Smyth Realiser A16

[illram]

Anyone purchasing this? I pre-ordered a while back. Basics:

• Room simulation of up to 16 speakers (e.g., full atmos plus some)
• Supplied in ear microphones that you use to calculate a binaural HRTF for your ears/head, that the Realiser then uses to simulate an actual room full of speakers on your headphones
• Includes a head tracker that maintains the 3D illusion if you move your head and can be used to calibrate your HRTF using one speaker if you need (by moving your head)
• "Realiser Exchange" where folks without a 16 channel studio/home theater can buy or download a free multi-channel room generic HRTF, and then "personalize" it with their own HRTF layered on top
• 2 headphone outputs, or can be used as balanced for one user
• HDMI 2.0b in/out, audio and video passthrough, Dolby Atmos, 4K@50/60HZ, HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, DTS:X
• Inputs and outputs out the wazoo (USB, optical, HDMI, etc.)
• In pre-order stage, $1795

There are other products like this like "Out of Your Head" but the Realiser is a complete and very functional AVR unit (either for headphones or as a preamp) that differentiates itself with providing the tools to personalize your own HRTF yourself. Anyone else here ordering one?

edit: added link http://www.smyth-research.com/

 

[B00nie]

Anyone purchasing this? I pre-ordered a while back. Basics:

• Room simulation of up to 16 speakers (e.g., full atmos plus some)
• Supplied in ear microphones that you use to calculate a binaural HRTF for your ears/head, that the Realiser then uses to simulate an actual room full of speakers on your headphones
• Includes a head tracker that maintains the 3D illusion if you move your head and can be used to calibrate your HRTF using one speaker if you need (by moving your head)
• "Realiser Exchange" where folks without a 16 channel studio/home theater can buy or download a free multi-channel room generic HRTF, and then "personalize" it with their own HRTF layered on top
• 2 headphone outputs, or can be used as balanced for one user
• HDMI 2.0b in/out, audio and video passthrough, Dolby Atmos, 4K@50/60HZ, HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, DTS:X
• Inputs and outputs out the wazoo (USB, optical, HDMI, etc.)
• In pre-order stage, $1795

There are other products like this like "Out of Your Head" but the Realiser is a complete and very functional AVR unit (either for headphones or as a preamp) that differentiates itself with providing the tools to personalize your own HRTF yourself. Anyone else here ordering one?

edit: added link http://www.smyth-research.com/

This is actually the only thing that might convince me into headphone listening if only the earpads wouldn't become uncomfortable in longer use. Please report back how you like it.

 

[illram]

I definitely will. Supposed to ship December-ish. The only unknown for me is how convincing it will be to use a generic surround hifi HRTF "merged" with my own binaural recording from my home system. They charge an as yet undisclosed additional fee to do that processing for you. (The alternative is to just go to a nice studio or home with a quality hifi system and take the recording yourself.)

Forgot to add they even measured input lag (they refer to it as latency): 3ms in most modes. Low enough that you can just run everything through it without having to worry about splitting out audio/video streams, which is nice.

 

[Sycraft]

I'll think about one. I've always liked the idea and would have liked an A8, but it was too much. This one is more in the real of affordability, but still pricey. Also the need to record a good system for it to really work well is a bit of a put-off. I mean I have a pretty good surround system, so I'd want something that sounded better and if I have to buy/build that anyhow...

For now what I use when I need headphones is the Waves Nx with their hardware headtracker. It does a very good job emulating a surround setup, and doesn't need any impulses, just the measurements of your head. It isn't perfect, and I still use my surround system normally, but it is a nice substitute when I need things to be quiet.

 

[Archaea]

I heard one at Axpona in Chicago this year. Astonishing!!!!!!!!

 

[Sycraft]

Ya I've no doubt they do well, I've heard form people who've used the A8 and I understand the mathematical theory behind how they do things and it is solid. I just dunno if I am that interested, given that to really get good sound you need to have a good system for it to measure. I'd generally rather just have the good system.

 

[Archaea]

Ya I've no doubt they do well, I've heard form people who've used the A8 and I understand the mathematical theory behind how they do things and it is solid. I just dunno if I am that interested, given that to really get good sound you need to have a good system for it to measure. I'd generally rather just have the good system.

It can be loaded with pre recorded locations and sound from a variety of studio halls, concert halls, etc. you don't have to record your own room.

 

[illram]

Yeah you can do your own recording wherever you want, or download someone else's recording and then layer your measurements on top. Your measurement only requires a single tweeter and moving your head to record the right info for your HRTF. No need to own your own fancy setup.

 

[Sycraft]

I do wonder how well trying to modify an existing IR set with your own works, I do not understand the math of how they are doing that so I wonder how the results will compare to an actual capture you do yourself.

Regardless, it is something I'm going to think about for sure but I dunno. For the price of a good pair of headphones plus the A16 I could upgrade my XMC-1, get a 2nd sub, and install height channels if I wanted and of course I don't have to wear anything to use my speaker system.

 

[B00nie]

I do wonder how well trying to modify an existing IR set with your own works, I do not understand the math of how they are doing that so I wonder how the results will compare to an actual capture you do yourself.

Regardless, it is something I'm going to think about for sure but I dunno. For the price of a good pair of headphones plus the A16 I could upgrade my XMC-1, get a 2nd sub, and install height channels if I wanted and of course I don't have to wear anything to use my speaker system.

The IR only plays the function of tracking your head movements. Microphones do the rest.

 

[illram]

How well layering your HRTF on top of a generic one is one of the big unanswered questions. No one will really be able to answer that until it's in the wild.

 

[westrock2000]

I have never heard of something this extreme, so I tried reading the companies website, and didn't get much answers. Before I make too many assumptions, what is the ultimate purpose of this device? It is to simulate the usage of free standing speakers when only headphones are available, or desired, due to noise concerns? I didn't see anything about external transducers....does it also use external transducers that can be heard in the open?

 

[B00nie]

I have never heard of something this extreme, so I tried reading the companies website, and didn't get much answers. Before I make too many assumptions, what is the ultimate purpose of this device? It is to simulate the usage of free standing speakers when only headphones are available, or desired, due to noise concerns? I didn't see anything about external transducers....does it also use external transducers that can be heard in the open?

They overcome the number one limitation of headphone listening: spatial tracking. In addition to that they produce a DSP sound stage which is modeled according to existing rooms so the end result should sound a bit like your speakers in the room.

The biggest hurdle of headphones is that the brain processes locational audio and space through unconcious micromotions. They're used to 'triangulate' the sound sources. With regular headphones the sound does not follow the head movements so the brain gets confused and shuts down the spatial image. That's why regular headphones sound like they're 'in your head'.

Smyth (if it works that is) should sound just like listening to real speakers. I wish they have a set at the hi-fi expo at Bonn Germany where I'll be attending next week.

 

[illram]

It is to simulate the usage of free standing speakers when only headphones are available, or desired, due to noise concerns?

Yes, basically. Room simulation and headtracking with headphones. It's not just noise concerns, but also the relative ease of buying this device and simulating a high quality 16 channel atmos setup (assuming the superlatives from folks who have tried it are true) vs. actually buying and properly setting one up yourself, assuming you even had the space, money, and/or lack of neighbors.

There is way more info on their kickstarter page (which ended a while ago) than their website. Also they had a previous product, the A8, which has been out for a while and does almost the same thing.