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Smyth Headphone Realiser

post #1 of 17
9/14/12 at 8:05pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone heard it? The Audio Club in Detroit will report on it here....They will be reporting on it here tomorrow live....

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/SMWTMS-Meeting

I was supposed to present but can't. That said, amazing technology. Suggest tuning in!
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post #2 of 17
9/16/12 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy Bessinger View Post

Anyone heard it?
A few times, mimicking both 5.1 and 7.1 set-ups. Easily the best headphone processing technology I've ever heard, for a couple of reasons. The actual externalization algorithm is remarkable; sounds really appear to be outside your head, coming from their intended direction.

Also, we humans constantly make tiny involuntary head movements to aurally recalibrate our surroundings. Smyth's use of a head tracker completes the illusion by making sure sounds remain fixed at their intended direction, even (especially) when you move your head.

During my first demo, upon hearing the test tone over my right shoulder I reflexively turned my head towards that direction, and the virtual speaker stayed exactly where it was supposed to image. Without the head tracker, even the best externalization algorithm would have lost the illusion, as the entire soundstage would have moved when I turned my head.
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post #3 of 17
9/16/12 at 7:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy Bessinger View Post

Anyone heard it? 

Yup.  Comments here: http://www.stereophile.com/content/music-round-45

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post #4 of 17
9/17/12 at 6:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy Bessinger View Post

Anyone heard it? The Audio Club in Detroit will report on it here....They will be reporting on it here tomorrow live....
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/SMWTMS-Meeting
I was supposed to present but can't. That said, amazing technology. Suggest tuning in!

I listened to the SMWTMS meeting posted at: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25456411 . The discussion of the Smyth Realizer is about 30 minutes into the video, which was interrupted about every 20 minutes by brief Michlen tire advertisements. The people present who had calibrated the device to themselves and a certain audio system, and who are critical listeners, professional audio engineers and experienced audiophiles, reported excellent results.

The video is at best just OK, but the audio is a very clear, even exemplary stereo representation of the voices of both the featured speaker and also the audience comments.
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post #5 of 17
9/17/12 at 8:45am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by arnyk View Post

I listened to the SMWTMS meeting posted at: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/25456411 . The discussion of the Smyth Realizer is about 30 minutes into the video, which was interrupted about every 20 minutes by brief Michlen tire advertisements. The people present who had calibrated the device to themselves and a certain audio system, and who are critical listeners, professional audio engineers and experienced audiophiles, reported excellent results.
The video is at best just OK, but the audio is a very clear, even exemplary stereo representation of the voices of both the featured speaker and also the audience comments.
Thanks to David Clark and David Carlstrom for working on this and presenting.
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post #6 of 17
9/17/12 at 9:55am
I heard it too, at Kal's home, and I was impressed. But definitely read Kal's comments he linked to.

--Ethan
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post #7 of 17
9/17/12 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ethan Winer View Post

I heard it too, at Kal's home, and I was impressed. But definitely read Kal's comments he linked to.
--Ethan

Did I miss the part where Kal talked about the setup time issues that are covered in the video I posted a link to in post #4?
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post #8 of 17
9/17/12 at 1:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by arnyk View Post


Did I miss the part where Kal talked about the setup time issues that are covered in the video I posted a link to in post #4?

Dunno.  I do not know what you are referring to since I have not seen the video.  If it is any indication, I don't watch such things because I have so little patience. ;-)

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post #9 of 17
9/17/12 at 2:34pm
Thread Starter 
SInce Lorr traveled to Kal's place to set-up for his review, I believe there was less "set-up time" issues. Kal can correct me if I am wrong.

One of the problems David Clark had is that the screen on the Smyth is very small and if you are a first time user, it is hard to follow the manual and follow the screen if the Smyth is located far away from the seating position.. I wish they had a video out on the Smyth that would show the menu etc on a screen but I guess that would just add to the expense. Short of having an assistant Lorr told me of someone putting a cam on the Smyth and then having that on video/tv screen.

I also think a utube video for set-up might be a good idea but that is just my opinion. I sympathise with David though as I updated the firmware before I sent it to him and to make sure it worked I went through the process again. I hadn't had the unit in my system lately but plan to introduce it again after a number of complaints from the wife about me playing my system too loud. We have totally different time schedules. I go to bed late and get up late. She goes to bed early and gets up early. I guess that is why she is wiser:)
Edited by Randy Bessinger - 9/17/12 at 2:41pm
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post #10 of 17
9/17/12 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy Bessinger View Post

SInce Lorr traveled to Kal's place to set-up for his review, I believe there was less "set-up time" issues. Kal can correct me if I am wrong.
 

