Sontia Stable Phase Technology Could Be the Next Big Thing in Audio

Going to be interesting to see if this new tech gets mainstream and if this will be a potential Audyssey replacement. Great interview by the way.

this is funny Scott I just started watching the podcast...

It seems I'm not the only one that missed this but, I thought the room IS the major issue for distortion and all related problems and that is what Audyssey corrections seek to, well, correct:-)
Sorry if it got apparent from the video (can't watch it now) but if Sontia is not correcting for the room like Audyssey , what is it correcting?

They forgot to say turn of the worst thing in audio and just about every TV and sound bar has, SRS true this or that with about 10 deferent names hung on it.

I have some catching up to do!

Scott, something that may be interesting is to one day cover the DIY side of audio and the offerings that are available and what the advantages and disadvantages are.

I dont know how many would be interested in such a program(you have even done one and I missed it) but I know that as I continue to educate myself the field of possibility grows. It would be interesting to hear some experts about what DIY systems are best for a Home Theater application.

Watched the podcast and it was great. I look forward to seeing Sontia integrated in more products in the future. It's an interesting process and I look forward to it in speakers and maybe one day...AVRs.

can we get a beta product...

Hey Scott:

Since I'm too lazy too write a email, I'm just going to mention that I think you'd be interesting in reading this article and watching the demo video that goes with it.

24/192 Music Download...and why they make no sense

Digital Show & Tell


I'm a software engineer and took a digital control systems course in college and I still learned things about dithering that I didn't learn in college. And I wish this video had been that lecture I had in college since the presentation was much easier to understand than the lectures I sat through.

This might even make for a good episode of Home Theater Geeks if you can get Monty to do the show. He could be the complement to Michael Fremer's positions. Personally, I think the issue that people like Monty miss is that when you've grown up listening to analog tape and vinyl like Fremer and most of us audiophiles (since we tend to be an older demographic), listening to digital recordings can feel like being locked in an anechoic chamber. The complete lack of any ambient noise can be very disturbing to those of us that grew up with tape hiss and turntable rumble.

Anyway, keep up the good work, looking forward to the next episode of HTG.

I don't think Monty missed that as it relates to accurate encoding, decoding or reproduction of sound. Monty has never voiced any objections to people who prefer any type of distortion or coloration - he only objects when introducing such effects via the encoding/decoding/playback chain are stated as being better or more accurate than encoding/decoding/playback without such artifacts. There are lots of ways for recording engineers to introduce ambient effects if that's what they intend the listener to hear, and many are uncomfortable with ad-hoc remixing by introducing such effects with playback mechanisms like turntables and tapes.

The only exception I can think of to the above is if a recording engineer specifically states that their mix and master is intended only for playback via tape/turntable or other mechanism with a known coloration or distortion profile.

Also, I don't get how Sontia can make meaningful speaker corrections without room influence, and even if it did why I would want that, because I don't listen in an anechoic chamber. Put another way, I prefer corrections to factor in the effects of the entire reproduction audio system, and the room is certainly part of that for everything that reaches my ears that are reflected off any surface. If there are certain corrections that need to be made prior to the use of something like AudioLens, etc that those correction systems can't make or make poorly and that Sontia does, then I missed that in the podcast.

edit: I listened to the podcast again, and I think Sontia's stuff is intended for devices that wouldn't use AudioLens, Audyssey, etc. I can see how a HTIB or soundbar would sound much better with something like Sontia than without.
Edited by pennst48 - 3/10/13 at 8:16pm