[GeorgeA]

Don't remember seeing this review... if its been posted here before let me know I can take it down...

https://www.audiophile-heaven.com/2...-headstand-dac-amp-3d-stage-for-everyone.html

The review is not new. The author is a member of this forum and wrote about the Realiser A16 here . Unfortunately, he approached Realiser A16 only as an amp/DAC for headphones, not taking into account what was more important: personalized surround sound capture and virtual surround sound playback for one or two listeners via headphones.

 

[CaptainFunk]

Does anyone else also have issues with the center speaker not being 100% centered? I have the same problem with all of my PRIRs (custom and third-party, multiple headphones) and I think it has to do with my right ear canal being very different than the other one and the Realiser doesn't seem to capture this well. When I listen to regular stereo without the Realiser I don't have this problem, meaning the sound is 100% centred in my head, so I don't think it has to do with hearing loss. When closing my eyes and trying to pinpoint the location of the center speaker it feels like it sits maybe 10 inches to the left which can get a bit annoying.

I tried to use manLOUD to mitigate the problem and it definitely helps (decreasing the left channel by a couple of dB), but it shifts the entire sound field, which means the center is now dead center but all of the other speakers on the right are now slightly too loud.

Interestingly, when I use a stereo listening room (center channel mixed into L+R) everything is 100% centered, the issue is really just the center speaker.

A solution could be to introduce manLOUD for individual speakers, or at least just the center speaker rather than applying manLOUD to all of the speakers. I also tried moving the center channel a bit to the right for a custom measurement and that also helped, my own measurements are just not as great and I prefer John's by far.

Interested to hear if others have similar issues.

 

[Litlgi74]

Does anyone else also have issues with the center speaker not being 100% centered? I have the same problem with all of my PRIRs (custom and third-party, multiple headphones) and I think it has to do with my right ear canal being very different than the other one and the Realiser doesn't seem to capture this well. When I listen to regular stereo without the Realiser I don't have this problem, meaning the sound is 100% centred in my head, so I don't think it has to do with hearing loss. When closing my eyes and trying to pinpoint the location of the center speaker it feels like it sits maybe 10 inches to the left which can get a bit annoying.

I tried to use manLOUD to mitigate the problem and it definitely helps (decreasing the left channel by a couple of dB), but it shifts the entire sound field, which means the center is now dead center but all of the other speakers on the right are now slightly too loud.

Interestingly, when I use a stereo listening room (center channel mixed into L+R) everything is 100% centered, the issue is really just the center speaker.

A solution could be to introduce manLOUD for individual speakers, or at least just the center speaker rather than applying manLOUD to all of the speakers. I also tried moving the center channel a bit to the right for a custom measurement and that also helped, my own measurements are just not as great and I prefer John's by far.

Interested to hear if others have similar issues.

Have you tried a flat HPEQ? If not, please try it. You may be experiencing something as simple as an imbalanced HPEQ. Using a flat HPEQ will help to identify the problem.

 

[CaptainFunk]

Have you tried a flat HPEQ? If not, please try it. You may be experiencing something as simple as an imbalanced HPEQ. Using a flat HPEQ will help to identify the problem.

I have tried a flat HPEQ, yes. I don't think this is really a problem with the PRIRs or the Realiser, my ear canals are just very different and my brain probably does account for that when listening to actual sound sources.

After thinking about it, I could also try making a center speaker measurement myself and use that for my PRIRs. Matching the tonality of the other speakers will be hard though, but worth experimenting with.

 

[castleofargh]

Interestingly, when I use a stereo listening room (center channel mixed into L+R) everything is 100% centered, the issue is really just the center speaker.

This has me lost in space. If you do get the proper placement with stereo simulation, then there is no reason to suspect anything wrong about your headphone, your hearing or how measurements are handled. Are you positive that stereo doesn't do the same except you get more easily fooled because you see the speakers or the signal isn't mono(exactly 50/50)? If you close your eyes and move your head you imagine the source properly centered only with L+R but not the center speaker alone?)

Seems like you get the center to the left even with the default speakers(non custom stuff) loaded in the A16? I was thinking that maybe it was some acoustic trick of your room making the real center speaker feel like it's on the left, or that maybe you had a tendency to lean on one side when you relax or when you try to locate something(more common than we think), but what you describe doesn't support those options.

 

[Brownsfan]

Hi all, quick question, setting aside aesthetic preferences, which form factor of the a16 is easier to use when setting it up, or using it to create your own prior, or during every day use? Is there a difference in things like the size of the lcd screen or the positioning of the commonly used buttons that make one more practical to use? I am getting close to purchasing a new a16 and wondered about the above. I have room for either form factor. Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

 

[Litlgi74]

Hi all, quick question, setting aside aesthetic preferences, which form factor of the a16 is easier to use when setting it up, or using it to create your own prior, or during every day use? Is there a difference in things like the size of the lcd screen or the positioning of the commonly used buttons that make one more practical to use? I am getting close to purchasing a new a16 and wondered about the above. I have room for either form factor. Thanks for any guidance you can provide.

IMO... Unless you love the way it looks or plan to hang your headphones on the headphone stand version... I would go with the 2U.

