Have you heard this Smyth Research Realiser?

[Spychedelic Whale]

So I went with a friend see some speakers at the Hi.fi store and while doing our listening session the owner was always talking about this simulator device that he got but we continued to say "yeah yeah lets hear the speakers". At the end he convinced us to have a go and I could see how all smiley he was.

I put the stax 202 on the ears and I keep waiting for him to turn off the speakers and boot the headphones but when I take off the headphones I realized the speakers weren't playing and that was when my jaw dropped The sound was in fact coming from the headphones, it sounded exactly like the speaker but better, you know with stax speed detail etc.. so he best of both worlds. The store was already closing so I only listened to one song but that was impressive to say the least.

From what he explained he had to put the small ear.microfone on his hears while playing music and the device saves the room acoustics according to each individual ears. You could have a tracking device on the headphone too if you want to turn the head and have the speakers position locked just like in real world.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/music-round-45-page-2

http://smyth-researc...technology.html

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20010977-47.html?tag=mncol;txt

I believe this thing have been on some of the headphone meetings, any of you gave it a go ?

Edited March 27, 2011 by Spychedelic Whale

[n3rdling]

Oh wtf. You said you listened to the "magic box" in the chatroom just now so that's why I told you I'd never heard of it. I've tried the Smyth Realiser out and it is definitely one of the coolest things I've ever listened to. I was very, very impressed with it at CanJam 2 years back. I know blubliss has it so maybe he can chime in with whether he likes it or not. I'm definitely interested in getting one sometime down the line but I think I'd rather wait for the cheaper digital version.

[deepak]

This has always been in the back of my mind when the price drops or more companies adopt the technology. Many people have said they couldn't tell the difference between the headphones and speakers with the Smyth.

lol @ magic box

[Torpedo]

Looks like a funny toy. Whenever they sell it without the headphones and at a more interesting price, I might bite.

[blubliss]

It's not a toy, it's amazing. I've had mine for several years now, only use it for movies and such, not music, but I do want to map a great 2-channel room some day.

I bought mine without the headpones. It is really meant for recording engineers, imagine being able to bring your mixing space with you anywhere. I think they demoed it for the Lucas people at that studio in Northern Ca, don't remember the name. The really expensive place where a lot of movies are mixed.

The Smyths were involved or responsible for the development of the DTS standard.

Edited March 27, 2011 by blubliss

[ujamerstand]

I've been interested in technologies used in the smyth realizer in a while. Turns out it wasn't that hard to do the head-tracking or the binaural cue coding stuff. Most of the research have been done and most of it have been published in academic journals. What's unique about the smyth realizer is that its able to simulate the listening environment from the measurements taken from those in-ear microphones. I'm interested in how they did that.

[The Monkey]

It's an amazing device.

[boomana]

I got to hear to hear it at CanJam. It's truly impressive.

[Edwood]

Welcome to 2008. Loved it when I first head it at CanJam in Florida.

Got one the first chance I got. Still my absolute favorite headphone device.

[Torpedo]

It's not a toy, it's amazing. I've had mine for several years now, only use it for movies and such, not music, but I do want to map a great 2-channel room some day.

I bought mine without the headpones. It is really meant for recording engineers, imagine being able to bring your mixing space with you anywhere. I think they demoed it for the Lucas people at that studio in Northern Ca, don't remember the name. The really expensive place where a lot of movies are mixed.

The Smyths were involved or responsible for the development of the DTS standard.

I didn't mean to sound offensive, for me it would be one more toy in the audio stash. No real use for it other than toying and having fun.

[digger945]

It's not a toy, it's amazing. I've had mine for several years now, only use it for movies and such, not music, but I do want to map a great 2-channel room some day.

Can one download or puchase the map for an expensive high end setup?

Does it come with a few maps included to begin playing around with?

[Spychedelic Whale]

I didn't mean to sound offensive, for me it would be one more toy in the audio stash. No real use for it other than toying and having fun.

Aren't headphones for fun ?

