Reality Technologies Surround Master - Owners Thread

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Listening to The Alan Parsons Project - Turn of A Friendly Card off the HDAD Stereo DVD-A 192k 24bit via my Oppo -> Surrround Master = A winner!!

Also listened to:
Thomas Dolby - The Flat Earth - I need to formally compare this to my SPEC version - it (at first listen) sounds very similar to me....
Tool - 10,000 days (Right in Two)

I tried the QS test tones found here:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...se-and-Amplitude-correct-SQ-amp-QS-test-tones

I have no reference to compare but, it didn't sound right to me....
Has anyone else tried these?
 
It would be nice if everyone who gets one of these responds to this thread that they have one. I'm curious how many members actually bought one and what everyone thinks.
 
It would be nice if everyone who gets one of these responds to this thread that they have one. I'm curious how many members actually bought one and what everyone thinks.

I bought a unit, it arrived on christmas eve.
Due to circumstances, I have not been able to do any comparisons.
I have hooked it up and did finally hook up my heathkit scope.
The QS test LP shows everything coming from the right places and very little bleed between channels.
The QS music I've played does sound good to my ears.
I have not tried any other modes on the surround master.

I will be doing a comparison with my QSD-1 and my Fosgate model 5 in popular mode (scope says very close to QS).

Tom in So Cal.
 
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Thanks Tom, for posting your results and I will look forward to your QSD comparison.
By the way, the 4400 is still going strong...:)

Not sure if this is the right place, but I am one of those ready to buy but am waiting for SQ decoding implementation. That will make the box perfect. If it turns out SQ will not be possible I will then go ahead and order one.
Now if this thing could be adapted to detect the CD-4 carrier and decode it too........
 
Opps, posted this in the "Questions Thread" first...
I bought the Reality Technologies Surround Master but havn't had the time to test it adequately yet to provide a full review. The time is not just listening to it but to also do comparisons. Before getting the unit I listened to all my stereo sources through six speakers (L/R, SL/SR and Front High L/Front High R). I "Y" each stereo channel and patch that to my amp so each speaker receives full amp power (Left channel goes to three amp inputs and the Right channel gets three amp inputs). This gives me 200 watts per channel times 6 for stereo. Because the speakers are in four corners and at different heights the sound is very full and just the different highs and lows of each instruments make some instruments appear placed more front and some more rear and already separated left and right. I don't use DPII or Nero as those seem to change the tone and almost sound filtered to me. I don't use 6CH Stereo either as I want the pure stereo signal from my Oppo 83se without the preamp adding processing. Hopefully this makes sense as it is basically stereo form 6 speakers as I said. So I bought the Involve unit. It does work good and gives you solid separation. I find it more isolating the center (left and right combined) to the center channel and moving the left to the rear left and right to rear right. It is very isolated which is what they promise. My problem is that solid isolation is not how good surround music is mixed. Steve Wilson fills the surround area with his mixes. Sure you hear things directional from speakers but if you listen he also has reverb and other effects from the same channel spread in other channels to give more depth. Even my 6 channel stereo has more depth because each channel is coming out of three speakers and depending on the stereo mix, spread left as right some as well. I'm not saying the thing doesn't sound good, it does exactly what it advertises, a pseudo isolation of instruments to mulichannel. Some stuff sounds unbelievably good through the unit. I was just hoping it would become my default for stereo listening and it is not. I hope my rambling made some sense. Truth is we all know nothing beats a good original surround mix and maybe I just had the wrong expectation. I'll listen more and give another update.
 
Hi

I may have read your contribution wrong but you may benefit by reducing the center channel by say 3dB, Other users have preferred this to tame the center.