The screen and the A16s controls are the same size on both units.

PS. I actually had the headphone stand version... But had the Smyths swap the internals to a 2U.

Also... A special tool is needed to open a headphone stand version.

 

[CaptainFunk]

This has me lost in space. If you do get the proper placement with stereo simulation, then there is no reason to suspect anything wrong about your headphone, your hearing or how measurements are handled. Are you positive that stereo doesn't do the same except you get more easily fooled because you see the speakers or the signal isn't mono(exactly 50/50)? If you close your eyes and move your head you imagine the source properly centered only with L+R but not the center speaker alone?)

Seems like you get the center to the left even with the default speakers(non custom stuff) loaded in the A16? I was thinking that maybe it was some acoustic trick of your room making the real center speaker feel like it's on the left, or that maybe you had a tendency to lean on one side when you relax or when you try to locate something(more common than we think), but what you describe doesn't support those options.

What I meant with stereo is listening to a stereo listening room in the Realiser, not stereo with actual speakers. I don't have any speakers setup at the moment. What I described was that the stereo field was perfectly centered (L+R), yet the center speaker was not. I guess this could be due to the fact that the stereo speakers are more angled towards the ears and perhaps the location information is easier to handle for my brain.

I really have no idea what is going on, I can just describe what my brain is telling me when listening and that is "The center speaker is a little off to the left"

Would be interesting to get Stephen's input on this and if he has observed similar issues with other people, but I guess he has better things to do. It's not a huge issue and the problem is really my ears, my partner does not have any issues with the same setup.

 

[Citizen Zombie]

Its been 5 years since I dropped $1700 on a preorder. Istn there a legal obligation of "good faith" to get the preorders filled now?
Its not a reasonable expectation to have to wait 5 years.

In Germany the company would have to declare bankruptcy, because obviously they can't fulfil their obligations to their customers. I also paid the full preorder price and while I still don't think that Smyth want to let us down, they are just not good enough businessmen to understand their situation. I know a bit of calculation and paying back the money is much more costly for Smyth than sending out the units.
But now it isn't the time to play nice with them anymore. I plan to contact an Irish lawyer to see what can be done. I know that may lead to the end of the company, but this may also be the best for all in the long run. Do you want to join me?

 

[GeorgeA]

In Germany the company would have to declare bankruptcy, because obviously they can't fulfil their obligations to their customers. I also paid the full preorder price and while I still don't think that Smyth want to let us down, they are just not good enough businessmen to understand their situation. I know a bit of calculation and paying back the money is much more costly for Smyth than sending out the units.
But now it isn't the time to play nice with them anymore. I plan to contact an Irish lawyer to see what can be done. I know that may lead to the end of the company, but this may also be the best for all in the long run. Do you want to join me?

While I think I can understand your frustration vis-a-vis the Smyth Research, I still believe that in the end any profit from this approach will go to the account of the Northern Irish lawyer. Please note that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, so you better find someone accustomed to the Law of the United Kingdom.

 

[shmau]

In Germany the company would have to declare bankruptcy, because obviously they can't fulfil their obligations to their customers. I also paid the full preorder price and while I still don't think that Smyth want to let us down, they are just not good enough businessmen to understand their situation. I know a bit of calculation and paying back the money is much more costly for Smyth than sending out the units.
But now it isn't the time to play nice with them anymore. I plan to contact an Irish lawyer to see what can be done. I know that may lead to the end of the company, but this may also be the best for all in the long run. Do you want to join me?

Since it's a small amount you should be able to file a small claim. Other than that probably not worth it.

 

[sander99]

In Germany the company would have to declare bankruptcy, because obviously they can't fulfil their obligations to their customers. I also paid the full preorder price and while I still don't think that Smyth want to let us down, they are just not good enough businessmen to understand their situation. I know a bit of calculation and paying back the money is much more costly for Smyth than sending out the units.
But now it isn't the time to play nice with them anymore. I plan to contact an Irish lawyer to see what can be done. I know that may lead to the end of the company, but this may also be the best for all in the long run. Do you want to join me?

My fear is that pushing the company towards bankruptcy will only ruin our chance to ever get our realisers, and at best will get us a fraction of the payments back.

 

[DenverW]

My fear is that pushing the company towards bankruptcy will only ruin our chance to ever get our realisers, and at best will get us a fraction of the payments back.

This.

 

[Brownsfan]

IMO... Unless you love the way it looks or plan to hang your headphones on the headphone stand version... I would go with the 2U.

The screen and the A16s controls are the same size on both units.

PS. I actually had the headphone stand version... But had the Smyths swap the internals to a 2U.

Also... A special tool is needed to open a headphone stand version.

Thanks John, that is very helpful! Hope you have a great holiday season.

 

[Sanctuary]

Are any of you using eARC and internal streaming apps on a TV to stream Atmos to the A16? Was previously using a Fire Stick, and was only getting Atmos from Disney+, while the other apps only played DD+ (not carrying Atmos) even though there are tons of movies and shows on Prime and Netflix with Atmos. None of them would play it from the Fire Stick.

So I just now got a C9, that has eARC (upgraded from a C8 that simply had ARC) and still the exact same issue. Only Disney+ will stream Atmos for me.