Hey Wolfgang,

Our friend Paul suggested something similar to this to me a few years ago.

dennis

Hi Wolfgang,

It appears that the main premise of Ambio is the cancellation of mono signal for the main speakers above 1k5hz. Then 'ambient' higher frequency information is delayed 1.8ms+ and reproduced by the 'wall' speakers. Is this over-simplified definition close to the basic process?

Dear Buzz,

I had to inquire Ralph Glasgal about the issue and here is his reply:

"I am sorry but what is stated below is complete nonsense.  Ambiophonics combines three protocols to achieve binaural realism in sound reproduction.  Speaker/room correction and ambience generation from concert hall impulse responses are two of them.  The third, which can also stand alone, is to replace the stereo loudspeaker triangle with an Ambiodipole.  Basically, the idea is to ensure that each ear can only hear the speaker that is directly in front of it.  This is loudspeaker binaural in other words.  An Ambiodipole does with loudspeakers what earphones have been trying to do for years.

This has nothing to do with mono signals or anything to do with any frequency response bands.  Essentially over the full range of frequencies, one processes the signals going to two loudspeakers at about 20 degrees apart so that despite their proximity the right ear cannot hear the left speaker and vice versa.  No ambient information is involved and I haven't the foggiest idea where the 1.8 ms number comes from.  The optional wall speakers, if used, mimic concert hall walls and reproduce signals derived by computer from stored impulse responses of the great concert halls and opera houses of the world.  They would not be used if you are listening to a guitar with a vocal unless you want to hear them as if they were in the Freibourg Cathedral."


I can add that you don't have to manipulate the soundtrack in any way. You just play it with RACE software and whatever room correction you do on Audio Mulch (except if you use a physical sound barrier)

There is lots of information on this on:

http://www.tactlab.com/Products/RCS22XP/ambiophonic_system.html

Thank you for inquiring.


Sincerely,
Wolfgang

Hi everyone!

The ideal speakers for Ambiophonics are of course electrostatic full ranges with two cone subwoofers. If anyone can compare different types of speakers and subwoofers (in terms of, horn loaded, sealed enclosure, bass-reflex, Transmissionline - there's also a new Subwoofer technology invented by BOSE using air pressure - or Dome, cone, ribbon...)  in Ambiophonics or has experience with one type of speaker please post how it sounded, what its weaknesses and strengths are.
As far as I know, no tests were made by the Ambiophonic developers and inventers with that. It would be greatly appreciatet if you could contribute to this experiment.

All I can say for now is that the speakers shouldn't stray sound about in the room and that the subwoofer should take over below 90Hz. Horns wouldn't be a good choice for the Ambiodipoles, although they can be used as Subwoofers.

Thanks a lot!


Kindest Regards,
Wolfgang

Hi dennis,

Okaaaaayy... Let's make it a little simpler:

You need 2 speakers and 2 Subwoofers. The speakers in front should be placed in a 20° angle in front of you. The subwoofers should go to the corners. If you want, you can do the same thing in the back. Put a soundbarrier like in the picture above between the speakers and move as close to it as possible. The sound barrier should be made of 6cm MDF and 10cm Rockwool on either side and go from the speakers to you (that should be at least 2 meters) and it should be 3 meters high or alternatively reach up to the ceiling.
Of course, first you may use a matress. If it doesn't sound good, it's probably because the matress is too small or too thin. Try reducing the bass of the stereo speakers.
Later on you may use a computer with the RACE software to replace the sound barrier.
Try this, then continue.

If there is something you don't understand, please ask, and don't wait until someone makes it easier to understand; for the sakes of all of us. To all of you; lurkers, you won't find what you need by scanning one topic after the other. Concentrate on something!

I don't say it's bad to write a lot, like Paul does; if you care about something there is a lot of useful info in it. It's just funny because I was the first to reply on that topic in 2 years. So please keep this topic alive.
In a few weeks, I will install a new Ambiophonic Room in my new house, and will go through each step exactly. For now lets just say that this topic is very uncontrolled and unordered but I do hope, some people will find their answers (and new questions) here, and will be interested in creating an ambiophonic system. Just stay active for a few weeks, then things will unfold very quickly.

Stay tuned!


Sincerely,
Wolfgang

All right everyone! Within 15min. you can enjoy Ambiophonics at home if you follow the steps:

Please Note: This is just a quick test to compare with stereo. This is not the final product.

1. Download 90 days free trial AudioMulch here (Click on one of the links...):

http://www.audiomulch.com/downloads/am100.exe
http://soundbag.com/down/am100.exe
http://www.maz-sound.com/archives/am100.exe
http://www.cabezal.com/misc/am100.exe$

2. Go to

http://www.ambiophonics.org/files/RACE/RM-RACE_F%2Bmidi.amh

Mark the entire text, and save it as a Text File (Program: Editor) and name it RACE.

3. Open AudioMulch after installation. Then go to "open" and open the File "RACE". Then open another osund file and play it through AudioMulch.

Make sure you use 2 computer speakers placed closely next to each other in an angle of less than 20°. Stay about 1 to 2m away from the speakers. Important: The speakers are not allowed to get out of phase! If the speakers are bad, the sound quality will be bad of course. Don't expect any great sound with your computer speakers. In built laptop speakers are critical and I doubt it will work.

You will hear the sound stage widening up to 150° and the sound localization will be truer. You can also build the tube barrier from the previous post and play Ambiophonics using a hi-end stereo system.


Please don't keep questions to yourself.

Kindest Regards,
Wolfgang

Ok, I came up with a new Idea, built it, and it worked great.