[Fox1977]

@You Gene I'm in the same boat than you, i have never had an A8 so i'm completely new to that. When i get my A16, i'll be spending some time trying to get how it works. Right now, i'm following a bit the technical talks here but not in details, nor do i read the manual because by the time i get my unit (hopefully within 3 months), there will have been many new firmware released correcting bugs and improving the device, so when i'm asked to confirm my address, it will be time to dig into all that.
As i work in IT and i have always been interested in tech, i may understand better what guys are talking about here (even though sometimes if it gets too technical, i can get a bit lost also). I want to thank all the members here who have been trying to get the hang of that complicated piece of high tech, spending many hours figuring out how to do things right and making our lives easier when we get our unit, with tutorials, videos, online help, etc.

@Richter Di How do the generic rooms sound to you ? Can you easily locate all the speakers, can you pinpoint them ? I guess to me, that's the most important, if the virtual speakers don't sound exactly like the real ones, it doesn't matter as much as getting a very convincing spatialization (because i'll be using the A16 mostly to watch movies, not much for music)

 

[Richter Di]

Not possible, only when your source converts DTS to Dolby which I find hard to believe (ok, maybe with a PC you use, but not with players). DTS has to be converted to PCM (that is what normally happens) by the source. The Realiser does nothing, it only "tells" your source (cia HDMI at least) that it can't decode DTS and the source should send something else (PCM normally).


LCD off timer, p. 43 manual.
turns off display after 5 mins. or more when you press no key. After a key press backlight turns on again. I don't know if it then again takes 5 min. or more to turn off, but I suppose so, everything else doesn't make much sense.
What can be turned off completely are the LEDs of the set top of the headtracker (although in the dark you will stille see the IR LED in the middle gleaming red, so it's not fully IR)

PS: The Realiser has an ambient light sensor, the backlight corresponds to ambient light, if bright light in the room, the backlight will be bright, if dark, backlight will be lowered also, but not fully turned off by itself.

.

Thanks for the 5 minute information.
Set top is allready of, that I found in the manual.
Also I read about the ambient light sensor. But a simple turn off would have been a nice idea.

 

[Richter Di]

@Richter Di How do the generic rooms sound to you ? Can you easily locate all the speakers, can you pinpoint them ? I guess to me, that's the most important, if the virtual speakers don't sound exactly like the real ones, it doesn't matter as much as getting a very convincing spatialization (because i'll be using the A16 mostly to watch movies, not much for music)

I have to admit that with the Dolby test tones for 9.1.6 I am underwhelmed. It is there but it is not extremely precise.
It's different if you watch the Atmos Demo trailers like dolby_horizon_lossless-DWEU, Dolby_Amaze_Lossless-ATMOS-thedigitaltheater
They sound amazing and you really are diving in.

 

[blubliss]

For those using an external headamp on the analog outputs, do you have distortion (nothing playing) at high volume levels? I have a scratchy/static/high pitch noise at high levels. Tried with two amps, still there.

I also seem to have quite a brightness to the sound using USB from my PC and the onboard headamp? Anyone else?

This is using my own PRIRs and HPEQ.

 

[Dixter]

I am going to play around with hooking up the A16 to a Windows Desktop in the morning via USB and utilizing Jriver Media Center 25... just now loaded the Windows Driver and pulled up Jriver to check the Asio settings... anyone else using this setup? Was wondering if there is any special settings in the Asio-USB Control Panel that I need to enter...

 

[Richter Di]

No idea, but DTS-HD is shown as Dolby Audio 5.1
So they did not leave us in the rain.

Not possible, only when your source converts DTS to Dolby which I find hard to believe (ok, maybe with a PC you use, but not with players). DTS has to be converted to PCM (that is what normally happens) by the source. The Realiser does nothing, it only "tells" your source (cia HDMI at least) that it can't decode DTS and the source should send something else (PCM normally).
.

My Bluray software on my laptop says it just puts out HDMI. In the audio settings off the laptop I had to turn on Dolby home theater since otherwise I would have a got only two channel sound regardless whether it was a Dolby Atmos Blu-ray or DTS Blueray. So I guess a software piece in the laptop is providing then the service.

 

[audiohobbit]

I am underwhelmed. It is there but it is not extremely precise.
It's different if you watch the Atmos Demo trailers like dolby_horizon_lossless-DWEU, Dolby_Amaze_Lossless-ATMOS-thedigitaltheater

Are you sure that this Youtube(?)-Video delivers real Atmos?

