[462429]

...
As for the recent questions, the reason that I inserted my Smyth A8 in the signal flow from my Blu-ray player HDMI output to the YARRA 3DX was to be able to demonstrate the solo function. I've found soloing the individual channels of a 5.1 surround mix very convincing. I start with the left front, then move to the center front, followed by the right front. Everyone hears the sound in front of them. But when I solo the right surround channel and the sound appears to come from over the listener's right shoulder, the demonstration is taken to a whole new level. The number of times the person turns to look to the spot where the sound appears to come from or smiles broadly is quite high.

The use of my own PRIR and HPEQ has not been a problem. I've demoed both ways and like building up to having all channels turned on.
...

The near field and far field modes are just two of seven different modes of operation. As I did at the show, you can send already binauralized two-channel information into and beam to near or far fields. The wide dispersion mode for stereo models a large sound field...regular stereo music sound quite a bit larger than it would from the array. I play stereo programming with Near Field Mode all the time. If more than 3 locations are being beamed anyone outside of those locations gets regular stereo. I hope this helps.

Thank you very much, Dr. AIX, for your additional explanations and informations. Can I please have two more answers.
It seems you always use Yarra in Near Field Mode. Is it because of the (possible) fact that in the Far Field Mode beaming would not be precise enough? Here I have especially Realiser's output in mind. This is very important to me because I don't have Near Field position available, but a place 4 meters away from my TV (and possible sound projector).
Can you also please list for me these seven different modes of operation and tell - are they completely independent or they (can) come in combinations? Or was it maybe already described somewhere? Maybe you even already have user manual in some form? Thank you in advance.

 

[Dr. AIX]

The seven modes are independent and cannot be used in conjunction with each other. There is not manual yet, I asked last week.

Here's the seven modes currently working in the YARRA 3DX sound bar:

Mode 0 Directed Audio no ambient control, no Sub
Directional Audio
Mode 1 Directed Audio ambient control, no Sub
Directional Audio
Mode 2 Directed Audio with masking side beams, no sub
Masking Audio
Mode 3 3D Music NF no ambient control, with sub
3D Audio (Near)
Mode 4 3D Music NF with ambient control, with sub
3D Audio (Near)
Mode 5 3D Music NF with ambient control, no sub
3D Audio (Near)
Mode 6 Stereo Music FF with ambient control, with sub
3D Audio (Far)
Mode 7 Stereo Music FF no ambient control, with sub
3D Audio (Far)

BTW: For this group, I was allowed to set up a SECRET PERK on the Indiegogo InDemand campaign for people that missed the original 50% off deal at the start of the Kickstarter campaign back in September. If you use this link, you can still get that deal through Monday.
Click here (please do not copy the link...but I thought this group might be interested).

 

[sander99]

The seven modes are independent and cannot be used in conjunction with each other. There is not manual yet, I asked last week.

Here's the seven modes currently working in the YARRA 3DX sound bar:

Mode 0 Directed Audio no ambient control, no Sub
Directional Audio
Mode 1 Directed Audio ambient control, no Sub
Directional Audio
Mode 2 Directed Audio with masking side beams, no sub
Masking Audio
Mode 3 3D Music NF no ambient control, with sub
3D Audio (Near)
Mode 4 3D Music NF with ambient control, with sub
3D Audio (Near)
Mode 5 3D Music NF with ambient control, no sub
3D Audio (Near)
Mode 6 Stereo Music FF with ambient control, with sub
3D Audio (Far)
Mode 7 Stereo Music FF no ambient control, with sub
3D Audio (Far)

Thank you for the link with the special offer.
However, I am sorry but now I am totally confused, this doesn't match at all with the picture I had in my head. Now it seems that indeed the available possibilities for NF and FF are totally different and non-overlapping (All '3D Music' for NF, and all 'Stereo Music' for FF).
And what is the exact meaning of:
'Directed Audio'
'Masking Audio'
'masking side beams'
'3D Audio'
'3D Music'
'Stereo Music'
'ambient control'
?
I think maybe this question should be passed on to the developers of the Yarra. I'd like to see clear answers in terms of 'beaming or no beaming', 'internal binauralisation or no internal binauralisation', 'any sound outside the beams or not', 'stereo- or multichannel input signal' for every mode. The names of the modes maybe are chosen to describe what the result sounds like, but I want to know what happens in each case!
By the way: could it be that you have a prototype that maybe doesn't have the exact same modes, and/or different names for the modes compared to the final product?

 

[462429]

Yes, thank you very much for the special discount, but the list of modes is additionally confusing to me too. Far field listening of the externally binauralised signal (by the Realiser) I can't recognize in any mode and that is the most important (if not the only one) aspect of the Yarra to me.
Ugh, so much unknown and only one day left!

 

[Dr. AIX]

The difference between near field and far field is the focus point of the left and right beams. Near field works at about 3-6 feet and far field from 12-15 feet. The near field is more impressive but the effect is still present from across the room. It will work quite well with the binauralized output of the Smyth in far field for a typical home theater.

 

[sander99]

The difference between near field and far field is the focus point of the left and right beams. Near field works at about 3-6 feet and far field from 12-15 feet. The near field is more impressive but the effect is still present from across the room. It will work quite well with the binauralized output of the Smyth in far field for a typical home theater.

