Hi
We issued a beta Involve decoder to a Hi Fi dealer in Melbourne and asked him to live with the unit and write a summary of his observations. I include this below. Personally I do not get the effect of sweet spot reduction that Michael experienced but we all experience sound differently. I have noted previously Michael has remarkably acute hearing. As reviews become available I will submit them to the forum (warts and all). See below:
Hi folks,
Today I am reviewing Reality Designs "Involve" decoder box. What is "Involve" you ask? Well this is Reality’s new take on traditional surround sound technology, and inside this seemingly simple unit, is a treasure trove of innovative technology, capable of achieving results never before heard.
The unit can be used in a number of ways, with any medium. The first method is to connect any conventional stereo signal into the unit, then simply outputting the 2 channel output into your amplifier. Upon doing this for the first time, the first few seconds of audio may not sound all that different to the untrained ear, but sure enough after a very short period of time you will notice your favourite recordings seem to contain significant, never before heard nuances, that seem to encapsulate you from every direction.
By nuances I mean that unlike traditional processing methods, "Involve" doesn’t overload your sense of reality, with un-natural and obvious effects, it rather works to rectify the imaging shortfalls of traditional stereo by "opening" the sound stage. Exactly how this is achieved is unclear to all but a handful of people, but what is clear is the result. Imagine if you will, a traditional quadraphonic or surround sound setup IE: Dolby Digital or DTS, these systems have never been considered an ideal method of musical audio reproduction , as they are fundamentally flawed (unnatural sound environment, frequency response, time and phase coherence, etc) when compared to two channel stereo setups suited to only one listener location. This location I am referring to, is of course the dreaded "sweet spot" which brings me to "Involve's" next attribute, as the unit is throwing different elements of the recording all around your head, it is allowing the people seated either side of you to also experience the soundstage, meaning no more fighting over the sweet spot!
The "Involve's" technology basically takes every aspect of two channel stereo, and spreads it around the room in every direction, front to back, up to down, left to right. This is just the tip of the iceberg though as Reality/Involve have their own encoding system, specifically engineered to work in conjunction with any "Involve" decoder. These encoded recordings are like comparing original Dolby Surround to Dolby Digital, in that all aspects of the "Involve" experience are more concise and outstanding than if you were simply playing a stereo recording through the unit, listening to Cold Chisel's "Saturday Night" you can hear the ambiance of a REAL bar or club at the beginning of the song that has you wondering "Where are the other speaker?", and by others I mean Three or even Four. This effect continues throughout the song and indeed any other piece of music that has been encoded with "Involve", this process can be simply achieved with a separate "involve" encoder. But remember all these results can be achieved with Two or Four channels.
Two channel results are dwarfed by the ideal Four channel setting, which essentially doubles the effect of the two channel setup, throwing sound from every corner of the room to the point where it becomes even harder to determine which speaker the elements of the recording originate. You can't help but marvel at the almost ghostly aura you experience, as you wonder how four speakers can sound more like eight (or more). What is just as amazing is the unit's even greater ability to eliminate that darn sweet spot, this improvement is again due to utilising four channels rather than two.
Now if you use Dolby 5.1 don't fret, as this unit is easily compatible with existing setups, you are still able to connect it to your current 5.1ch Amplifier via discreet 5.1 outputs also featured on the unit, meaning your current setup wont need to be drastically altered.
In conclusion, this unit is unlike anything I have ever listened to in all my years and is at the forefront of today's surround technologies, it is compatible with all of today’s sources, is easy to use, compact, well priced, and thoroughly impressive, this unit simply must be heard to be believed, it will be available soon for $395 USD, so get ready to dust off your tired old music collection, and listen to your favourites like never before!
Melbourne HiFi Exchange & Mart,
1307 Mt Dandenong Tourist Road, Kalorama, Vic, 3766, +61
3 9728 4736..
