The a16 relies on a premium prir, which is a must

It’s hard to find a good studio to record yourself

Buy a premium prir, which is a very good choice

John is very professional and warm-hearted

Thank you very much for your help

I bought the prir omega and frankly it’s great. the spectrum is excellent and very good bass. the spatialization is excellent too. THANKS.

J’ai acheté le prir omega et franchement c’est genial. le spectre est exelent et de tres bonne basse. la spacialisation est exelente aussi. merci.

I have been messing with both the 65 and 96 for maybe three weeks or so. I have tried every type of content with them including: movies with an Atmos track, non-atoms movies that I upmixed using Auro3D, Atmos music, unmixed non-Atmos music, and PC/console games. The Omega handles all of those exceptionally well. I honestly can’t really find a flaw in anything I tried. The bass is great, the channel separation is spot on, and the clarity of everything is very good. I think that in the way of generic PRIRs, the Omega is truly endgame. For reference I also have purchased the Focal and Dutch & Dutch previously, both of which have also been great, but I think that the Omega is going to be the one that I use for everything from now on. I am someone who seems to be lucky enough to have a similar HRTF to John as I hear an amazing surround effect from his generic files. I find myself preferring the 96, but the 65 is a very close second. Would very much suggest at least trying the available demos, because it is I believe the best A16 experience you can get without having a custom made PRIR done.

I discovered 3dsoundshop a year ago after I received my Smyth Realiser A16. I was looking for better sounding Atmos rooms so I bought the Genelec Universal PRIR and really loved the sound. It got me interested in recording an In-Person PRIR. I got in contact with John at 3dsoundshop who put me on a waiting list. I finally got an appointment in July to record a PRIR with support for both Atmos 12.1.10 and Auro 3D 13.1.

The recording session was impressive, conducted in a music studio with acoustic treatment with John adjusting the speaker to the exact angle / distance / height for each virtual channel, verifying that the microphones were correctly adjusted in my ears. The process took some time ( approximately 5 hours) as the virtual speakers were recorded 2 by 2. I also brought my headphones to the studio to create an HPEQ during the same session. John was very professional, patient and friendly. It was clear that he knew what he was doing and that he did it many times before.

The result is a custom PRIR with a much improved 3D soundstage to my ears. I love it and I highly recommend getting an In-Person PRIR with 3dsoundshop if you can afford it. The improvements to the sound are much greater than I had expected!

👍👍

John is incredible! Extremely passionate about his work.

With the second round of in-house calibration services completed, the results are astonishing! Even the bass is reproduced nicely. It’s really amazing that this unit can reproduce 22 speakers. Obviously, my room sounds better live, but to have the ability to travel to a different location (Apartment) and reproduce the sound of my theater accurately is incredible.

The setup is not for the faint of hearts. But with an expert like John doing the calibration, it was effortless. I highly recommend the Smyth Realiser and of course John for his in-house calibration and tuning services. There is no way I could get more than 10 percent of what he attained if I tried to do this myself.

John’s dedication to his craft is second to none.

I had pre-ordered an A16 in the summer of 2017, but due to shipping delays, and getting tired of waiting around to experience more than the Dolby Headphone virtualization I’d been using from various sources for many years previously, I decided to pick up a second-hand A8 two years later to hold me over until my A16 finally arrived.

While I was able to make my own PRIR, and while the results were convincing, I was not really satisfied with the outcome. For many reasons, and I knew I could get better at some point. About two years later I tried it again, in a different location and this time the results were even better, but still not satisfactory. The biggest issue was finding a proper room. To get the most out of the Realisers, you really need to get some kind of PRIR that has been done in a studio setting.

My A16 finally arrived, and I had been planning on searching out a studio and attempting this yet again on my own, primarily because no one else was offering the same kind of service John is until he started. Not having much luck finding an adequate studio within driving distance, I had started to wonder if I’d ever get the kind of PRIR I was after. Then I noticed the posts on Head-Fi.org in the dedicated A16 thread about the 3DSoundShop, as well as the demos John was offering.

