Smyth Research Realiser A16
Dec 4, 2020 at 10:57 AM Post #10,921 of 15,951
I need a stand alone unit. All my movies are 4k from VUDU and are Dolby Vision. (atmos mostly). Is there a stand alone unit that uses waves NX processing?
Mobius Headphone or Hyper-X cloud orbit-s headphone both have NX with head tracking. The other is JBL Quantum one ( I haven’t tried that yet)

I don’t know any standalone dac-amp with head tracking .

7.1 with head tracking on waves is only available on Windows or Mac via usb. If you connect the Mobius via normal headphone jack or Bluetooth it’s 2 channel up mixed with head tracking .

Dolby Dimension headphones may work well with Atmos encoded content. It has head-tracking too.
 
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Dec 4, 2020 at 11:34 AM Post #10,922 of 15,951
I need a stand alone unit. All my movies are 4k from VUDU and are Dolby Vision. (atmos mostly). Is there a stand alone unit that uses waves NX processing?
Are you using a PC to stream to your display?
 
Dec 4, 2020 at 1:28 PM Post #10,923 of 15,951
Are you using a PC to stream to your display?

No Im not. Im either using the internal VUDU app and my new TV will have eARC or I can use my Apple TV 4k box
 
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Dec 4, 2020 at 1:50 PM Post #10,924 of 15,951
Just an fyi.. I dont need headtracking
 
Dec 4, 2020 at 1:58 PM Post #10,925 of 15,951
Just an fyi.. I dont need headtracking
Creative Soundblaster X3 should work for you if head tracking is not a concern. My experience is head tracking makes a big difference.
 
Dec 4, 2020 at 2:37 PM Post #10,926 of 15,951
No Im not. Im either using the internal VUDU app and my new TV will have eARC or I can use my Apple TV 4k box
Bummer... An inexpensive solution for Mac and PC would be the Creative Super XFI. But it does require one or the other to decode the DTS and or Dolby. The XFI does a good job (nowhere near A16 quality) for the cost... No headtracking.
 
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Dec 4, 2020 at 4:00 PM Post #10,927 of 15,951
I second the SXFI. And I also have a G6, SXFI is way better due to ear calibration and headphone calibration features.

I think they are coming out soon with some products that will have an HDMI in, so it is more compatible with set tops and TVs. But, it does not decode anything, it needs PCM channels, and is limited to 7.1. But its surround presentation is excellent and very convincing once properly calibrated. Equal or better than the best OOYH presets I remember and those were previously top of my list.
 
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Dec 5, 2020 at 1:06 PM Post #10,928 of 15,951
I second the SXFI. And I also have a G6, SXFI is way better due to ear calibration and headphone calibration features.

I think they are coming out soon with some products that will have an HDMI in, so it is more compatible with set tops and TVs. But, it does not decode anything, it needs PCM channels, and is limited to 7.1. But its surround presentation is excellent and very convincing once properly calibrated. Equal or better than the best OOYH presets I remember and those were previously top of my list.

So the X3 wont work in my situation? Where the tv is outputting SPDIF?
 
Dec 6, 2020 at 2:18 AM Post #10,930 of 15,951
Dec 6, 2020 at 4:06 AM Post #10,931 of 15,951
So the X3 wont work in my situation? Where the tv is outputting SPDIF?

SBX X3 has SXFI and SBX VSS but lacks an optical input and generally isn't as highly regarded as the SBX G6 regarding versatility, amping and SQ for SBX VSS or as the SXFI Amp for SXFI VSS.

SBX G6 is like a Swiss army knife for PC, console, etc ... audio. In your situation you put in optical 5.1 (optical is 6 channels max) from your TV and use the SBX VSS engine. You'll habve to connect it once with your PC to configure. Headphone output is decent but I prefer to use optical out to my desktop dac + amp stack or my portable amp/dac for the extra power, headroom, space, detail, slam, ...

SXFI Amp only has USB input, and isn't bad. It's internal amp goes loud but don't think of it as high quality. It only has analog phones out, so if you connect another amp to it you'd be double amping which isn't a good idea, I tried it with this device.
 
Dec 6, 2020 at 2:49 PM Post #10,932 of 15,951
SBX X3 has SXFI and SBX VSS but lacks an optical input and generally isn't as highly regarded as the SBX G6 regarding versatility, amping and SQ for SBX VSS or as the SXFI Amp for SXFI VSS.

SBX G6 is like a Swiss army knife for PC, console, etc ... audio. In your situation you put in optical 5.1 (optical is 6 channels max) from your TV and use the SBX VSS engine. You'll habve to connect it once with your PC to configure. Headphone output is decent but I prefer to use optical out to my desktop dac + amp stack or my portable amp/dac for the extra power, headroom, space, detail, slam, ...

SXFI Amp only has USB input, and isn't bad. It's internal amp goes loud but don't think of it as high quality. It only has analog phones out, so if you connect another amp to it you'd be double amping which isn't a good idea, I tried it with this device.

which desktop dac + amp stack do you use?
 
Dec 6, 2020 at 5:43 PM Post #10,933 of 15,951
which desktop dac + amp stack do you use?

My portable (read couch) setup is an iFi Micro iDSD BL. Optical in from the G6 and 4W out to a 1/4 HP socket.
I chose for portable because I like to have the volume control on the last device in the chain, being the amp that drives the phones.
And that device (the iDSD BL) is lying right next to me. Only the optical cable is running from my TV to the amp.

My desk setup is a Bifrost + Jotunheim/Lyr. Optical in from the G6 and either 1/4 out from the Jotunheim/Lyr or balanced out from the Jotunheim.
I also have the SXFI Amp connected to the SE inputs of the Jotunheim. Not ideal but it works and I find the SBX VSS more to my taste than SXFI VSS anyway.

Many stacks or DAC/amps will work as long as you have an optical input. Drop THX, lots of offerings from Topping or iFi ...

I have two G6 in case you wonder, I'm not constantly moving them around.
One is attached to the back of my TV, at the side where I can see and reach the SBX VSS light/button if I need/want it. The volume wheel and hi/low gain slider are not used as I use the optical output.
 
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Dec 8, 2020 at 8:11 AM Post #10,934 of 15,951
Anybody have an issue using USB input where in a 7.1 setup, the Left/Right Surround and Left/Right Rear channels are mixed up?

Going into Windows sound settings and testing the speakers confirms what I am hearing. The audio from the Left/Right Surrounds is going to the Left/Right Rears instead & vice versa.

Really odd as HDMI routes audio to the proper channels just fine.
 
Dec 8, 2020 at 9:48 AM Post #10,935 of 15,951
Anybody have an issue using USB input where in a 7.1 setup, the Left/Right Surround and Left/Right Rear channels are mixed up?

Going into Windows sound settings and testing the speakers confirms what I am hearing. The audio from the Left/Right Surrounds is going to the Left/Right Rears instead & vice versa.

Really odd as HDMI routes audio to the proper channels just fine.
That is very strange indeed. Maybe a bug in the A16 firmware?

But there is a workaround I think: With USB you are dealing with PCM signals only, so a PCM room is used. You can make a new preset and use a new PCM listening room with a custom listening mode (for example "cust#1"). In that room you are free to assign any speaker regardless of it's speaker label to any channel number. Just assign the rears to channels 5 and 6, and the side surrounds to channels 7 and 8.
 

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