All concepts of "immersiveness" , being it physical acoustic concept of small room , psycho-acoustic concept , and various dsp "immersive" system will all meet at one point and merge in some case... ...

Here technology meet science and meet music experience in timbre and space...

 

Here a summary by Cambridge University :

Immersive audio, capture, transport, and rendering: a review

 

 

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/apsipa-transactions-on-signal-and-information-processing/article/immersive-audio-capture-transport-and-rendering-a-review/A39094D58238A0F66750D48362D5FF17

 

And a thread here about one of the most important DSP the BACCH filters :

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/bacch4mac-pro-edition-for-those-considering-bacch.7917/page-22

 

Acoustic is a science OVER debate between "purist stereo lover " as i am and Theater multichannel group lover "

Soon there will be no more of these distinction...

if i had money i would have bought The BACCH filters long time ago...

I must wait...

Anyway i just tried to upgrade my amplifier, and i was unsuccessful , just to realize that i am already in TOP AUDIOPHILE league with my 2 vintage well designed amplifier and headphone then i can wait a bit before going with Edgar Choueiri...

😁😊

Audio is about acoustic/psycho-acoustic not about the gear "per se" and it is about SYNERGY coupling...

There is no debate between stereo lover and multichannel home theater, the science will erase it... It is already done anyway ...Choueiri is the leading authority ...

 

Here a doctorate thesis of a Choueiri Student and himself published this year :

https://dataspace.princeton.edu/handle/88435/dsp01z029p801x

 

Here the abstract :

Abstract:

In recent years, "spatial audio" has seen a dramatic uptick in popularity. The demand for increased immersion in many forms of auditory media seemingly led several industry leaders to pursue 3D audio playback. Almost all of these developments, however, are effective for only a single listener. In a home theatre setting, surround sound systems seek to provide a similar type of auditory immersion through physical placement of sound sources in 3D space. While this approach can be effective for multi-listener playback, modern surround systems suffer from both bulkiness and over-complexity. Moreover, both approaches rely on specialized mixing and object-oriented audio, providing little support for decades of stereo recordings. This project provides an alternative to these typical 3D audio systems through a one-dimensional phased speaker array. Using a combination of acoustic beamforming and cross-talk cancellation filters (along with head-tracking), this system is capable of directing audio towards multiple listeners’ ears and provides enough channel isolation for 3D audio perception. More specifically, it utilizes spectral division method beamforming, frequency domain beam steering, and Edgar Choueiri’s BACCH Filters for cross-talk cancellation. This report details the software optimization process for these techniques, along with the design and manufacturing of a new physical array. This design is primarily informed by binaural measurements and acoustic pressure simulations. Using these tools and methods, the final system improves upon previous hardware and software to provide 3D audio playback unmatched by existing systems of the same form factor.

URI:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01z029p801x

 

@mahgister 

Thanks so much for the links, I'm glad to see I have a clear path to upgrade when I get the BACCH filters. The author astutely notes the drawbacks of bulkiness and complexity of setting up a system. 

@ghdprentice

You are the DIY guy in this thread, the first thing I noticed on the BACCH website is licensing opportunity, care to weigh in please? It seems right in your wheelhouse of new technology, thanks.

https://www.bacch.com/our-ip

 

@mahgister 

Great review, but the $23K price of entry is steep . If you already have a two channel system and don't want all the complexity of a 7.2.4 system, this would be the way to go IMO, especially when this reviewer couldn't tell the difference between his $47K DAC and the BACCH unit with the $4K DAC upgrade:

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/theoretica-applied-physics-bacch-sp-adio-stereo-purifier/

Just read the Giles Martin interview in the current issue of Sound and Vision, concerning his Atmos remastering of The Beach Boys Pet Sounds album, and specifically his comments about the song God Only Knows.  I haven’t heard the outcome, so I reserve judgement, but he rather sheepishly admits that the height channels have no place in the song but he couldn’t resist the temptation to fiddle with them anyway.  He makes it sound relatively unobtrusive, by his standards anyway, but it does make me uncomfortable with the whole process of introducing changes in a way that the original artist couldn’t conceive.  Now perhaps the end result is worth it, and it isn’t like he permanently altered a master, as the two channel mix is still out there, but the gimmickry bothers me.

@mahler123 

All I can say is the Atmos version of Per Sounds (I was just listening to God Only Knows yesterday) is much clearer than the stereo/hirez versions. I'll go back and listen to it again specifically for height channel stuff, yesterday what I noticed is the clarity and distinctness of the vocals. The atmos effect in my room is non localized, you don't hear the top speakers doing this and the surround speakers doing that. It is a coherent, distinct presentation that is simply more distinct. The tone of each instrument, the soft percussion instruments more distinct in their own space. Now you have me curious and I will give it another listen and post.