Right.
Listening to Surround when the rest of the family is asleep is certainly one of the key applications of the Smyth Realiser.
Another is bringing the recording studio home for a musician or recording professional.
For audiophiles, creating a copy of a 7.1 or 5.1 Surround Sound system that you could never afford for Surround playback is the main attraction.
In my case, I can listen to surround with stereo headphones using the copy of AIX Studios in LA. I'll never have an audio setup like that at home!
I have three reasons to want the Smyth Realizer.
1. I have an Apogee ribbon based audio system / home theater. I really love the sound quality of my speakers, but I want more! From my perspective the Smyth Realizer will let me 'record' other people's speakers.
I'd love to be able to instantly switch to electrostatic or dynamic speakers. My best friend here in Dallas has some Dunlavy SC-III's. Once I have a Realizer, I'll have a pair of them too!
Which brings up a point not mentioned in this thread. A system you are adding need not have more than two speakers. According to Smyth, the user can take measurements of a pair of speakers and create a surround setup as if you'd measured four, five or seven of the speakers. So my buddy will be able to get a pretty good idea of what a system made up of 5 of his SC-III's would sound like.
2. I have a decent room for my audio/theater setup. I know I will not live here for more than a few more years. I expect to be living in much smaller quarters, and I know I'll have to sell my system. I simply will not have the space or the ability to play music or movies at realistic levels.
In the last two weeks I've spent $5k on a new Marantz AV-8801/MM-8077, and then blew another $700 on two Ekornes Stressless chairs for my listening room. So I have about $4K to pay off on the gold card right now.
But as soon as I've paid that off, I'm heading to L.A. to buy a Realizer. And unless the fee is astronomical, I want to get PIRs at AIX studios.
I wanted to get the upgraded electronics for my Apogee speakers before I get the Realizer. That way, when I have to sell my speakers, I'll have saved them inside my Realizer, driven by excellent electronics.
So even if I end up in a motor home, I'll still have a really good audio system, home theater setup, and a studio with the ability to do surround sound mixing.
3. I have a project studio in a 15 by 12 foot room. It is way too cramped. It's a hobby, but one that I seriously enjoy. I have a 5.1 setup of older model Event monitors, but they are positioned poorly for surround monitoring due to space constraints. The room's acoustics also stink, and I have no room for acoustical treatment. I'd love to be able to sell the center and rear monitors and regain the space they take up. As Brian mentions above, I'd be in monitoring heaven with a Realizer and a set of PIRs from AIX's studio.
I do have a question for Brian or Kal. Do either of you know if the Realizer can do a PIR with a 7.1 setup using wide or height surrounds, or is it limited to standard surround back positioning?
Steven Kastner.