Smyth Realiser

[Purité Audio]

The Smyth Realiser was demonstrated to me yesterday at a London HIFI show, the device is unbelievable, really incredible, their technology makes headphones disappear , there is no longer any 'in head' headphone feeling.
Their multi channel demonstration after you have your earscalibrated was truly the most exciting HiFi prospect I have heard.
Keith
http://www.smyth-research.com/

 

[Cosmik]

The Smyth Realiser was demonstrated to me yesterday at a London HIFI show, the device is unbelievable, really incredible, their technology makes headphones disappear , there is no longer any 'in head' headphone feeling.
Their multi channel demonstration after you have your earscalibrated was truly the most exciting HiFi prospect I have heard.
Keith
http://www.smyth-research.com/

Where genuine (and possibly even straightforward..?) engineering creates the magic that anti-vibration mounts, cable lifters and little wooden blocks attached to cables cannot.

 

[Purité Audio]

Try and get a demonstration ,the 'realiser' almost makes loudspeakers redundant.
Keith

 

[Cosmik]

Try and get a demonstration ,the 'realiser' almost makes loudspeakers redundant.
Keith

Yes, I've been curious about this system before. I'd love to hear it. The one thing missing, I guess, is the 'feel' of the music.

 

[DonH56]

Kal Rubinson tried and liked it IIRC.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Kal Rubinson tried and liked it IIRC.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/smyth-realiser#f0J80vplHvZmjuAD.97

 

[Fitzcaraldo215]

Yes, I've been curious about this system before. I'd love to hear it. The one thing missing, I guess, is the 'feel' of the music.

You can always get some of those HT LFE seat vibrators that act according to the music via hookup to your system.

 

[Fitzcaraldo215]

The Smyth Realiser was demonstrated to me yesterday at a London HIFI show, the device is unbelievable, really incredible, their technology makes headphones disappear , there is no longer any 'in head' headphone feeling.
Their multi channel demonstration after you have your earscalibrated was truly the most exciting HiFi prospect I have heard.
Keith
http://www.smyth-research.com/

Yes, and it is 7.1 channels, soon to be 16 channels. That might be the best way to implement Auro 3D, etc. rather than a proliferation of speakers. It is virtual reality, but in a good and useful way.

The other interesting thing is that it calibrates, captures and saves the signature of a particular system/room for use during playback. And, it can save multiple versions captured in different rooms for recall. I understand it is used extensively in Hollywood for film soundtrack mastering, using the calibrated signature of the mastering studios, which are scarce and hard to get bookings for.

But, think of the possibility of calibrating Realiser in the very finest room and system, then taking that sound home with you and having it available to you for listening!

I still have not heard it yet, but it is on my to do list.

 

[Thomas savage]

I like this but can't help but think as far as the headphone elements goes at least all this could be achieved as a plug in on your source computer/iPad/smartphone etc.

Just like all these signal manipulation devices seems fundamentally compromised by the insistence to package it in a hardware form.. All we really want is a software plug in..

Why the hardware??

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I like this but can't help but think as far as the headphone elements goes at least all this could be achieved as a plug in on your source computer/iPad/smartphone etc.

Just like all these signal manipulation devices seems fundamentally compromised by the insistence to package it in a hardware form.. All we really want is a software plug in..

Why the hardware??

Some of us have been asking this for years and I do know that the Smyth brothers have been contacted by people looking to make the software to license for inclusion in processors/AVRs. Apparently, they are not ready/willing to do so.

 

[Thomas savage]

Some of us have been asking this for years and I do know that the Smyth brothers have been contacted by people looking to make the software to license for inclusion in processors/AVRs. Apparently, they are not ready/willing to do so.

I don't understand this as business wise it's so much simpler and cheaper to be software only.. No hardware costs, no outlay , no tooling etc etc etc.

£50 for a plug in, they would sell millions if it's as good as you say.( I have no reason to doubt it is)

Download to smartphone, licence agreement like all software plug ins.

Who on earth would be listening to music through headphones or ear buds without it?

The market is huge, like billions huge.

