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Originally Posted by GardenVariety /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I am very interested in this system. It seems like the perfect answer to my situation (have a $15,000+ sound system and neighbors are complaining.)
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That's what any headphone system is "best" for, although generally it can only provide 2-channels of audio, to your left and right ears, corresponding to 2-channels of source content.
What this SVS system has that makes it quite unique is the ability (through a digital processor) to "just about duplicate" (as interpreted by your ears and brain anyway) the precise sound as heard by your own ears of any MULTI-channel loudspeaker system in which a calibration (i.e. "sonic photograph" using sensitive microphones inserted in your ears) can be done.
The net result is that when playing back multi-channel source material through SVS and your headphones, it really does provide a remarkably satisfying illusion of listening through those same multi-channel loudspeakers (using the same electronics and in the same room environment in which the calibration was initially done).
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| I live in Orange County, CA and I am wondering if it's pretty much mandatory to find a great place to perform measurement... |
Yes, if your own $15K+ system is not already satisfactory. Or, you can do multiple calibrations (e.g. one in your own home, and one or more at other places you might be able to finnagle) and take your pick when you playback. There are four convenient "preset" buttons on the remote, but the SVS unit can handle essentially an infinite number of calibrations (stored on SD flash card and accessed through a card reader on the front of the unit) for you to manually select if they're not assigned to any of the four convenient presets.
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| ...or are these uploadable through the internet??? |
No. The calibration is a 2-part process, both of which involve YOUR EARS SPECIFICALLY.
One is for the room (speakers, electronics, room, baffles, carpet/wood, windows, doors, size, etc.) AS HEARD BY YOUR EARS (i.e. analyzed via the microphones inserted in your ears while sweep signals are sent to the individual speakers, in order to determine precisely how sound is heard as it enters YOUR ear canal). Other people's calibrations for the identical room will be different, since their ears, skull, etc., are different and sound waves will do different things in their ear canals. That's why the calibration microphones are inside YOUR ears. The calibration is not for the room only... it's for the room as heard by your ears.
The second part of the calibration is for your headphone/amp... again AS HEARD BY YOUR EARS. Similar calibration sounds are sent to the headphones and how they are heard by the calibration microphones inserted in your ears is absorbed by the processor. Once again, the result is UNIQUE TO YOUR EARS (and of course the headphone/amp).
The combination of these two parts produces the "personalization" (it can be named, say to represent the sound studio room in which the calibration was done).
Sure, this is just a pair of files on an SD flash card, but it can't really be shared between humans... as each person's ears are unique. Could I wear your prescription eyeglasses successfully? Likely not. Same story with our ears.
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| Also, I wonder how this works with multiple listeners at one time. |
Not at all. The current SVS Realiser unit only has a single internal processor so by design it's meant for a single listener.
Now you could buy two Realisers, and then hook up things so that each person's unique room personalization would be active in that unique box and the source component could feed both Realisers and on to two separate headphone/amp rigs. But that's what would be required, two separate and independent SVS boxes and headphone/amps.
Someday, perhaps, there might be a "dual Realiser" with two independent internal processor logic paths, supporting two independent personalizations simultaneously and also feeding two separate headphone outputs. You'd still need to headphone/amp setups, but at least the one dual-Realiser could support it properly.
Today... not.
