Best bang for the buck upgrade!

[jimbill]

I recently purchased the BACCH4mac Intro program from Theoretica Applied Physics. It was developed by a Physics professor from Princeton. He runs their Aerospace Propulsion Lab as well as their 3D Audio and Acoustics Lab. He is also a sound consultant for Chesky Records.

I had to buy a MacBook to run it on; it doesn't work on PC. I then ran the computer, with a USB cable, through the DAC on my SACD player. After downloading the program I received a call from them and they took control of my computer during setup. I actually got the call from the professor! He walked me through everything. I am not computer literate and this was my first Mac, but after the call, I was very comfortable with the program. I had to call him a couple of times over the next couple of days for a refresher and he was more than happy to help. Once it's set up you're good to go unless you want to experiment.

As for the listening results, nothing I have done to my system, other than upgrading my speakers, has come close to making as big a difference. The sound stage has widened to almost 9 and 3 o'clock, well wide of the speakers. Instrument locations have become more defined and realistic. Unluckily I can only have my speaker panels three feet from the front wall, but he told me the 3D effect would have more depth if I was able to pull them further into the room. But as is, the depth is pretty impressive. He played a Chesky demo track where Chesky himself starts talking from the left, 30 feet away, and walks towards you until he is whispering into your left ear from about 12 inches. Amazing! Another nice feature is a tab to bypass the program. You can immediately hear the loss.

The program works best with directional speakers, so ML's are particularly well suited for it. Theoretica uses the highly directional Sanders speakers in their listening room.

The Intro ($980) comes with a 14-day trial with full refund. Needless to say, they're keeping my money.

 

[Brandon Hartwick]

Sounds like some super high end DSP basically, definitely interesting. Is it limited to a very specific listening position, or is it a bit more forgiving? When positioned properly I don't find ESLs listening window anywhere near as bad as some people make it sound.

 

[jimbill]

There is still a sweet spot, but it is more forgiving. It also has a nice balancing feature. I tend to hear more from the left side (which he says is a common problem). I am able to more the image by very slight degrees to get more centered. Much easier than getting up and down to move the speakers.

He says the next level, head tracking, widens the sweet spot even more.

It was interesting that he didn't push for the upgrade. He says many people never upgrade because you're getting about 80% of the effect from the Intro.

I may try it down the road. Whereas the Intro is full money back, the head tracking has a $200 restocking fee.

 

[Robert D]

There is still a sweet spot, but it is more forgiving. It also has a nice balancing feature. I tend to hear more from the left side (which he says is a common problem). I am able to more the image by very slight degrees to get more centered. Much easier than getting up and down to move the speakers.

He says the next level, head tracking, widens the sweet spot even more.

It was interesting that he didn't push for the upgrade. He says many people never upgrade because you're getting about 80% of the effect from the Intro.

I may try it down the road. Whereas the Intro is full money back, the head tracking has a $200 restocking fee.

Any plans for him to make a version for Windows? I wonder, does it run on any device with IOS? Would an Apple phone work, or an Ipad?

 

[jimbill]

You can contact the company. They replied to my questions by the next day. The program does require a computer with at least 8 GB of RAM.

My initial plan was to get a MacBook from Costco, which has a 90-day return policy, and the Intro, which has 14-day trial period. If I didn't like it, all I'd be out was the cost of the USB cord, which I could have probably returned to Amazon.

 

[Gordon Gray]

TAS just published a review on the "full version" of this software. Worth the read. Different levels of programs at various costs. The "full version" is very pricey.

 

[jimbill]

TAS just published a review on the "full version" of this software. Worth the read. Different levels of programs at various costs. The "full version" is very pricey.

Thanks for the heads up. I agree with basically everything he says. It's interesting that he's getting such good results from Magico's. I was told the filter works best with highly directional speakers, and I assume the Magico's don't fit that bill. But then, I've never heard Magico speakers.

I would still like to hear the BACCH4mac Audiophile system. The idea of a much larger sweet spot is very alluring.