Them be crazy brothers lol

 

[Cosmik]

Isn't the point that it tracks your head movements so as to synthesise the true effect of moving your head? It's going to need some sort of hardware to do this.

My experience with the Oculus Rift is that it is much better than the iPhone version for head tracking. Phone VR doesn't seem to have caught up with the idea of anything but rotation yet, whereas the OR has full head tracking using an extra thing that sits on your desk. Is this product the same?

Smyth A16 specs:

Full suite of personalisation routines

Internal audio bitstream decoding: Dolby Atmos, Auro-3D, DTS-X and all legacy Dolby and DTS formats

Employs state-of-the-art SVS virtualisation with integrated headtracking for realistic rendering

Azimuth + elevation head-tracking

Audio source inputs / outputs: USB 2.0 : 16ch in / 2ch out HDMI 2.0 : 8ch PCM i/o + bitstream in Analogue : 16ch in + 16ch out Optical : 2ch PCM i/o + bitstream in

User interface and configuration via web browser

Illusonic N:M channel upmixer

Supports two simultaneous listeners with fully independent personalisation and head-tracking

Low-delay live music rendering modes

Dedicated audio i/o for video gaming

 

[Thomas savage]

Isn't the point that it tracks your head movements so as to synthesise the true effect of moving your head? It's going to need some sort of hardware to do this. Not saying it couldn't be a mobile phone, though.

Not for headphones tho??

The best hardware for motion tracking is the X box Kinect. This market alone ( gaming, console users) is bigger than the audiophile market let alone the hardware market for audiophiles.

 

[amirm]

I heard this back in 2008 when I was giving a talk at AES Cambridge, UK. I listened to their system, emulating B&W 5.1 system. They had it set up where if you took the headphones off it would switch to speakers and the same in reverse. It was uncanny how it was completely transparent.

Upon return we tried to become a dealer for them twice as we had customers who wanted it but could not get anywhere despite my personal contact in the company. They were 100% focused on post-production market, not consumer. I tried a couple of years later to the same effect.

 

[amirm]

Not for headphones tho??

No you do need it for the headphone. A sensor on top of the headphone and a base station by your system tracks your head movement and constantly makes adjustments. If you turn to head toward a speaker, that one needs to get louder and the opposing one less loud. And frequency response needs to change for both due to masking of your head changing.

Their system also relies on known characteristics of the Stax headphone they are using. With any other headphone they would need to profile it and the performance may not be as good.

 

[Thomas savage]

Lol I don't get! You have headphones on.. Headphone not speakers.. You head is consistent in relation to the headphones no tracking..

Tracking for speakers I can understand that makes sense.. As your head moves while the speakers are static.. But headphones , completely confused . Why would you need to track your head when all your using is a pair of headphones??

 

[RayDunzl]

Why would you need to track your head when all your using is a pair of headphones??

Games with wraparound screens, or VR goggles come to mind. Track in relation to some virtual fixed environ.

 

[amirm]

That's what I tried to explain .

One of the main reasons simulated surround does not work with headphones is that when you move your head consciously or unconsciously, your brain expects the sound to change. Your brain may dial out this variation but it expects it. Without tracking the change won't happen and your brain assumes it is not correct.

 

[Thomas savage]

That's what I tried to explain .

One of the main reasons simulated surround does not work with headphones is that when you move your head consciously or unconsciously, your brain expects the sound to change. Your brain may dial out this variation but it expects it. Without tracking the change won't happen and your brain assumes it is not correct.

Even if there is no visual reference? Pure audio..

Still the biggest market for thi kind of thing is gaming and those guys have the best motion tracking hardware already..

Bit confusing amir as in the literature they say this effect can be applied then recorded after to be enjoyed with any ear buds on the run on your iPod etc.. So no dynamic head tracking there??

Weird.

 

[RayDunzl]

Even if there is no visual reference?

If you turn your head in relation to your speakers, something happens.

They translate that to headphones so that the headphones sound like speakers.

Which may or may not be of value to you, the lizzener.

As for jogging... They could have an initial reference direction, which would be good till you turned a corner. Maybe a reference reset would be useful. Maybe strange running laps.