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Has anyone heard the BACCH-SP "purifier" 3D audiophile imager?

I can't post a URL here, but you can find information about this device on the Theoretica Web site.

Robert Harley, John Atkinson, & .other celebrity reviewers (Andrew Quint in TAS as recently as last January) have given this box high praise.  Apparently, it's some sort of DSP that allegedly creates a breathtaking holographic 3D soundstage from two-channel content.

Yes, virtual surround processors have been around since, jeez, at least the 1990s, but this one purports to be a truly high-end device, including an audiophile-grade (whatever that means) DAC, 31-band equalizer, binaural recording capabilities, & ADC.  But for 25 grand, I'd expect it to also clean your records & wash your socks.

I'm kinda skeptical at this point, but better ears than mine have heaped high praise indeed.  Has anybody here actually heard a unit work on their own systems with familiar 2-channel content?

 

 

cundare2

Showing 2 responses by tms0425

tms0425
67 posts
 

I have the Bacch4Mac and continue to enjoy it immensely. It is the real deal, worth every bit of the investment to me. I rarely play anything where i feel it is affecting the presentation negatively. If so, just bypass it with one click, easy.

While I believe the Bacch technology is a game changer, the recently introduced Optimal Room Correction (ORC) module may be even more so. ORC has been in my system for a couple weeks now and I could never go back. I've used several products aimed at HT enthusiasts, such as Dirac Live, ARC, Audyssey, MiniDSP, etc. in my separate HT setup, but ORC is specifically targeted to 2 channel listening with the in-ear measurements and head tracking capability. It is very simple to use and adjustments with updated in room measurements are quick and easy to compare on the fly. Bacch and ORC used together are a very powerful combination that have really improved my listening experience.

In terms of pricing, the SP ADIO box is about the same as the DAC, preamp, Mac Mini and software, with various cabling I have now. It also has a 6 channel DAC and 3-way crossover, if you need it, among other optional modules. The benefit here is simply better integration if that's what you choose to do.

This is one of those products you just can't listen to on paper or from your keyboard. You really have to experience it first hand. I would encourage anyone who is attending Axpona to give it a listen for yourself. The only way to do that properly is to go through the ~2 minute sweep/calibration process for each unique listener. Wandering in and out of the room is unfortunately not useful in this case. They do also offer a 14 day in home trial for those with serious interest.

tms0425
67 posts
 

My system is up to date in my profile. You'll see it's rather modest by high end standards here, though not mid-fi level either. ~$5k investment in the Bacch4Mac is not out of line for it at all. The SP ADIO, though much more costly, easily co-exists in some very high end systems, certainly nicer ones than mine. There is also an intro level software only version that's ~$1k, and it goes up from there. My speakers offer it as a "u-Bacch" option and it installs simply and works quite well.

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