New Surround Master v2 - Pre-Order Roster Discussion Thread

[kcrimson]

The unit was ordered Feb 7.

 

[chucky3042]

The unit was ordered Feb 7.

Oh.......will check, sorry about this!

 

[chucky3042]

The unit was ordered Feb 7.

Just got this from Dave the Bitch:

Yes. All were shipped last week, all the back orders including the Feb one, they are at least two weeks from then, but covid has blown that out a bit, and tracking is currently stuffed. There's nothing we can do. I'm calling oz post Monday for updates on stuff I sent to Belgium, I'll try to get more info on the scope of the delays to the USA and UK at the same time. All of them are documented properly and saved in the system, and all orders are on their way, somewhere.

Looks like your order just missed the last of our old stock and China/ covid has caused the delay

 

[Dingo]

Good luck with Australian Post. 6 incoming parcels lost in the first 6 months of the year. Fed Ex totally useless once the package leaves the U.S. Last effort was from Real Gone, processed very early April. Not holding my breath any more.

 

[kcrimson]

Hello Chucky3042,
There is no issue to check for me. My order was placed Feb 7 and the unit was received in Colorado yesterday. The package looks to be in reasonably good shape.
Thanks!!!

 

[J. PUPSTER]

Good luck with Australian Post. 6 incoming parcels lost in the first 6 months of the year. Fed Ex totally useless once the package leaves the U.S. Last effort was from Real Gone, processed very early April. Not holding my breath any more.

Well if you keep holding your breath; you’ll end up as aprepos as their name is to shipping.

 

[chucky3042]

Hello Chucky3042,
There is no issue to check for me. My order was placed Feb 7 and the unit was received in Colorado yesterday. The package looks to be in reasonably good shape.
Thanks!!!

Yippie ka Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jaybird100]

Yippie ka Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My unit was ordered in April.

 

[fredblue]

I checked with Dave the Bitch this morning, this was his censored reply:

Up to ten business days, which is two weeks, so if there aren't any delays, then within about a week from now, except that there are delays because of corona virus. We're backed the f!#k up and there is no tracking right now, so we're a bit stuck.

The Bitch Is Backed Up

 

[ar surround]

Hey folks, just to further wet your appetite...I was playing a bunch of tracks yesterday that I usually don’t listen to because the legacy upmixers such as PLIIx, L7 and Neo6 produce way-to-funky results. Well these tracks sound really good when fed to this little blue-eyed monster. You’re gonna love it!

 

[chucky3042]

I am beginning to think we need to rebadge the SM V2 to the BEM........Blue Eyed Monster

 

[The Quadfather]

Hello Chucky3042,
There is no issue to check for me. My order was placed Feb 7 and the unit was received in Colorado yesterday. The package looks to be in reasonably good shape.
Thanks!!!

If all these were shipped at the same time, and you got yours in Colorado yesterday, then mine ought to show up before too long.

 

[Dingo]

Well if you keep holding your breath; you’ll end up as aprepos as their name is to shipping.

Have not a clue what that means.

 

[Dingo]

Quick mailing update, parcel left early US early April, arrived today. So, just under 2 months. I am sure the delay was from this side of the pond.
( CD in question was Robbie Basho " Songs of The Great Mystery" - quite wonderful.

 

[The Quadfather]

My Surround Master arrived today. It's sitting here on the table beside me awaiting for me to install it. It is nicely packaged and nicely constructed. However, the wall wart power supply will require an extender to allow me to plug it into the back of one of my Sansui AX-7 mixers where it will get it's power. Other than that, it will rest on top of one of the mixers, and take the honored place of my Audionics Space and Image Composer. I am looking forward to hearing my QS albums correctly for the first time ever. And of course, I await to see how well it performs with my SQ records as well. But I'm really interested with how well it performs with stereo sources. This weekend, the moment of truth.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

My Surround Master arrived today. It's sitting here on the table beside me awaiting for me to install it. It is nicely packaged and nicely constructed. However, the wall wart power supply will require an extender to allow me to plug it into the back of one of my Sansui AX-7 mixers where it will get it's power. Other than that, it will rest on top of one of the mixers, and take the honored place of my Audionics Space and Image Composer. I am looking forward to hearing my QS albums correctly for the first time ever. And of course, I await to see how well it performs with my SQ records as well. But I'm really interested with how well it performs with stereo sources. This weekend, the moment of truth.

Congrats! Post a pic of the SM in it's new home when you get it set up. Very interested in your evaluation having lived with the S&IC for so long.

