[Hifi Boy]

Happy birthday this thread! That's right this thread is now three years old as of today! Who would have thought as recently as three years and a day ago, we'd all be at home enjoying our A16 Realizers like we all now are today! Can't wait for the fourth birthday of this thread! Imagine what that will be like!

I just logged in after a long time just to like this post.

 

[esimms86]

Fellow Smyth enthusiasts/audiophiles in waiting: I am based out of the Washington, DC/Northern Virginia area, awaiting my A16 like many others. I don't get to the west coast often at all, but am taking a trip 1st week of June with my son, flying into San Fran, renting a car and driving down the PCH over that week to LA. Just wondering if I could use this chance to get a customized measurement done in a great theater or studio which would be useful when the A16 finally arrives? Anyone know who is actively offering this service? I will mostly be using for movies/TV so an Atmos room would be ideal, stereo system might be nice for music but that is less of a focus of mine. I did not own a A8 and have never been through this process before, if anyone has any tips or leads on that in Cali please let me know. Also are any of you aware of T.H.E. Show in Long Beach Hilton that weekend of 6/8? The Home Entertainment Show seems to be high-end audiophile and music industry stuff but I wasn't aware of it before. Did not see Smyth exhibiting but I did see mention of high end headphones and systems on display. Any insight? (Sorry if that part is off topic but thought it was worth mentioning...)

Darin Fong used to offer this service for A8 users. He's based in the San Diego area. I'd recommend contacting him. He's active on HeadFi as proprietor of Out of Your Hand software for which there is an active thread. A8 PRIRs are compatible with the A16, however, you won't be able to sample any setups beyond, I believe, 7.1. In truth, a TOTL 2.1 stereo system would be sublime all by itself. 5.1 and 7.1 high end system models are also very cool, even if you can't get an Atmos model without the current participation of the Smyth brothers themselves. I have an A16 Atmos PRIR made at CanJam NYC by the Smyths. It'll be shipping (eventually) with my A16. It'll be great to have but an Atmos PRIR made using Yamaha speakers in a hotel room shouldn't in any way be a match for a model of a pro/audiophile quality Atmos system.

On the other hand, there are way more 5.1/7.1 discs out there currently compared to the number of Atmos(and/or Auro, for that matter) discs available in standard and UHR blu ray.

BTW, Gramophone in Timonium, MD used to offer that service based on the A8. I know that they don't offer it now because I called and asked maybe a month ago when I was planning a trip to visit family in Ellicott City, MD. Who knows, maybe they'll offer that service again should they someday become A16 dealers.

 

[darinf]

Darin Fong used to offer this service for A8 users. He's based in the San Diego area. I'd recommend contacting him. He's active on HeadFi as proprietor of Out of Your Hand software for which there is an active thread. A8 PRIRs are compatible with the A16, however, you won't be able to sample any setups beyond, I believe, 7.1. In truth, a TOTL 2.1 stereo system would be sublime all by itself. 5.1 and 7.1 high end system models are also very cool, even if you can't get an Atmos model without the current participation of the Smyth brothers themselves. I have an A16 Atmos PRIR made at CanJam NYC by the Smyths. It'll be shipping (eventually) with my A16. It'll be great to have but an Atmos PRIR made using Yamaha speakers in a hotel room shouldn't in any way be a match for a model of a pro/audiophile quality Atmos system.

On the other hand, there are way more 5.1/7.1 discs out there currently compared to the number of Atmos(and/or Auro, for that matter) discs available in standard and UHR blu ray.

BTW, Gramophone in Timonium, MD used to offer that service based on the A8. I know that they don't offer it now because I called and asked maybe a month ago when I was planning a trip to visit family in Ellicott City, MD. Who knows, maybe they'll offer that service again should they someday become A16 dealers.

Thanks for the mention @esimms86 .
Yes, if anyone is coming to Southern California, I do offer a Realiser A8 measurement service. Most of the places I have access to are in San Diego, but I do have one location in Compton and one in Orange County.
Often people will make a side trip to San Diego when they travel to California. I have had people come from all over the world to get their measurements done.
I can also convert any A8 measurement files to use with our Out Of Your Head software for a portable/mobile way to listen to your PRIR or to be able to use your PRIR in a 2nd location like at the office or in a bedroom or when traveling.
PM me or email me at info@fongaudio.com for more information and pricing.

