Bearcat M. ??ndor wrote: > Let's say i set up a full sphere Ambisonic system. I scour the web looking > for b-format files to play over Fons' awesome ambdec app. > > After i've listened to the few b-format files and my collection of Nimbus > Records UHJ discs, i'm sitting there staring at my collection of 15K stereo > tracks. > > So i turn on the Super Stereo mode (does Ambdec do that?).
Not much point setting up a *full sphere* Ambisonic system if you then confine yourself to UHJ and stereo sources; these are horizontal only. (Fons will give the definitive answer but, no, Ambdec does not do Super Stereo.) ... > What am i going to hear over my Ambisonic speaker system? Eero has addressed this. I will add that what you are listening to is an (synthetic) Ambisonic sound field. You therefore gain the benefits of Ambisonics, such as the speakers disappearing as sources of sound. Also, it sounds really good, and much better than two-speaker stereo. > If i play an ITU format like a movie in 5.2 or 7.1 what will happen over > the ambisonics system? I've read one source that said it actually sounded > "better" but i'd love to know how and why. Ambisonics cannot really do much with 5.1 sources. 5.1 can be played through virtual speakers, giving you the ability to move speakers without physically moving them. However, this will not *improve* 5.1; if the virtual speakers are perfect then what you will hear will only be what you would have heard through real speakers placed at the same (virtual) positions. Ambisonics cannot improve 5.1 because it is simply too broken. Regards, Martin -- Martin J Leese E-mail: martin.leese stanfordalumni.org Web: http://members.tripod.com/martin_leese/ _______________________________________________ Sursound mailing list Sursound@music.vt.edu https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound