pas responsable de l’ergonomie… Mais sachez que ça n’est pas du Apple. Non, pas du tout… J’ai en projet, si c’est techniquement pas trop compliqué, de produire en plus du bouquin un manuel vidéo qui sera accessible en site privé aux réservations AV-in.

Pourrais-je utiliser l’A16 avec des écouteurs XXZZBBRR ? Jacques

Je n’ai pas de réponse à ça. Le mail 8 explique les critères importants d’un bon casque pour le A16, et donne une sélection de modèles validés (ici : https://av-in.com/collections/accessoire-complementaire). Maintenant, si vous avez déjà le casque en question, vous n’aurez qu’à essayer à réception de votre A16. Une combinaison qui ne marche pas est simple à détecter : pas d’air, et toujours l’impression d’écouter au casque.

Dans l’attente de mon Realiser A16 j’ai actuellement une barre de son XYZ.
Vaut-il mieux : soit brancher l’A16 sur ma barre ou le contraire (ma barre sur l’A16), ou alors brancher l’A16 directement à la télé ? Jacques

L’important, c’est la source. Le mieux, c’est une platine Blu-ray avec 2 sorties HDMI, pour en dédier une exclusivement au A16

Globalement, je voulais savoir si vous aviez un calendrier avec les grandes échéances que vous voyez aujourd'hui, même si l'avenir montrera probablement des dérapages dans le temps... Jean Noël

Le A16 va passer en certification Dolby. Il est prêt à cet effet. On attend juste à présent le Go de Dolby pour l'envoyer en examen.

J'ai 2 questions : connaître la longueur du câble pour le suivi de tête et si il est trop court, peut-on acheter un câble jack 3.5 male/male sans problème de compatibilité dans le commerce ? Sandrine

Le câble micro-jack du suiveur (celui à fixer sur le casque) fait 4 m
Le câble mini-jack du référent optique (celui à placer sur le TV) fait 5 m.
Le câble des microphones (mini-jack) fait 3 m.
Il faut juste respecter le type de connecteur approprié pour des éventuelles extensions.

N'ayant plus d'ampli home cinéma (panne/trop vieux donc pas de réparation prévu) puis-je faire une capture de mes enceintes (haut rendement) et de ma salle, ainsi que l'empreinte de mes oreilles. Sandrine

Non pour les enceintes et la salle, car il faut un ampli pour les alimenter. Vous pourrez juste mesurer le casque sur vos oreilles.

Que conseillez-vous comme lecteur de BD a la place de l'Oppo 203 plus vendu ?Christian

Un modèle à 2 sorties HDMI. Et de préférence japonais...

J'ai une question concernant le mail 3 sur les décodages. La décision récente de Dolby d'empêcher les possibilités d'upmixing par les algorithmes concurrents va-t-elle impacter le A16 et entraîner des retard supplémentaires ou une modification importante de la partie logicielle ? Pascal

Non.

Est-ce que le Realiser A16 permet la fonction HDMI Pass-Through en veille ?Marc

En l’état actuel, non. Mais j’espère bien que c’est quelque chose qui va être corrigé. C’est en cours d’investigation.

Concernant la capture de salle, pas tant pour la salle elle-même que pour la personnalisation (convolution binaurale) : je crains que ce soit assez difficile à réaliser soi-même. Savez-vous s'il sera possible de faire cette manip chez un professionnel, en France ? Eric

Sans doute. Mais tant que le A16 n’est pas sorti, c’est difficile de répondre.

Où ça en est avec l’Auro 3D ? Nyma

Aucune avancée. Le plan B du décodage logiciel est toujours d’actualité, si MDS ne l’active pas de manière hardware. Donc, il n’y sera vraisemblablement pas au lancement.

Peut-on calibrer manuellement ? Nyma

Je ne comprends pas, désolé...

Pourriez-vous m’indiquer les différents types de paiement. (PayPal, autres) Peut-on vous payer en plusieurs fois ? Et si oui, comment doit-on s’y prendre ? Nyma

Oui pour le paiement en plusieurs fois. Redemandez-moi, et je vous ferai un plan de financement.

Comment vont être transmis les upgrades pour le logiciel ? Ronald

Via le site web. Il faudra les télécharger, les mettre sur la carte micro-SD fournie, et suivre les instructions.

Est-il prévu des upgrade du manuel en parallèle ? Ronald

Oui, pour expliquer les nouvelles fonctions.

Pourra-t-on capturer une salle avec une seule enceinte que l'on déplace à chaque fois ? Ronald

Oui, une ou plusieurs. C’est possible (mais pas des plus simple).

Est-ce que le Immersit Vibes, dont tu as fait de la pub il y a plus d'un an est déjà sur le marché et est ce qu'il a évolué depuis ? Ronald

Il a été sur le marché, mais il ne l’est plus aujourd’hui. Immersit a cessé ses activités.

Ma question porte sur un détail :
Vous revenez souvent sur la sensation d’écouter des enceintes et non un casque.
Je dispose d’une installation 8.2 pour le home cinéma et la hifi.
Toute l’attention a été portée sur les réglages pour justement ne plus entendre les enceintes, et percevoir une scène sonore la plus homogène et continue possible, approchant la réalité en cinéma comme en musique.
C’est également le cas en stéréo.
Je suis donc un peu inquiet de penser que la capture de salle et sa restitution puisse faire entendre les enceintes, c’est à dire les localiser à l’oreille.
Qu’en est -il ? Laurent

Excellente question. Le but, vous avez raison de le souligner, est de faire entendre non pas des enceintes, au final, mais une bulle sonore, jouée techniquement par des enceintes virtuelles. Mais ce raccourci vise à différentier davantage le rendu, dans la description écrite, par rapport à une écoute casque traditionnelle. Le A16. C’est comme avec des enceintes. Mais au casque. Et il respecte tout le travail de réglage que vous avez effectué sur vos enceintes.



Merci pour toutes ces questions. Voilà qui clôt cette série, qui, je l’espère, vous aura passionné. On reprendra l’année prochaine, sur d’autres sujets. D’ici là, je vous dis : passez de très bonnes fêtes. Et partagez votre passion pour le Realiser A16 !

À bientôt.

Gilles Gerin
AV-in

 

[sahmen]

Because a lot can go wrong with a google translation, I would appreciate if one of the French people here could do a manual translation of the part that google translated as:


Edit:

Let me give it a shot, although, I am not a native French speaker: Here's the original:
********
Globalement, je voulais savoir si vous aviez un calendrier avec les grandes échéances que vous voyez aujourd'hui, même si l'avenir montrera probablement des dérapages dans le temps... Jean Noël

Le A16 va passer en certification Dolby. Il est prêt à cet effet. On attend juste à présent le Go de Dolby pour l'envoyer en examen
*********
Here's my take:

In general, I would like to know whether you have a calendar showing all the major deadlines, as you see them today, even if one might expect to see future slippages/deviations in time

The A-16 is about to receive Dolby certification. It is ready for that. We are now simply waiting for Dolby's go ahead in order to send it in for review.

 

[Fox1977]

Let me give it a shot, although, I am not a native French speaker: Here's the original:
********
Globalement, je voulais savoir si vous aviez un calendrier avec les grandes échéances que vous voyez aujourd'hui, même si l'avenir montrera probablement des dérapages dans le temps... Jean Noël

Le A16 va passer en certification Dolby. Il est prêt à cet effet. On attend juste à présent le Go de Dolby pour l'envoyer en examen
*********
Here's my take:

In general, I would like to know whether you have a calendar showing all the major deadlines, as you see them today, even if one might expect to see future slippages/deviations in time

The A-16 is about to receive Dolby certification. It is ready for that. We are now simply waiting for Dolby's go ahead in order to send it in for review.

You translated it right... Good job !
If we get an update before Christmas and we are told that the A16 is ready for certification or even better, gone for it, that will be great. A month ago, there was only one issue left to solve, so i hope they solved it since...

 

[musicday]

You translated it right... Good job !
If we get an update before Christmas and we are told that the A16 is ready for certification or even better, gone for it, that will be great. A month ago, there was only one issue left to solve, so i hope they solved it since...

Yes, looks like is getting closer and closer to its release day.
A good news update before Christmas will be just wonderful.

 

[audiohobbit]

A friend of mine, who also backed the A16 made me aware of the new team on the Smyth website: https://smyth-research.com/about/
Most of them don't seem to have a name...
And where is Mike Smyth??

And I can't understand why they put such unfinished websites online, visible for all the public. This is not the first time, it's the same with the Exchange- and Heavenly Sound website.

PS: James is also missing.

 

[illram]

Given Smyth has not demonstrated much of an aptitude for PR or marketing or customer relations, I am shocked, SHOCKED that their new website is sort of janky.

 

[musicday]

A friend of mine, who also backed the A16 made me aware of the new team on the Smyth website: https://smyth-research.com/about/
Most of them don't seem to have a name...
And where is Mike Smyth??
Maybe it will be fixed soon, don't worry

And I can't understand why they put such unfinished websites online, visible for all the public. This is not the first time, it's the same with the Exchange- and Heavenly Sound website.

PS: James is also missing.

Maybe it will be revised and fixed soon, don't worry.

 

[Richter Di]

Given Smyth has not demonstrated much of an aptitude for PR or marketing or customer relations, I am shocked, SHOCKED that their new website is sort of janky.

Still it is highly unprofessional