 

[Zenvota]

I can also convert any A8 measurement files to use with our Out Of Your Head software for a portable/mobile way to listen to your PRIR or to be able to use your PRIR in a 2nd location like at the office or in a bedroom or when traveling.

Note, you also need to use OOYH instead of a Realiser for real time dsd512 conversion unless your dac does it.

 

[Chillzone21]

Thanks for the mention @esimms86 .
Yes, if anyone is coming to Southern California, I do offer a Realiser A8 measurement service. Most of the places I have access to are in San Diego, but I do have one location in Compton and one in Orange County.
Often people will make a side trip to San Diego when they travel to California. I have had people come from all over the world to get their measurements done.
I can also convert any A8 measurement files to use with our Out Of Your Head software for a portable/mobile way to listen to your PRIR or to be able to use your PRIR in a 2nd location like at the office or in a bedroom or when traveling.
PM me or email me at info@fongaudio.com for more information and pricing.

How does the converted PRIR from the A8, using the OOYH software, compare to using the A8 directly. Is there any difference in 7.1 sound reproduction?

 

[darinf]

How does the converted PRIR from the A8, using the OOYH software, compare to using the A8 directly. Is there any difference in 7.1 sound reproduction?

Well, I am obviously biased, but we strive to make it sound as close as possible to the original PRIR.
You might ask over on the Out Of Your Head thread. Maybe someone who has first hand experience might chime in.

 

[Rozeqloud]

i have spent the funds i had for A16 several times on audio gear that actually exists now in my home

The latest was Cayin N8, the next appears to be 64 Audio A18t, because i doubt this will be delivered on time, again

i am so pleased i never jumped on this prepaid wagon

i don`t think i ever have done a pre-paid order on anything before it actually exists

If you prepaid folks get sick of waiting, can you get your money back?

If this project goes under, are you all out of your money?

 

[castleofargh]

How does the converted PRIR from the A8, using the OOYH software, compare to using the A8 directly. Is there any difference in 7.1 sound reproduction?

the difference comes from head tracking. without it, the convolution will not need to change based on where you turn your head, so it's significantly simpler to use/apply. now how much we rely on head movements to locate sounds, that seems to be fairly different from people to people, and so is the change in experience from not having it(fancy way to say that I don't know how you would feel but I know how I do ^_^).
with custom measurements from an actual room turned to a profile for OOYH, the result is going to be the very best, most elaborate "crossfeed" effect you can get. including such effect properly applied to multichannel tracks. so it's already a pretty big leap toward custom speaker simulation. minus head tracking.

I'm tried to make my own version using HRIR found online and testing each one to try and find one that would work ok for me at least at 30° on each side for stereo. and the result subjectively is a good deal better than crossfeed(and IMO leagues above traditional headphone stereo distribution of sound). so with a measurement done on my very own head, I would expect even better results. which is why I jumped on a cheap Realiser when it came on kickstarter. because I was already wondering how to do that at the time and the A8 was 3000euro in France, which is more than I'll ever put in any single audio equipment no matter how convinced I am of its purpose.
OOYH's included profiles don't really do it for me, but no universal solution ever does, so it's reasonable to assume that I simply have a body/head altering sound in a way that's too different from the ideal average model of human(or whatever was used as model for the recordings). no luck for me, but based on feedback, it's also fair to assume that many people get or come very close to getting the same very close to ideal experience I have with my DIY stuff(plus the room from cool places instead of my half baked artificial reverb I add to the HRIR from an anechoic chamber). getting custom measurement is only going to be icing on the cake for those people who already have great results as it is. while it's going to be a literal necessity for those like me who have a weird head ^_^.

If you prepaid folks get sick of waiting, can you get your money back?

If this project goes under, are you all out of your money?

no return. the risk is massive every time we jump onboard such projects, and as a rule I agree with you that it's a bad idea to pay for something that doesn't exist. because of the risks, but also because men are going to be men. once they already got the reward for a job, most will lose their motivation. any gamer knows how pre-commands are basically a method for the consumer to shoot himself in the foot. it can be very similar for kickstarter campaigns.
on the other hand when you dream of having a specific product and the only guys who wish to try and make it, lack the funds, what can you do? the options are for the product to probably never exist, or to take a chance and support those people with our own money and hopes. those aren't good options, but sometimes they're the only ones we have.