He had also shared some images of his studio setup in the same thread. What he was doing looked somewhat similar to what I had tried, but in an entirely different league, from the markers he used, to the custom, industrial strength speaker stands to the speakers themselves. It was much more elaborate as well as precise looking too, and it is well beyond the scope of what most will be able, or willing to do.

A few months went by, and then I decided to reach out to him to get a feel for his process, and to see if simply traveling to his studio and having him do all the work would be time better spent than me attempting this on my own yet again. It was.

I don’t believe I’ve ever dealt with someone who has quite the same mix of professionalism and dedication while also being as personable and patient as John can be. His communication skills are exemplary, and he spent time answering any questions I had, sometimes the same ones two or three times even over the course of a few months.

He assuaged any lingering doubts I had, and after months of regular correspondences, I finally made the leap. Just two weeks ago I traveled to his studio with a friend to get an in-person PRIR done for each of us.

It was absolutely worth the trip, as the end result was so much better than what I was able to accomplish on my own. I previously also did not like using my HD800s when watching films, but the in person PRIR I had done was transformative for them. They are now my preferred headphone, and the reputation they sometimes get about being bass light? Previously I would have agreed, but now? Completely unwarranted in my opinion. Feed them a good source, and they will return in kind.

I can finally say that I am completely happy with the results of my PRIR, and the friend who came along with me also thinks it’s a vast improvement over what he was previously using as well. Our movie viewing experiences took on a life that was previously unattainable, and the immersion is out of this world.

If you cannot get an in-person PRIR done, those available on the store would still be a stark improvement over the stock BBC and Surrey rooms, and possibly even better than what most users might be able to do on their own. Either option will take your listening experience to the next level. I cannot recommend John’s services enough. He really is offering the best of the best.

I found out about John and his 3DSoundShop from posts in the QuadraphonicQuad.com forums. I had a Smyth A8 and wondered if the A16 would be an improvement. I bought a used A16 and had gotten it to work acceptably with my Sennheiser 800S cans using the Smyth-supplied default BBC room PRIR and HPEQ files, but I was not satisfied with the 7.1 rendition of 5.1 native music. I asked John if he could make a PRIR that would render 5.1 native source according to the ITU Standard, with the surround speakers at 110° to 120° (slightly behind the listener) instead of at 90° (which is what you get with the default BBC 7.1 rendering.), and the rest is history. John now offers 5.1 PRIRs which adhere to the ITU standard. But that was only the beginning for my A16. John is nothing less than the world authority on Smyth A16 setup and he brings his very own recording studio along with him. Even my advanced age and senility could not defeat him; he doesn’t rest until your A16 experience is the best he can make it, and you don’t need to travel to his studio to enjoy a big improvement in your multichannel audio. Get John’s Dutch & Dutch PRIR and live happily ever after: if you love multichannel audio, it is guaranteed to put a big smile on your face.

Last year, early on a Sunday morning, I met up with @Litlgi74 (John of 3D Sound Shop) and @phoenixdogfan at a studio in New Jersey in order to make a custom PRIR using Dutch & Dutch speakers.

Months earlier, I had reached out to John when he mentioned on Head-Fi that he was looking for a studio where he could make PRIR measurements. We had many phone conversations about his plans for 3D Sound Shop, the long wait for D&D speakers, and about the Realiser. We quickly become friends. John called me with updates on his D&D speaker saga. Long story short, getting the D&D speakers for measurement took a herculean effort, because the entire supply in the US was spoken for. Somehow John managed to get them and the day for measurements finally arrived.

When I got to the studio at 8:30 AM, John was already hard at work. He spent the next few hours completing the initial setup. I helped out here and there, but John had a plan and had done this many times before, so I mostly chatted with phoenixdogfan and enjoyed getting to know him a bit.

For those interested in the process, I recommend looking for posts from Litlgi74. You can find photos of the carpet John made with all of the speaker and look angels delineated using colored tape — very clever. Since we only had two D&D speakers, the carpet proved essential as we moved each speaker to the precise Atmos position.