 

[The Quadfather]

So here we have the "blue eyed monster" sitting at the top of rack number three where the Audionics Space and Image Composer used to reside. It's a bit hard to see in this photo, because it's black and so is everything else. But I digress. The first record I tried was a Three Dog Night, It's a "Command Quadraphonic" and most of us know that means QS, so I selected the Involve Audio 5.1 mode, which I believe Chucky said was the QS mode. The first thing I noticed is that it's very clean. There do not appear to be any decoding artifacts at all. As I sat down to listen, I noticed that the separation was surprisingly good. What came out in a muddled mess in Audionics SQ came out sounding well separated in QS. I have never heard this record or for that matter any of my other QS records that way. The next one I tried was Steely Dan's "Countdown to Ecstacy" Well, I should have done a countdown, because it was a pleasure to hear. The neat trick the decoder was able to do is to separate out instruments so that you can hear them individually. And with Steely Dan, it's pretty cool, because these instruments would pop up all around the room at random times. All in all an impressive performance. Now, about the center speaker. I used it, and I liked it. It had it's own sounds, not just a mix of L+R. In fact, the center audio was considerably reduced in the left and right front speakers. I didn't notice much action from the subwoofer, but that could be the material. I have two large 15 inch subwoofers up front. I use the same amplifier for the center and sub, as I do for the front and rear. Three Sansui AU717's. Over all I am quite pleased and I can't wait until the weekend when I will plow through more QS and SQ records and with a shot of whiskey to enhance the pleasure.

 

[chucky3042]

So here we have the "blue eyed monster" sitting at the top of rack number three where the Audionics Space and Image Composer used to reside. It's a bit hard to see in this photo, because it's black and so is everything else. But I digress. The first record I tried was a Three Dog Night, It's a "Command Quadraphonic" and most of us know that means QS, so I selected the Involve Audio 5.1 mode, which I believe Chucky said was the QS mode. The first thing I noticed is that it's very clean. There do not appear to be any decoding artifacts at all. As I sat down to listen, I noticed that the separation was surprisingly good. What came out in a muddled mess in Audionics SQ came out sounding well separated in QS. I have never heard this record or for that matter any of my other QS records that way. The next one I tried was Steely Dan's "Countdown to Ecstacy" Well, I should have done a countdown, because it was a pleasure to hear. The neat trick the decoder was able to do is to separate out instruments so that you can hear them individually. And with Steely Dan, it's pretty cool, because these instruments would pop up all around the room at random times. All in all an impressive performance. Now, about the center speaker. I used it, and I liked it. It had it's own sounds, not just a mix of L+R. In fact, the center audio was considerably reduced in the left and right front speakers. I didn't notice much action from the subwoofer, but that could be the material. I have two large 15 inch subwoofers up front. I use the same amplifier for the center and sub, as I do for the front and rear. Three Sansui AU717's. Over all I am quite pleased and I can't wait until the weekend when I will plow through more QS and SQ records and with a shot of whiskey to enhance the pleasure.View attachment 52113

Its nice to see a basic simple Sansui system out there! That's one hell of a man cave. I will eventually forgive you for using the center channel, we could have removed all center from Left and Right but the sound stage becomes scrappy and a bit "digital".

 

[The Quadfather]

Yeah, that's a very small room. Essentially a large closet. That's why it's photographed at that angle. The listening room is next door. You can see the amplifiers under the reel to reel unit. And as for the center channel, I always have the option of just turning it off, and using the 4.0 mode. I will have to figure out which one I like best. I have five JBL 4311 control monitors for those Sansui amps to drive. The center channel is a full size speaker, and equal to the others. The red and black cables on the mixers allow me to do mixdowns from 5.1 to 4 channels so I can record 5.1 channel recordings to the reel unit. The top mixer has been modified to make sure the mix down is in phase with the left and right channels. I had to sacrifice the reverb for that field mod. The other red and black cable allows me to cut in a DBX de-esser. I don't use it much, but I have a favorite Olivia Newton John album that absolutely requires it. Except for the Oppo and the DTS decoder, and the V2, this is all old school, 70's vintage. There's even a laserdisc player for my big silver TV records.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

The neat trick the decoder was able to do is to separate out instruments so that you can hear them individually.

Yup. Other than you I haven't seen this aspect talked about on the forum. Where you might otherwise have just a big violin sound you can now get a better realization for individual multiple instruments. Generally speaking anytime there is grouped vocals or instruments each one sounds more distinct & well, individual.