I think if this is well used could be a bargain. Lets imagine I get to record in a studio with 100$k speakers and perfect acoustics and then bring it home and reproduce 99% of it ? Or save your favorite setup from home and bring it to where ever you go or night listening. I think this is a thing you have to hear with your own ears. Oh and they are available without the headphones too.

Can one download or puchase the map for an expensive high end setup?

Does it come with a few maps included to begin playing around with?

It comes with some default speaker/room acoustics saved but I think you can have them to provide you some special places if you pay.

And if it can be saved on a sdcard then we all could share our recordings even tough it wouldn't be setup to our own hearing but when I listened on the store wasn't and sounded exactly like the speakers.

Edited March 27, 2011 by Spychedelic Whale

[dsavitsk]

Many people have said they couldn't tell the difference between the headphones and speakers with the Smyth.

I don't get the appeal -- I don't listen to headphones because I can't afford speakers, I listen to them because I like them better. Why would I want to ruin that experience?

[screaming oranges]

From what I've read so far, I suppose the appeal lies in that you get the best of both worlds: the intimacy of the headphones with the "true-to-life" feel of the speakers. A monster hybrid that has all the strengths without the weaknesses, it seems.

That sounds very appealing to me.

[Tyll Hertsens]

I heard it at a coupla trade shows with the generic hrtf, it was the most convincing out-of-head Ive heard yet, but that's not saying much.

I'd love to hear itwith my own filter.

[tyrion]

One day I hope to have the Realiser but for home theater not two channel. Every time I've heard it I've been amazed. If you haven't tried it you have no idea, imo.

[blubliss]

Can one download or puchase the map for an expensive high end setup?

Does it come with a few maps included to begin playing around with?

You can't effectively use another persons HRTF unfortunately, it has to be done individually in each venue. I use AIX studio primarily, but even have one that was done in the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. It sounds pretty cool.

[deepak]

Yeah like Mike I am interested in it for home theater and surround gaming, not music.

[padam]

It would be far simpler with a digital input though (much simpler less variables in the signal chain as well) wish I could try it. The guy who wrote the first impression about it uses it with SR-Omega (says the better the headphone the better the effect).

[blubliss]

Yeah, not so sure I agree with that guy. I have met him

I agree digital input would be cool. I use an Emotiva LMC-1 from my computer MB digital out to a (shudder) RSA XP-7 (first headphone thing i ever bought) to HD600.

[Spychedelic Whale]

You can't effectively use another persons HRTF unfortunately, it has to be done individually in each venue. I use AIX studio primarily, but even have one that was done in the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. It sounds pretty cool.

You didn't get good results using others ? Like I said when I listened to it the sound was exactly the same as the speakers and he didn't measure with my ears.When I would take the headphones off the speakers would start playing so it was easy to compare and I didn't notice any apparent difference.

Edited March 27, 2011 by Spychedelic Whale

[NightWoundsTime]

Looks like a funny toy. Whenever they sell it without the headphones and at a more interesting price, I might bite.

They originally said they'd sell without the headphones to any of us who know what we're doing. It's bundled with headphones so that they can have some control over a base level of headphone quality. If you're interested drop them a line and see what they can do.

Edited March 28, 2011 by NightWoundsTime

[Dreadhead]

It would be far simpler with a digital input though (much simpler less variables in the signal chain as well) wish I could try it. The guy who wrote the first impression about it uses it with SR-Omega (says the better the headphone the better the effect).

When I spoke to them at Canjam LA they explained they were skipping the digital input to skip having to pay for all the different licensing costs for DTS, Dolby etc.

[Torpedo]

They originally said they'd sell without the headphones to any of us who know what we're doing. It's bundled with headphones so that they can have some control over a base level of headphone quality. If you're interested drop them a line and see what they can do.

Oh thanks for the info. I have other priorities at this point, eventually including 009, but once those things are sorted out and the toying fury strikes again...

[HeadphoneAddict]

I also thought the demo at CanJam 2009 was amazing. I'd like to have one of these someday.