You can also see pictures of the solid steel tripod stands that John designed and then had a friend weld together. D&D speakers are heavy and expensive. Setting up the height channels involved bolting the speakers to the custom stands, strapping them in for extra safety, and then using a car jack to raise them to the proper height. The stands needed to be flawless. If the 67 pound speaker had fallen, John would have been out a lot of money and God help anyone sitting under it. The design proved to be safe and effective.

I mention the carpet and the stands because I want to make clear that John is not just some guy who rented a studio and started doing measurements. He did months of research and became a Realiser expert. He developed a working relationship with the Smyths. He built custom gear, wrote detailed plans, worked with dealers/studios/vendors, and so much more. He is an enthusiast at heart, but he is now also a professional.

The initial measurements were taken with the speakers in the stereo position. Before starting, we carefully positioned the speakers using REWS, a microphone, and the software from D&D. At this point, the three of us took a few minutes to listen to the D&D speakers playing music. Wow! Great speakers in an ideal acoustic space. From that moment, I had no doubt that my PRIR would be worth the effort.

From there, we took turns getting measured for each pair of speaker positions. Recall, we only had two D&D speakers. I doubt that very many (any?) multichannel D&D system exist in the world. So those that own the 3D Sound Shop PRIR that we made that day have something pretty unique. Anyway, we moved the speakers to each position, measured, recalibrated, inserted/checked our mics, measured angle 1-2-3, repeat, repeat. No lie, it was a lot of work.

A lot of work, but 100% worth it. Having a custom PRIR changed my Realiser from a cool gadget into an essential part of my A/V system. Before, my Realiser never matched the realism in its speaker virtualization that I heard back when I first demoed it at CanJam (so long ago). With my custom PRIR, the virtualization significantly improves over the stock BBC one. I attribute that to the quality of the speakers and, I think more importantly, the accuracy of the setup and measurement.

I hope that every Realiser owner tries to get a custom PRIR made (or makes one on their own). Preferably in a really good room.

—

TL;DR: Get yourself a custom PRIR made however you are able. I can’t recommend John/3D Sound Shop enough. John is trustworthy, fun to chat with, generous with his time, and knows all things Realiser. Plus, he knows how to make a darn good PRIR!

The service provided by John is simply outstanding with genuine help and authentic conversations!

I was new to my A16 and John provided the handles and help me in my learning curve!

I also purchased the Dutch & Dutch PRIR and also the remapped which has amazing imaging and reverb free comparing to the factory default PRIRS

A++

I purchased all the PRIRs John has to offer in his shop. If /when he offers something new, I’ll be first in line.

* The Genelec PRIR is excellent, and D&D is even better

I had thought of selling my Realiser as it did not seem any better than my stereo headphone amplifier. After using the Genelec PRIR, there has been a big improvement and I have heard things I could not hear before. So I am a happy customer.

I can finally enjoy my A16! With my HD800S, the D&D capture gives an unparalleled listening experience, whether in a home theater or music configuration. It’s quite simple, I had never felt until now all the richness of my soundtracks. Congratulations John for this extraordinary work!

Overall, I am happy with my purchase. For me, this PRIR gives the most uncanny presentation, which I was looking for. Oh, and the bass… wow! It shines on my old HD800! Happiness 🙂

On Sunday, October 10, I visited the 3D Sound Shop Studio in Newark, New Jersey where John had secured a set of the universally acclaimed Dutch and Dutch 8 C’s. The following is a review of the PRIR’s that were made for me and some thoughts on the value of this enterprise for Smyth Research A16 owners.

I’ll cut right to the chase. The D& D PRIR sounds absolutely incredible. John made for me a 24 speaker PRIR which includes every ATMOS speaker included in the current A16 profile. It’s easily the best sounding system I have in house, even though I own LS50 Metas with SB2000 sub and OG LS 50’s as my surrounds. Yes, the D&D PRIR is better than actual high-end speakers. Likewise, it sounds better than the 23 channel at home PRIR I personally made of my LS 50 Metas.