 

[Zenvota]

OOYH's included profiles don't really do it for me,

Did you apply an inverse headphone EQ curve? What headphones and dac/amp? Rendering PRIR with fidelity is pretty demanding.

 

[krismusic]

It's only money.

 

[castleofargh]

Did you apply an inverse headphone EQ curve? What headphones and dac/amp? Rendering PRIR with fidelity is pretty demanding.

my first try was with default everything with various stuff I had. then my usual "sort of neutral feeling" EQ. then I tried what I later discovered to be a very poorly executed version of something David Griesinger explains how to do to make his binaural recordings have the mono more at "eye level" so that the rest can hopefully be "panned" more naturally with any IEM/Headphones. but even then the feeling of distance and altitude wasn't working for me, even when trying my best not to move my head so my brain could be tricked. multichannel just made the issues more complicated, and obvious(no real surprise there).
but as I said, I never got good results with anything standardized anyway. no surround stuff for headphones, no default head tracking tools(Wave NX/ BT audeze thingy). as for binaural records, although they can change a lot depending on how they were made, the results for me subjectively tend to range from bad to worst. Chesky stuff which are sort of famous here(because they're good or because of sponsorship? IDK) just don't do it for my brain. I'm either a lost cause, or need something properly calibrated to my own head. those are the only conclusions I could reach over the years.

 

[Rozeqloud]

the difference comes from head tracking. without it, the convolution will not need to change based on where you turn your head, so it's significantly simpler to use/apply. not how much we rely on head movements to locate sounds, that seems to be fairly different from people to people, and so is the change in experience from not having it(fancy way to say that I don't know how you would feel but I know how I do ^_^).
with custom measurements from an actual room turned to a profile for OOYH, the result is going to be the very best, most elaborate "crossfeed" effect you can get. including such effect properly applied to multichannel tracks. so it's already a pretty big leap toward custom speaker simulation. minus head tracking.

I'm tried to make my own version using HRIR found online and testing each one to try and find one that would work ok for me at least at 30° on each side for stereo. and the result subjectively is a good deal better than crossfeed(and IMO leagues above traditional headphone stereo distribution of sound). so with a measurement done on my very own head, I would expect even better results. which is why I jumped on a cheap Realiser when it came on kickstarter. because I was already wondering how to do that at the time and the A8 was 3000euro in France, which is more than I'll ever put in any single audio equipment no matter how convinced I am of their purpose.
OOYH's included profiles don't really do it for me, but no universal solution ever does, so it's reasonable to assume that I simply have a body/head altering sound in a way that's too different from the ideal average model of human(or whatever was used as model for the recordings). no luck for me, but based on feedback, it's also fair to assume that many people get or come very close to getting the same very close to ideal experience I have with my DIY stuff(plus the room from cool places instead of my half baked artificial reverb I add to the HRIR from an anechoic chamber). getting custom measurement is only going to be icing on the cake for those people who already have great results as it is. while it's going to be a literal necessity for those like me who have a weird head ^_^.



no return. the risk is massive every time we jump onboard such projects, and as a rule I agree with you that it's a bad idea to pay for something that doesn't exist. because of the risks, but also because men are going to be men. once they already got the reward for a job, most will lose their motivation. any gamer knows how pre-commands are basically a method for the consumer to shoot himself in the foot. it can be very similar for kickstarter campaigns.
on the other hand when you dream of having a specific product and the only guys who wish to try and make it, lack the funds, what can you do? the options are for the product to probably never exist, or to take a chance and support those people with our own money and hopes. those aren't good options, but sometimes they're the only ones we have.

Thank you

 

[JohnEW]

Amendment: I have deleted my original message as GU1DO (3 posts Forward) has received an update.

 

[Fox1977]

No matter what happens with A16, wether we (hopefully) get it eventually or not, the main lesson i'll draw for myself from this experience is "Never back up a Kickstarter project again !"

 

[Richter Di]

No matter what happens with A16, wether we (hopefully) get it eventually or not, the main lesson i'll draw for myself from this experience is "Never back up a Kickstarter project again !"

Yes and no. I had a few great Kickstarter experiences. But all where like under 200 US Dollars.