Reality Technologies Surround Master - Owners Thread

[bmoura]

Very interesting review. And thanks for listing some of the albums and tracks to try with the Surround Master. That's another question I have been wondering about.

 

[skindzier]

Played a bit more last night...
Yes 90125 has lots of great moments.
Don't Stop Believin' by Journey has some discrete guitar parts and sounds great in general.
Get Together - The Youngbloods: Interesting in that the bass is nearly discrete in the left rear. This one really feels like you're in the room with the band.
I quickly spot-checked through several Chicago songs, since If I Leave You Now impressed me a lot - most sounded very good. Chicago & the SM seem to be a good fit.

In my two posts I've been listing songs where stuff has jumped out at me. Here's some where I thought there might be magic, however none arrived. The SM didn't do anything negative to these songs - they were still fine to listen to. It just didn't add much that I heard:
Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen
Roll Me Away - Bob Seger
I Don't Believe In Love - Queensryche
U2 - Where The Streets Have No Name

I'll try to drop additional comments from time to time going forward...

 

[skindzier]

Listened to some complete albums this weekend. Source for all was the original stereo CDs.

Fleetwood Mac- self-titled:
Awesome. Just a tremendous experience. Lots of discrete moments, lots of details and just filled the room beautifully. Had this been a discrete release and I'd been reviewing it in the polls, I'd have given it a 9.

The Cars - self-titled
Also very, very good. Not quite up to the level of FM above, but there were still discrete moments and detail. Maybe not quite as full as the FM and maybe not quite as defined, but still very enjoyable. Though it is probably my least favorite song on the album, I'm in Touch with Your World is a demo-worthy track with sounds coming from all 4 corners.

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
Brickwalling strikes. I knew that would be the case, but wanted to see how it affected the SM experience. Unfortunately, you can't polish a turd. In essence, the harshness of the recording was all around now. Obviously that isn't something the SM can help. The SM did its job. There was some separation and breathing room (not like the above 2 titles, though). The recording itself just made it hard on the ears. In poking around at reviews on HDTracks, it sounds like their hi-res versions of both 21st Century Breakdown and American Idiot are much better. I may take a flyer and give it a shot. We'll see...

 

[Robert van Diggele]

For what it is worth, the DR value of the HD tracks are better then the original releases,

http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/ind...rch_album=American+idiot&sort=year&order=desc
http://www.dr.loudness-war.info/index.php?search_artist=Green+day&search_album=21st

 

[rustyandi]

Hooked up my Surround Master yesterday (in 5.1 mode). Only had a couple hours to play with it, so listened to a lot of individual songs to get a feel for it. I agree with the general statements of most other folks. Results ranged from Good to Spectacular. Definitely the best surround processor I've heard. At its best some of the mixes sounded like solid discrete mixes. Like others, even when there weren't necessarily discrete sounds, I definitely heard a lot more depth & detail in some material. Here's some specifics:
Something - The Beatles: Lots of detail I hadn't heard before. The flanged guitar part is a lot more prominent throughout.
Voices - Russ Ballard: The opening synth is very cool. All over the place!
If She Knew What She Wants - The Bangles: Very close to discrete vocals with the leads in the Center and the answered group vocals in the rears
Somebody's Baby - Jackson Browne: Exposed a lot more guitar detail
Ten Years Gone - Led Zeppelin: Heard a few more bits & pieces of the Page guitar army that I hadn't heard before
Africa - Toto: Sounded like a pretty good discrete mix (I haven't heard the SACD). Revealed some acoustic guitar I hadn't previously noticed.
If You Leave Me Now - Chicago: Also sounded very close to discrete. Horns up front & acoustic guitars in rears
Calypso - John Denver: Orchestra was pulled to the rears
Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon: Sounded as if it could have been on the Rumours SACD
Galileo - Indigo Girls: Heard some low background vocals I'd never noticed. Looking up the credits it appears they are Jackson Browne & David Crosby. I'd say they're worthy of bringing up in the mix...

Anyway, I'll report back as I play more. Busy tonight, so it will be at least Wed before I can go again! At any rate, Chucky & Co, great product!

Some one put out a mention that there was a person that said the Beatles
album sounded great through Surround Master and that the Beatles was MONO
Could you let me know What album and was it MONO or STEREO

 

[skindzier]

Some one put out a mention that there was a person that said the Beatles
album sounded great through Surround Master and that the Beatles was MONO
Could you let me know What album and was it MONO or STEREO

You quoted my mini review. It only concerned Something (Stereo version), not the whole album.

 

[watsontr]

Has anyone listened to Electric Ladyland through the SQ version of the Surround Master? Probably my all time favourite album. I'd be interested to hear what it sounds like

 

[Overture]

Hey all, did a little listening on a hunch today (Since I started working on this thing, I've begun to decode stereo recordings in my head, so I'm getting good audio clues for albums to listen to)

There's an album by a French artist called Camille - the album is called Music Hole. It's in English for the most part - you'd think it had been mastered for surround.
Lots of recording of sounds done live around a mic, pretty much everything in the album is created with human voices and beat-boxing except for the piano. It sounds amazing, one track in particular "Money Note" really sounds good through the S.M.
Also it's a really rich, quirky production.