The D&Ds are just superior speakers, as close to State of the Art as anything I’ve heard in my 45 years as an audiophile, and John’s professionalism in making these measurements is better than anyone can duplicate at home. The difference is clearly audible– it has a noticeably lower noise floor than my 23 channel homemade PRIR. And thanks to the cardioid bass on the D&D’s the lows are much more articulate and better defined than my Meta+SB2000 setup (which is no slouch, btw). The dimensionality of the D&D’s also shine through on the PRIR. Lives up to the 3D moniker.

A brilliant capture of a world-class speaker, and in 24 channels no less.

Now for some further thoughts on the import of this service:

For the longest time everyone has wondered when the Smyth’s would open up the Realiser Exchange, and, obviously, it has not materialized to date. But guess what? John with the 3 D Sound Shop offerings has stepped into the gap. Having been in the studio with him, and seeing how professional and methodical he was in capturing the D&D system convinces me that what he’s putting out is the next best thing to an in-person PRIR, and will certainly create a high-quality product. Moreover, his menu includes some of the most coveted speakers in the world. I don’t know what the Realiser Exchange if it went live tomorrow could do that’s superior to his operation. This is the Realiser Exchange only better.

Not to be missed.

I purchased the Genelec 24 universal PRIR, which I highly recommend. It is the best PRIR I have heard by a large margin, and yes I was quite skeptical at first. I decided to trust John and certainly don’t regret it, a really awesome work. No reverb, very detailed sound. The speakers really come out of the headphones, their localization is very precise, very impressive work. I’m enjoying my A16 like never before.

Thanks John

Unfortunately not having the possibility of obtaining a personalized measurement, I turned to the purchase of a PRIR, universal, through this website, via speakers of the Genelec brand.

I am more than satisfied with the quality of it !

It sounds amazingly good.

A precise, powerful, very cinema sound, without any resonance.

It sublimates my A16.

I absolutely do not regret my purchase, and I invite every owner of an A16 to do the same.

You can have a first rendering of what you will get with your purchase, thanks to the various free demos offered through this website.

It is even possible to obtain a personalized demo, through your own HPEQ, in exchange for a small payment, deducted during a possible final purchase.

John is an extremely kind, knowledgeable person who put in a lot of hard work to produce these wonderful various PRIRs for us.

Thank you !

After corresponding with John a few times back and forth, I decided to go for it and purchased his Genelec 24 universal PRIR. I had used another of John’s PRIRs that he had mated to my very own HPEQ so I knew for sure the excellent quality that I was about to receive. All I can say is that the listening experience is astounding, as John has hit it out of the park! I also can’t recommend highly enough his first rate communication and customer service. Five stars all the way!

Wow! What a great service. The 3D Sound Shop picks up where the Smyths left off – and then some!

If you own Smyth Realiser, the 3DSS PRIRs should be your next purchase. They bring a tremendous value to the A16. These PRIRs take the Realiser to the next level. We can now experience multiple, $100,000 speaker systems, starting at $129! Now I can listen to 24 channels of high quality audio in my bedroom whenever I want to. And the best part is, I can do this without the need of speakers, wires, brackets, stands, receivers, amplifiers, room treatments, or the worry of WAF!

Thank you John.. Thank you for all your effort. Thank you for doing what none of us could or were willing to do. Thank you for answering all of my questions with a kind and thoughtful response. Thank you.

One of the great things about owning a Smyth Realiser A16 is that you can load custom PRIR virtual speaker listening rooms, your choice of speakers… 24 channels of pure bliss through your headphones… from Gaming systems, movies, music, TV shows and more you can experience multi speaker immersion like never before…; but… you need to have the custom PRIR virtual speaker listening room files for playback… and that is where John comes into this… through some careful thought and process John has recorded several different brands of speakers and created some of the finest PRIR setups for purchase in the world… and they all sound fantastic

I’ll keep it simple, John’s service is excellent, I’ve learned so many things from him. His PRIRs work.

This is the shop you are waiting for!