Dolby Headphone - 5.1 surround sound through normal headphones...

[pointon]

Credit to dwsadler1 for this info, as seen in the posting 'Dolby Headphone track on Pearl Harbour' in the DVD forum:

I just think this is something more people should know.

It seems Dolby has come up with a way to present 5.1 surround sound over 5 channels (bass goes through front two channels) through a normal set of headphones. Think of the possibilities and applications. Sounds dubious? If you don't believe us, check out: http://www.dolby.com/dolbyheadphone/

[Stuart Wright]

I'm afraid this is old news. There's a news item from July over at HCC. Still, it's interersting stuff, isn't it?

[KAO]

I remember listening way back in the 70's to a demo of the JVC Binaural recording technique. This used two microphones positioned on a dummy head where the ears would be, placed in housings that imitated the shape of the human ear.

The demo (people wandering around the room talking from different positions) was quite stunning in its realism. I don't know if it's still in use by JVC or anyone else...maybe it went the way of Quadrophonic and other early 'surround sound' formats?

Check this out for more details: http://www.binaural.com/SunBinArticle.html

[pointon]

Originally posted by Spectre
I'm afraid this is old news. There's a news item from July over at HCC. Still, it's interersting stuff, isn't it?

It's only old news for people who have never heard about it before, and I'm sure there are people like me on here who don't bother with magazines - I don't trust just one other person's opinion to agree with my own. I don't bother with the websites much either.

Well if you don't bother with web sites why bother posting or reading anything on this forum??

[pointon]

I mean the Home Cinema Choice and the other websites.

Because I don't have an interest in reading what these and other publications have to say - magazine, web based or otherwise -doesn't mean I don't have an interest in the topics covered. It just means that I have no interest in being told by a minimal number of people what's 'good' and what is 'bad'. I prefer my own opinion, or at least the opinion of a suitable number of people who use equipment in the poistion of consumer, rather than reviewer.

I'm not critiscising the publications or anything that may be written within their pages or on their websites. Personally I prefer to trust my own judgment in the end.

Or is the forum exclusively for the followers of the magazines to the left?

Bl00dy hell KAO, I remember that. As I recall it was an early form of cover mount that came with some hi-fi magazine way back in the mists of time. If I remember correctly, JVC released the dummy head/microphone thingy so that you could make your own binaural recordings. Only worked effectively through open backed headphones.

At the time I listened to the demo on a pair of Howland West (whatever happened to them?) headphones and, you are correct, the effect was pretty impressive. Shame it didn't take off.

I'm sorry I just can't leave this alone.

KAO, if we were both listening to the same demo you'll recall that there was one part where the guy wandering around the room comes right up and whispers in your ear! WOW - FREAKY! Then he pulls away and walks around behind you still talking. I played the tape to some of my mates and it blew them away.

[steve k]

Yes i remember this to,

like you say what ever happend to it,
can remember listening to it a couple of times it sounded as if the person was standing right behind you whisspering in your ear, if i remember right it also sounded as though he was standing in a large room.

[KAO]

Pigeon, yes that's the one! The most impressive bits were a bloke and a woman in the room, wandering around. And like you say, at one point he whispers in your ear and makes you jump out of your skin. As I recall, there were guitar bits and other stuff on it as well.

I do have it on a CD at home somewhere (might well have been a cover mount, I don't recall where I got it from) so now my interest had been piqued I must dig it out and have another listen! Maybe I'll wear my flares too!

[Stuart Wright]

Originally posted by pointon


It's only old news for people who have never heard about it before, and I'm sure there are people like me on here who don't bother with magazines - I don't trust just one other person's opinion to agree with my own. I don't bother with the websites much either.

Well perhaps if you had bothered with the news - which is good quality IMO and written specifically for the websites and contains very little opinion and much fact - then you would have been more clued up on Dolby Headphone and perhaps lots more AV related subjects.
Sounds to me like you have successfully argued my point for me.

[Keiron]

Stax used to distribute some binaural ('dummy head') recordings, and probably still do (through the Path Group, I think). I don't own any myself (though I do have Stax 'earspeakers') but have heard them demonstrated and they are amazing. Just done a quick search and the only thing I could find was

http://www.signals.demon.co.uk/STAX.htm

Not entirely unrelated, years ago I went to Alcatraz (as a tourist, obviously) and they give you a little Walkman with a pair of headphones - you listen to the commentary as you wander around. The sound effects were just fantastic - I'd always guessed that was a binaural recording.

Is there any kind of kit available as an add-on to try and recreate this effect?

[KAO]

I think the stuff had to be recorded with the Binaural Dummy Head system in order to get it. As Pigeon said, JVC did sell a system for recording in this format, but other than the demo we've talked about I've never seen anything in that format.

KAO,

If you've got the demo on a cd and have the facility to burn a copy I'd be mighty interested in reacquainting myself with that demo. Let me know if its possible. If the sound file is not too big (or can be converted to mp3) you could e-mail it to me. I know I'm a cheeky bugger but I have to ask.

[ReTrO]

Originally posted by Keiron
Stax used to distribute some binaural ('dummy head') recordings, and probably still do (through the Path Group, I think). I don't own any myself (though I do have Stax 'earspeakers') but have heard them demonstrated and they are amazing. Just done a quick search and the only thing I could find was

http://www.signals.demon.co.uk/STAX.htm

Not entirely unrelated, years ago I went to Alcatraz (as a tourist, obviously) and they give you a little Walkman with a pair of headphones - you listen to the commentary as you wander around. The sound effects were just fantastic - I'd always guessed that was a binaural recording.

Is there any kind of kit available as an add-on to try and recreate this effect?

We've got a collection of Stax demo CD's at work which are a couple of years old. I suspect they are B-format recordings, if they are I will rip a few to mp3 if you want.