Ok, I guess we will have to do with this with respect to the far field. I could ask for a subjective opinion "how many procent of the effect" with far field compared to near field, comparing both cases with the Realiser doing the binauralisation, but that would be a bit meaningless I guess.
@mlkri: -I guess far field with Realiser A16 and your own PRIR will always be better than far field without Realiser.
-Maybe you can put the Yarra closer to you than the TV, on top of a small salon table for example. Especially when using it with the A16 the placement height should not be very critical (within reasonable bounderies). You should do a HPEQ of the Yarra in the same position - and sitting in your normal listening position - to compensate for the natural hrtf filtering for sound originating from that position. The distance and height of the simulated speakers should be according to your PRIR.
[Edit: but can it compete with A16 with your own PRIR and good headphones? As I once said before: I expect the spatial aspects to be convincing using the Yarra with a Realiser (and that is worth a lot already!), but I don't expect the simulation to be even nearly indistinguishable from the real speakers like it is with good headphones.]
@Dr. AIX: did you do a HPEQ of the Yarra for your own use?

 

[462429]

The difference between near field and far field is the focus point of the left and right beams. Near field works at about 3-6 feet and far field from 12-15 feet. The near field is more impressive but the effect is still present from across the room. It will work quite well with the binauralized output of the Smyth in far field for a typical home theater.

Does it mean you would prefer near field when the distance is 9 feet?

...
-Maybe you can put the Yarra closer to you than the TV, on top of a small salon table for example. Especially when using it with the A16 the placement height should not be very critical (within reasonable bounderies). You should do a HPEQ of the Yarra in the same position - and sitting in your normal listening position - to compensate for the natural hrtf filtering for sound originating from that position. The distance and height of the simulated speakers should be according to your PRIR.
...

Thank you for the fine idea. But, I wouldn't like my analog cable to be more than 3-4 feet long. So, I could move Yarra about 3 feet closer and that would be about 9 feet. And that distance would probably be better handled with near field.
(edit: Dr. AIX says near field effect is still present from across the room.)

 

[sander99]

Dr. AIX says near field effect is still present from across the room.

I am not sure that is what he meant, but could be.

I wouldn't like my analog cable to be more than 3-4 feet long.

I think you can use optical cable as well.The A8 doesn't have an optical out maybe that's why Dr. AIX had to use the analog connections, the A16 does have optical out for the headphones signal.
Let's ask: @Dr. AIX: you used the analog stereo inputs, but can the optical input be used as well to enter an already binauralised signal?
Edit: oops, the A8 does have an optical out. I looked at the picture of the back in the user manual but first I didn't see it because it is black in a black background! Still my question stands: can the optical input of the Yarra be used for our purpose?

 

[Erik Garci]

Does it mean you would prefer near field when the distance is 9 feet?

The following comment seems to indicate that you can modify either mode to work better for 9 feet.

Comhear Inc. Creator on October 23
@Mikkel Chr Mikkelsen and Jason Lee, The near and far field modes are flexible. There are no hard start and stop distances...I listed the ideal locations previously. But my room is about the same as your at 8 feet. I get perfectly good surround imaging at that distance. The preset near and far modes can be modified using the app to optimize the 3D effect.

 

[462429]

The following comment seems to indicate that you can modify either mode to work better for 9 feet.

Comhear Inc. Creator on October 23
@Mikkel Chr Mikkelsen and Jason Lee, The near and far field modes are flexible. There are no hard start and stop distances...I listed the ideal locations previously. But my room is about the same as your at 8 feet. I get perfectly good surround imaging at that distance. The preset near and far modes can be modified using the app to optimize the 3D effect.

Thank you very much, @Erik Garci, for this information. However I would understand this modifying possibility in a way that you can shift the focus within the 3-6 and 12-15 sections and not in a way that you can extend sections without reducing quality. How do you understand it?

 

[462429]

I am not sure that is what he meant, but could be.

I think you can use optical cable as well.The A8 doesn't have an optical out maybe that's why Dr. AIX had to use the analog connections, the A16 does have optical out for the headphones signal.
Let's ask: @Dr. AIX: you used the analog stereo inputs, but can the optical input be used as well to enter an already binauralised signal?
Edit: oops, the A8 does have an optical out. I looked at the picture of the back in the user manual but first I didn't see it because it is black in a black background! Still my question stands: can the optical input of the Yarra be used for our purpose?

I found the answer to that question on the Yarra's Comments page (September 28) -
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-audio-system-in-the/comments?cursor=18259434
- given by the @Creator and it says -
"...The YARRA 3DX contains multiple DACs. The HDMI or USB MCH signals are routed to them through the binauralizing (HRTF) DSP processing..."
So, that would be binauralisation of the already binauralised ...
(edit: Or maybe 2ch input bypasses binauralizing (HRTF) DSP processing?)

 

[462429]

I also found -

"...The APP (which is still in flux) will allow you to set near vs far field modes, position the listening locations for optimal effect, save presets, adjust EQ, solo the channels, and select HRTF configurations from a variety of presets."

How will this 'selecting HRTF configurations from a variety of presets' go together with the PRIR from the Realiser?

 

[sander99]

How will this 'selecting HRTF configurations from a variety of presets' go together with the PRIR from the Realiser?

I hope that you can always select "no hrtf"...
By the way: 33 out of 100 claimed now. (15 sold since yesterday afternoon).

"...The YARRA 3DX contains multiple DACs. The HDMI or USB MCH signals are routed to them through the binauralizing (HRTF) DSP processing..."

This is a simplification anyway so not wise to draw firm conclusions from that. (There are 12 DAC channels and 12 digital amps, one for each driver, and there is a next stage - after binauralisation if applicable - in DSP processing that is responsible for the beaming.)

 

[Dr. AIX]

I'm running around most of the day today. But a couple of quick comments/answers. The near field setting is when the unit is placed closer to you...on top of your desk for example and far field is for home theater positioning. Near field would not be appropriate for 12-15 feet away seating.

 

[Dr. AIX]

The binauralization can be turned on or off...it is not automatic. Those users that simply want to use the bar to create a stereo sound field would turn it off.