Here are some products that have incorporated the latest in surround sound technology.
Here are some products that have incorporated the latest in surround sound technology.
CREATIVE SXFI AMP – $219
The Creative SXFI amp is a compact USB portable amplifier and DAC that works with the SXFI app to recreate the experience of listening to a multi-speaker setup through headphones. It is about the size of a finger and it connects via USB-C and features a 3.5mm headphone jack. The chassis is made of aluminum and they are quick control buttons that let users quickly adjust volume and turn Super X-Fi on and off. Inside, the SXFI Amp features the Super X-Fi UltraDSP chip that handles all the digital signal processing and a 32-bit AKM4377 DAC that will support high-resolution audio files of up to 24-bit/96KHz. Despite its small size, Creative says it will drive just about any headphone of up to 600 ohms.
PSB M4U 8 WIRELESS NOISE-CANCELING HEADPHONES – $599
The M4U 8 is PSB’s flagship wireless noise-canceling headphone. These headphones feature RoomFeel, which is the result of over four decades of research into how speakers should sound in a room. PSB is uniquely placed to do this research because they started out as a loudspeaker company and they still make loudspeakers today. The primary concept behind RoomFeel is what PSB Speakers founder Paul Barton calls Room Gain, which refers to the energy and warmth that a room adds when listening to high-end loudspeakers. RoomFeel is tightly integrated into each PSB headphone so the drivers and RoomFeel technology work together as one to create the best sounding experience.
SMYTH RESEARCH REALISER A16 – US$1,950
The Realiser A16 is the successor to Smyth Research’s Realiser A8. It is still based on the Smyth Virtual Surround technology and users can still use the Realiser console to create their own customized HRTF profiles, but the Realiser A16 boasts a number of improvements. The processor inside is more powerful and can handle up to 16 channels and can replicate Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Auro-3D, and even legacy speaker formats and configurations. The Realiser A16 will also allow users to measure, save, and share room measurements and profiles so it is entirely possible for users to ‘hear’ what it would be to listen to performances in theaters around the world.