Regards

Chucky

Opps, posted this in the "Questions Thread" first...
I bought the Reality Technologies Surround Master but havn't had the time to test it adequately yet to provide a full review. The time is not just listening to it but to also do comparisons. Before getting the unit I listened to all my stereo sources through six speakers (L/R, SL/SR and Front High L/Front High R). I "Y" each stereo channel and patch that to my amp so each speaker receives full amp power (Left channel goes to three amp inputs and the Right channel gets three amp inputs). This gives me 200 watts per channel times 6 for stereo. Because the speakers are in four corners and at different heights the sound is very full and just the different highs and lows of each instruments make some instruments appear placed more front and some more rear and already separated left and right. I don't use DPII or Nero as those seem to change the tone and almost sound filtered to me. I don't use 6CH Stereo either as I want the pure stereo signal from my Oppo 83se without the preamp adding processing. Hopefully this makes sense as it is basically stereo form 6 speakers as I said. So I bought the Involve unit. It does work good and gives you solid separation. I find it more isolating the center (left and right combined) to the center channel and moving the left to the rear left and right to rear right. It is very isolated which is what they promise. My problem is that solid isolation is not how good surround music is mixed. Steve Wilson fills the surround area with his mixes. Sure you hear things directional from speakers but if you listen he also has reverb and other effects from the same channel spread in other channels to give more depth. Even my 6 channel stereo has more depth because each channel is coming out of three speakers and depending on the stereo mix, spread left as right some as well. I'm not saying the thing doesn't sound good, it does exactly what it advertises, a pseudo isolation of instruments to mulichannel. Some stuff sounds unbelievably good through the unit. I was just hoping it would become my default for stereo listening and it is not. I hope my rambling made some sense. Truth is we all know nothing beats a good original surround mix and maybe I just had the wrong expectation. I'll listen more and give another update.
 
Hi

I may have read your contribution wrong but you may benefit by reducing the center channel by say 3dB, Other users have preferred this to tame the center.

Regards

Chucky

Or you could try 4ch (quad) mode..
 
A day later. Good idea LizardKing on trying the 4 ch which I had done but it seemed to lose something. I also cheated and tried running the subwoofer line with 4 ch because the sub really adds to any mix but still wasn’t right.

Chucky mentioned, “I may have read your contribution wrong but you may benefit by reducing the center channel by say 3dB…” First I have to say I’m impressed Chucky that you WERE able to read my rambling post correctly. Second, you have NO IDEA how RIGHT you were! I must apologize for not having read all these posts before spouting off on your product. I even made sure and re-balanced my entire setup first with my handy dandy Radio Shack meter before doing exactly what you said. I backed off the center by 3dB. It made all the difference in what I was describing before and now sounds beautiful! I’m usually pretty good on identifying these things but figured that was just the sound. I honestly hate to have to adjust balance based on the type of playback (basically being lazy I guess) but this made such a difference! It went from what I was describing before as almost 3.1 channel (Center, Surround Left , Surround Right & sub) to FULL 5.1. It spread the front out and allowed the front left and right to help compliment the rears.
Obviously in a single evening after work I haven’t done enough testing BUT please let me retract my earlier post (hopefully not too late for any potential buyers). I spot checked some stereo SACD / CDs and even retried some 180 gram vinyl that seemed to sound awkward before, all sounded very smooth with no quality loss but now of course in obvious surround. I played the best of CD from Camel that was all solid and then a side of a new vinyl 180 gram of Supertramp’s Crime of Century. It all sounded great. The Supertramp side ends with the song “Asylum” and what struck me the most was a recurring drum fill in that song starts with a drum front center and the next drum is rear center. The songs I played tonight would challenge my audiophile brother on whether they were original surround mixes or the Involve unit.

Please accept my apologies for the too abrupt post above as the unit DOES have the potential of being "the" Stereo playback mode for me.
 
I even made sure and re-balanced my entire setup first with my handy dandy Radio Shack meter before doing exactly what you said. I backed off the center by 3dB. It made all the difference in what I was describing before and now sounds beautiful! I’m usually pretty good on identifying these things but figured that was just the sound. I honestly hate to have to adjust balance based on the type of playback (basically being lazy I guess) but this made such a difference!

