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- Apr 26, 2019
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I found this interesting blog post from Valve about the development of the audio solution in the Index VR headset. It uses the same balanced mode radiator technology as found in the well-regarded Philharmonic BMR Monitor and BMR Tower. I've had one of these headsets for a couple of years and I always thought the audio was very good, but I attributed that mostly to the psychological/psychoacoustic effect of having a headphone that doesn't physically touch the ear at all. I only just now found out about the usage of BMR drivers.
Valve isn't a company with a deep background in audio engineering, which makes this result doubly impressive to me. They found some (relatively) exotic and uncommon technology, combined it with a (relatively) unusual form factor, and pulled off a result that's widely regarded as the best audio in the entire VR industry, to the point where people are DIY cloning this approach to retrofit other headsets. I wonder how this compares on the GRAS against traditional in/on/over-ear designs, although I'm reluctant to send mine in and let it sit on Amir's backlog for months since I use it regularly
I am reminded of the old AKG K1000, which I lusted after heavily in the past but never had a chance to listen to. Does the "off-ear" design have inherent benefits for comfort and immersion? Or is this more like what Valve suggest in their blog -- unique requirements for VR leading to a unique solution? Are there other examples of interesting unusual designs born from unexpected situations?
Valve isn't a company with a deep background in audio engineering, which makes this result doubly impressive to me. They found some (relatively) exotic and uncommon technology, combined it with a (relatively) unusual form factor, and pulled off a result that's widely regarded as the best audio in the entire VR industry, to the point where people are DIY cloning this approach to retrofit other headsets. I wonder how this compares on the GRAS against traditional in/on/over-ear designs, although I'm reluctant to send mine in and let it sit on Amir's backlog for months since I use it regularly
I am reminded of the old AKG K1000, which I lusted after heavily in the past but never had a chance to listen to. Does the "off-ear" design have inherent benefits for comfort and immersion? Or is this more like what Valve suggest in their blog -- unique requirements for VR leading to a unique solution? Are there other examples of interesting unusual designs born from unexpected situations?
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