Just my $0.02 for the day.
~David

 

[inkubuzz]

I dont know how I never put this record through the SM before but now that I did it blew my mind off to space!



Mr. Bungle - California




Well I thik this wont be the cup of tea for almost anyone in here, but I you really want to listen to a track that really will blow your ind with the SM it is the song "Goodbye Sober Day" (the track name kind of says it all)

This is really weird music, but withs lots of instruments and voices and the SM shines

Give it a try, you will probably never listen to any other recommendation after that, or at least you will be scaree to try, but for a once in a lifetime experience I wont do you any bad.

 

[ChristopherLees]

I dont know how I never put this record through the SM before but now that I did it blew my mind off to space!



Mr. Bungle - California

View attachment 11173


Well I thik this wont be the cup of tea for almost anyone in here, but I you really want to listen to a track that really will blow your ind with the SM it is the song "Goodbye Sober Day" (the track name kind of says it all)

This is really weird music, but withs lots of instruments and voices and the SM shines

Give it a try, you will probably never listen to any other recommendation after that, or at least you will be scaree to try, but for a once in a lifetime experience I wont do you any bad.

I haven't tried it yet but I think the last track on Mr Bungle's first cd would make a good surround demo

 

[inkubuzz]

Yeah, Ive been looking forward to listen to Mr. Bungle 1st album through the SM, but I wouldnt because I have it on Vinyl, but have no turntable...have to buy a new one... and I wanted to listen to it from the Vinyl, but you got me interested and today I woke up and first thing I did is listen to the CD through the Surround MAster and not only the last song is very good, also the full album... I think it benefits a lot form all the effects and lots of different vocal, and it also helps that the Dynamic Range Rating of the CD is 12 (which is a great deal for a rock album)

My experience with the SM is that albums with more DR often yield better results.


Carousel and Egg stand out on the SM

 

[inkubuzz]

Ah, well! and of course. I have listened to thsi many times but never brought this up here.

The entire Ozric Tentacles catalogue shines through the SM. I dont know how they haver never mixed something in discrete 5.1 and hi rez. Their music deserves it.

 

[ChristopherLees]

Yeah, Ive been looking forward to listen to Mr. Bungle 1st album through the SM, but I wouldnt because I have it on Vinyl, but have no turntable...have to buy a new one... and I wanted to listen to it from the Vinyl, but you got me interested and today I woke up and first thing I did is listen to the CD through the Surround MAster and not only the last song is very good, also the full album... I think it benefits a lot form all the effects and lots of different vocal, and it also helps that the Dynamic Range Rating of the CD is 12 (which is a great deal for a rock album)

My experience with the SM is that albums with more DR often yield better results.


Carousel and Egg stand out on the SM

Can barely wait.... I think about 6 minutes into "Dead Goon" (the squeaking door part that goes for about 2 minutes) is the part I look forward to the most...sounds great in just stereo


not to mention "Desert Search For Techno Allah" from "Disco Volante"

 

[inkubuzz]

exactly, the las 4 to 5 minutes are crazy... the sound moves form SL to front to SR all the time... its really really good

 

[skindzier]

For what it is worth, the DR value of the HD tracks are better then the original releases,

I went ahead & picked up 21st Century from HDTracks. It is definitely much better than the CD. Even then, I would only say the HDTracks version sounds OK. It is still somewhat compressed and still sorta sounds digital. I picked up the Eagles studio albums too. They sound REALLY good. Haven't listened to them cover to cover yet - just did a buffet of the hits. Most sound great on the SM.

 

[skindzier]

Question - I got a customs bill from TNT Shipping yesterday for $36.62 (a few weeks after receiving my SM). Anybody else get one? I'm in Colorado USA. Chucky, does that make sense? Thanks!

 

[bmoura]

Question - I got a customs bill from TNT Shipping yesterday for $36.62 (a few weeks after receiving my SM). Anybody else get one? I'm in Colorado USA. Chucky, does that make sense? Thanks!

Hmm, I thought the extra shipping charges didn't start until later on.

 

[ChristopherLees]

....accidently posted twice...

 

[ChristopherLees]

a customs bill is not a shipping charge....

if the item was brought in as "return of repair" there shouldn't be any customs charges..

TNT Shipping needs to be contacted and the customer needs to look at his shipping documentation

 

[Overture]

Question - I got a customs bill from TNT Shipping yesterday for $36.62 (a few weeks after receiving my SM). Anybody else get one? I'm in Colorado USA. Chucky, does that make sense? Thanks!

Looking into it. I'll send you a P.M.

~David