You can calibrate your speakers to their proper level and then install a 3dB RCA in line attenuator http://www.ebay.com/itm/Attenuator-...9?pt=US_Signal_Processors&hash=item2c516642e7 in the SM center channel output. This will balance the SM outputs so you will not have to change your center channel speaker setting every time you would like to use it. I am lazy too :>)
 
Jon has inspired me to go for it, so my order is in. I have a QSD-1 and will give the master a thorough review, as was rightly requested by Chucky. I am really looking forward to it.
Dwight
 
Thanks byrdman7 for the 3dB attenuator suggestion and I have ordered a pair. I spent half a day throwing Stereo SACDs at the unit and have to admit it was impressive. The songs where the unit did not enhance the experience would be MUCH, MUCH smaller then those it was very successful. Some songs are pretty flat and lack solid stereo separation in their original mixing so the unit cannot add much to the listening space. Most songs sound pretty good and then of course there are others that excel by sounding like they were originally mixed in surround.
 
now... this is what i call quality music.

Now playing Dream Theater - Misunderstood from My Oppo, conected via toslink to my Cambridge Audio DAC Magic Plus (that arrived today, and thats why Im so thrilled), and the DAC to my Surround Master, so there is no more stereo for me anymore.. every stereo source I have is hooked up to the DAC and then to the SM (in 4.1 mode) (even if my wife wants to play "reggeaton" on her computer...its hooked up to the SM

I have to say the song is impressive in 4.1, sounds come from everywhere. Although you are not a fan of Dream Theater, you should try to listen to this song through the surround master... :yikes :worthy :51banana:

img20130212212616.jpg






EDIT: uuuhhh... and the song Disappear is also great through the SM, there's a beautiful part with some guitar strings that goes back and forth... very cool...
 
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First of all, thanks goes out to Jon Urban for creating and maintaining this fantastic forum, which attracts creative and remarkable people. Jon, Thank You!

The case of the Sansui QSD-1 has been Resolved by The Master. I did not think that I would be writing this…I thought that, at best, the Surround Master would match my QSD-1’s performance, but I was wrong, it is clearly superior. My QSD-1 was refurbished with the blend resistors removed, but it cannot match the deep corner to corner and front to back separation of The Surround Master. I am still trying to deal with its sound quality…it is very, very good!....Sound Quality?..That will take another post……I can’t jump to conclusions, because I have to deal with the excitement factor, but I can deal with placement issues. I have a receiver equipped with DTS NEO X….it is a joke compared to The Surround Master….. Please don’t laugh or smirk at me when I say that I have listened to my QS albums hundreds of times and have found them to be a bit on the smeary and disappointing side. For the first time, through The Master, they sound specific…I have finally heard a discrete sounding sound field…. I’m really looking forward to going back through my collection….after 30 yrs!

This unit has no volume or balance controls…at this price point you cannot expect them, and so to fully take advantage of its capabilities, you must be able to adjust signal levels independent of the unit. You must be able to adjust the rear channel volume levels. It is essential!

For this quick evaluation, I only listened in the four channel mode…I will tackle the 5.1 installation in a later post.
This device is a small plastic shell that does not visually inspire confidence; in fact looking at the small skimpy plastic slide controls scared me, if you know what I mean, but it’s what’s under the hood that counts and ( VAROOM!!!)you will not be disappointed. It has turned everything that I listened to into sonic bliss-to-bumpers-shaboom-varoom… I will detail my equipment at the end….now to the listening.

At first, I was only interested in the unit’s ability to compete with the Sansui VarioMatrix….I listened to cut 5 ( This Jesus Must Die) of the remastered 1970 JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Voices move from front left to right and to the right back, then to front as well as center and in all quadrants at the same time…..Through the QSD-1 they were “virtually discrete”…through the Resolve they were discrete!….The voices were at the speaker or sidewall, not almost at the speaker, sidewall and just a smidgen elsewhere, but actually there!. The voices were cleaner, more complete ….my brain didn’t have to work to finish the placement. Cut 9 (The Temple) is similar….voices everywhere…..and always clear and distinct………

Next I played Paul McCartney’s PRESS TO PLAY…cut 3 ..(Talk No More) Once again voices are placed very specifically around the listener to a degree that amazed me. The mind was relieved of work. I’ve listened to this album a hundred times… I know that placing a single voice in a single spot is not supposed to be difficult for high separation decoders…but DLP ll and NeoX don’t do it as well as the QSD-1 does it…and the QSD-1 does not do it as well as the Surround Master does it! The voices were complete and solid …not virtual but real.