You are correct.  I did it again myself but it is always easier when you have been shown how.

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post #11 of 17
9/17/12 at 8:20pm
I heard this system back in 2008. I was giving a talk at AES UK in Cambridge and they had a demo area set up in the adjacent room. I also had a nice long chat with Mike Smyth and Steve Cheung. In case you don't know these guys, they were behind what later became DTS codec. It was grate comparing stories of selling signal processing/codecs to the CE industry! But we digress. smile.gif As I said they had a demo in a large room. I put on the headphones and then took them off. You simply could not tell that anything had changed. This, without any optimizations for my ears! So even if personalization is a pain, I don't think it is a big deal especially since you set it up once.

So this is the real deal. The architects know their science and what they have put out is pretty innovative. It is a shame there is not more publicity for the good work they have done.
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post #12 of 17
9/18/12 at 5:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by amirm View Post

I heard this system back in 2008. I was giving a talk at AES UK in Cambridge and they had a demo area set up in the adjacent room. I also had a nice long chat with Mike Smyth and Steve Cheung. In case you don't know these guys, they were behind what later became DTS codec. It was grate comparing stories of selling signal processing/codecs to the CE industry! But we digress. smile.gif As I said they had a demo in a large room. I put on the headphones and then took them off. You simply could not tell that anything had changed. This, without any optimizations for my ears! So even if personalization is a pain, I don't think it is a big deal especially since you set it up once.
So this is the real deal. The architects know their science and what they have put out is pretty innovative. It is a shame there is not more publicity for the good work they have done.

The DTS connection explains where the cash required to fund the development of this product came from. I checked this connection out, and found that they at least not too long ago had strong financial interests in DTS Inc. The biggest problem I see is that it is a solution that to a certain degree is looking for a problem.

There is no mass market for audio products running $3K . Most headphone users don't have a great home system whose qualities they want to duplicate remotely.

The most attractive application of a technology like this would be providing a superior recreation of the experience of actually being at to a live performance in a venue that provides a wonderful listening experience.

The price would have to be about 1/20th of current for it to have a large marketplace. I suspect that a goodly portion of the current cost is related to the lerge amounts of processing power that are probably required. Price/performance of this kind of processing falls by about half every 2 or so years, so it may be a decade or more before the costs and the benefits fall into line.
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post #13 of 17
9/18/12 at 6:55am
Thread Starter 
Most of the dedicated headphone users do not use if to recreate their room remotely. Most duplicate other more expensive theater set-ups in their own home. AIX studios and another one whose name fails me is a favorite spot to emulate a room. Many of them use this system as their primary system although most were dedicated headphone users before getting this system. That said, Lorr said the ratio of professionals using the system to consumers is 3 to 1. Arny, by the way, you are welcome to try it out in your own home before I have them send me back the unit.

My interest in exposing this system is simply to correct the misconception that it can't be done.
Edited by Randy Bessinger - 9/18/12 at 7:34am
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post #14 of 17
9/18/12 at 8:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy Bessinger View Post

Most of the dedicated headphone users do not use if to recreate their room remotely. Most duplicate other more expensive theater set-ups in their own home. AIX studios and another one whose name fails me is a favorite spot to emulate a room. Many of them use this system as their primary system although most were dedicated headphone users before getting this system. That said, Lorr said the ratio of professionals using the system to consumers is 3 to 1. Arny, by the way, you are welcome to try it out in your own home before I have them send me back the unit.

Thanks for the offer, but I'm already a believer. ;-)
Quote:
My interest in exposing this system is simply to correct the misconception that it can't be done.

Then the people with that problem are the people who need to demo it. ;-)

The problem I see with it is that it is difficult enough to set up right, that its skeptics are unlikely to surmount the hurdle(s).

Given how well this thing does what it does, it seems like no big thing to harness something very similar to the chore of recreating highly engaging and believable acoustic scenes of great musical performances.
Edited by arnyk - 9/18/12 at 8:56am
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post #15 of 17
9/18/12 at 8:42am
Thread Starter 
I agree.
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post #16 of 17
9/18/12 at 9:15am
WTG Randy! I'll bet the wife didn't say anything about buying headphones, right?!
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post #17 of 17
9/18/12 at 10:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chu Gai View Post

WTG Randy! I'll bet the wife didn't say anything about buying headphones, right?!
No she loves it when i am not bothering her:smile.gif
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