wavoman
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2008
- Posts
- 1,873
- Likes
- 45
At Can Jam '08, no one could tell the difference between the speakers Smyth had set up, and the Stax. The DSP had the Stax reproduce exactly the sound waves that arrived at your ears when you heard the speakers (since they measured it!).
But the Stax can do this, and cheap-o HP's can't. Moreover, there are most likely uber-expensive speakers that produce sound waves at your ears that the Stax can't reproduce, even though the DSP wants them to.
There is nothing artificial or over-processed in the Smyth sound. The sound through the Stax is exactly like the speakers. The Smyth tilt-switch cleverly lets you prove this for yourself in an air-tight A/B test.
As you can tell from various threads, I am as far from a Smyth fanboy as you can get. But what I said above is true. This unit does exactly what they claim.
When it is marketed, and you listen to it, you can, and will (I predict) use it for 2-channel audio. After all, that's what you use your speakers for, no? I plan to get measured in a room at a dealer with $20,000 speakers, and take the memory card home with me. I hope they offer the unit with top-of-the-line Stax, not entry level.
Think of it as customizing Stax HP's so that the actual freq response you hear is perfect, and matching the soundstage you get from speakers. If it was sold as an option built in to the Stax amp, we all would be buying it now, not arguing over it. Yea, the SVS can also be used for 5.1 Dolby or DTS movies, but that's not the breakthru in any way.
Give in to the magic now ... it will save you time in the long run. Any purist who listens to speakers will be convinced in a heartbeat.
But the Stax can do this, and cheap-o HP's can't. Moreover, there are most likely uber-expensive speakers that produce sound waves at your ears that the Stax can't reproduce, even though the DSP wants them to.
There is nothing artificial or over-processed in the Smyth sound. The sound through the Stax is exactly like the speakers. The Smyth tilt-switch cleverly lets you prove this for yourself in an air-tight A/B test.
As you can tell from various threads, I am as far from a Smyth fanboy as you can get. But what I said above is true. This unit does exactly what they claim.
When it is marketed, and you listen to it, you can, and will (I predict) use it for 2-channel audio. After all, that's what you use your speakers for, no? I plan to get measured in a room at a dealer with $20,000 speakers, and take the memory card home with me. I hope they offer the unit with top-of-the-line Stax, not entry level.
Think of it as customizing Stax HP's so that the actual freq response you hear is perfect, and matching the soundstage you get from speakers. If it was sold as an option built in to the Stax amp, we all would be buying it now, not arguing over it. Yea, the SVS can also be used for 5.1 Dolby or DTS movies, but that's not the breakthru in any way.
Give in to the magic now ... it will save you time in the long run. Any purist who listens to speakers will be convinced in a heartbeat.