Next I listened to Cirque Du Soleil’s IRIS…I saw and heard this at The Dolby Theater in Hollywood….It was a surround spectacular in person …A mix of live and recorded music surrounding the audience. This recording duplicates the experience… it also produces a height effect and a 360 degree sound field…and The Master extracts every bit of detail………The Master placed instruments at the speakers, in between...Everywhere!.....I was stunned!

I love the stereo cd version of DARK SIDE OF THE MOON synthesized by both the Tate ll and the QSD-1……particularly, as an example…at 1:52 of cut 2….”here for today, gone tomorrow”….the voice moves from over the right shoulder to right front ..across the front to the left and ends at the back left…. Through The Master it was spectacular and of course it was followed by the famous clock sequence which kills the QSD-1. In fact, I can say I prefer the derived quad version through The Master to all other presentations….but I must say the fidelity, not presentation, on the Blu-Ray is special.
The Surround Master reaches farther out into the corners, and that makes a dramatic difference…..it stretches the sound farther in all directions….and at the same time it is cleaner….. At first I thought it was strident, but then I listened to the Delos recording of Vivaldi’s THE FOUR SEASONS conducted by Gerard Schwarz….I was thrown by the string tone that I had not heard before….It could be just a rush of excitement….but I will do some extended listening just for sound quality tomorrow. The depth captured by The Master on this recording is breathtaking!

Here are two other points. Point one is that Chucky and company have promised a SQ software upgrade for a nominal cost to this unit…if it works as well with SQ as it does with QS…..it is simply a stunner! My second point is something you will just have to try for yourself to believe….The surround position on the Tate ll and the QS position on any Type A VarioMatrix unit will do a wonderful job of decoding a CD-4 record. I mean it will sound close to what you would hear through an original CD-4 demodulator…..For instance, if you listen to NO SECRETS by Carly Simon and move to (Your So Vain), you will hear the guitar riff move around the room almost exactly as you would hear it through the demodulator. This has been consistent with every CD-4 record that I own. The Surround Master has only improved upon the effect…It is not perfect, but close! Try it!
It might provide the solution to the great problem…one unit for all three of the prominent quad delivery systems…and a phenomenal synthesizer, which to my mind is its greatest use.

The Surround Master SM-465 is, at its price, a dream come true for anyone in love with multi-channel sound….It is clear that the folks at Reality Technologies have given us an extraordinary chance to experience sound at its best.
Dwight.


I
 
I forgot to mention how I was listening:
A new Pioneer SC-57
Front Right and Left Speakers: Used Klipsch La Scala
Center Front: Two Used Klipsch Chorus and a used Altec 902D through a 511B horn
Side: Two Used Klipsch Chorus Speakers
Rear: Two Used Klipsch Forte ll speakers
Processors: Resolve Master Surround, Used Sansui QSD-1, Fosgate Tate ll, Used Lexicon CP-3+
Subwoofers: One HSU STF-3, Two HRSW10’s
Carver M-0.5T amp
Oppo 83se
Oracle turntable
 
If you have any
EV4 or DY lps try them out
What I am messing with at the moment
Try plug in the S/Master switched to 2 channel
then out to the QSD1 QS matrix
the S/Master has a TSS stereo enhancer
and the QSD1 does things like when you play
Q sound CDs or Spatializer
you get sometimes a enhanced surround
I would like to know what you think
Ron
 
Jon has inspired me to go for it, so my order is in. I have a QSD-1 and will give the master a thorough review, as was rightly requested by Chucky. I am really looking forward to it.
Dwight

"Whew!" (He liked it!) :)
 
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