In the links to demos in "my" thread there are also real Atmos test tones up to 9.1.6. The 9.1.6 is the only track that plays til the end on my Oppo, with the others (7.1.4 etc.) I got problems, it stops after 1-2 minutes.
But with the 9.1.6 track and Surrey room in 9.1.6 localisation is quite good for me. It already was with a wrong HPEQ and after manLOUD HPEQ it's even better, also for the center.
It's best to use the headtracker and move your head a little to "convince" your brain that the sound is really coming from out of your head. This is a phenomenon I also got with PRIRs made with my own ears with the A8.
When I had the first demo of the A8 in a high end studio they didn't set up the headtracker at first and I had doubts. I needed headtracking to fully convince my brain, even if the PRIR was made with my ears and I was in the room with the real speakers.
In your case in a small(er) room (maybe) and the small Laptop screen in front of you I think it's even more difficult to convince your brain. This is mainly psychoacoustics.

 

[J.Villain]

There a new Smyth Realiser A16 for sale. Still in box. Unopened. Price $3750 USD.
Seller is in Menlo Park, California.

I do not know seller. Just saw the ad.

https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649567244-smyth-research-realiser-a16/

Brand new, unopened Smyth Realiser A16 for sale. Early KickStarter backer -- only selling because I have moved over to speakers during the 3.5 year waiting period.

 

[Richter Di]

Are you sure that this Youtube(?)-Video delivers real Atmos?

In the links to demos in "my" thread there are also real Atmos test tones up to 9.1.6. The 9.1.6 is the only track that plays til the end on my Oppo, with the others (7.1.4 etc.) I got problems, it stops after 1-2 minutes.
But with the 9.1.6 track and Surrey room in 9.1.6 localisation is quite good for me. It already was with a wrong HPEQ and after manLOUD HPEQ it's even better, also for the center.
It's best to use the headtracker and move your head a little to "convince" your brain that the sound is really coming from out of your head. This is a phenomenon I also got with PRIRs made with my own ears with the A8.
When I had the first demo of the A8 in a high end studio they didn't set up the headtracker at first and I had doubts. I needed headtracking to fully convince my brain, even if the PRIR was made with my ears and I was in the room with the real speakers.
In your case in a small(er) room (maybe) and the small Laptop screen in front of you I think it's even more difficult to convince your brain. This is mainly psychoacoustics.

I used your links for everything except the test tones. So it might well be that the youtube does not work. I will download the test tones from your link https://www.heimkino-atmos.de/Sonstiges/Trailer,-Downloads-und-Testtoene/ and try again.
BTW - headtracker is installed and the other Atmos trailers worked very convincingly.
What I found interesting is, that the loudspeaker diagram on the 16 often did not show the activity of the ceiling speakers although clearly sound was coming from them.

 

[audiohobbit]

often did not show the activity of the ceiling speakers although clearly sound was coming from them.

Then maybe the signal wasn't loud enough to show in the small bars, you could go to the Audio Meters and check there again, the bars there are longer ("higher"?) with finer resolution.

If you download some demos I recommend the helicopter demo from https://kodi.wiki/view/Samples
A helicopter that circles over your head, everything plays only in the top speakers (only sound, no picture)

 

[trailerking]

A16 Arrived today.
Firmware 1.76 - which is newer compared to the version available on the website.
Lucky me, no updated necessary.

My A16 arrived in Los Angeles today with Firmware 1.76 as well. KS backer #99.

 

[Richter Di]

My A16 arrived in Los Angeles today with Firmware 1.76 as well. KS backer #99.

Congratulations.

 

[Richter Di]

Then maybe the signal wasn't loud enough to show in the small bars, you could go to the Audio Meters and check there again, the bars there are longer ("higher"?) with finer resolution.

If you download some demos I recommend the helicopter demo from https://kodi.wiki/view/Samples
A helicopter that circles over your head, everything plays only in the top speakers (only sound, no picture)

Thanks for the tipp. And yes, I will do.

 

[valleynomad]

My A16 arrived in Los Angeles today with Firmware 1.76 as well. KS backer #99.

Great news!
Hope they won't stop after sending out first 100 units.

 

[Richter Di]

Hi, has someone done the manLoud with inEars. How to deal with the problem that I need a HPEQ as a starting point. Or can I do it without?