Hi Joe,
I tend to take things a bit literally, especially ad copy, presuming it is the intention of the advertiser to convey a message. Words matter, and all that that implies. Having read the first page of this thread, both the comments from those who have heard your devices in their systems, and then the ads that Steve posted from TAS, sent a contradictory message, in my opinion. I thought about my experience with both my system and my time hearing live music in Symphony Hall in Boston and in chamber settings. Thank you for clarifying the intent of the devices and explaining what you mean by "Total Immersion Effect."
I have been hearing what you describe in my system for quite a few years now. I specifically remember the dramatic change when I invited Jim Smith to my house to voice my system to my room. That was the beginning of my own immersion effect. I have had quite a few discussions with Jim since then about the distinction between the origin of the sound, that incredible energy, as it is produced by instruments on a stage or audio system and the sound which then busts forth into the hall or listening room. In the best circumstances and systems, this sound and energy can surround and envelope the listener. This is what I hear at the best live venues, and this is what I now hear in my system. The sound is not restricted to the plane of the speakers, and the space behind them, but rather, it moves around and fills the room. It is room filling with the listener placed within it. However, this is markedly different from the sound and experience one has when on stage surrounded by musicians making sound from all directions. That is like a movie theater experience with helicopters and bullets flying in all directions. Reproduced music in the home should be more directional with the musicians seated on stage in front of the listener or audience but still be immersive and room filling.
The analogy of a film screen is an interesting one. Like film, I "see" the musicians in front of me while sitting in my listening room. However, the sound that the instruments make is all around me, not restricted to the virtual location of the musicians, and not restricted to behind the plane of the speakers. This immersive effect is rare in a system and it is in large part what distinguishes exceptional systems from the rest. In my experience it is due mostly to speaker and listener position within the room and the quality of the recording, and to a lesser extent the quality of the gear and its low noise floor. Your new footers seem intended to improve this effect by lowering the noise floor so that the ambient hall information imbedded in the recording can be reproduced by the system and heard by the listener. I am all for that.
I happen to think that your ad copy is misleading or at least can give the wrong impression of your intentions with the product. Others have dismissed it simply as "marketing hyperbole", but frankly, I think you would be better served to more clearly describe or express what the devices are actually doing for the listener experience. Your intentions and the effect of the footers should be more clearly expressed by your marketing efforts. From everything that I have read about your racks and now these footers, I have the impression that your company and efforts are very serious. The ad copy should reflect this more accurately and not be confusing for the reader.
My posts and questions in this thread were simply an attempt to better understand what the footers are intended to do so that I could decide if I wanted to pursue an audition. Other products in the past have attempted to put the listener within the stage or the virtual scene, so to speak. I am reminded of headphones, surround sound multi channel music, and some phase distorting/manipulation devices which create a sense of "space". I was concerned with the implication that your footers would give the listener a perspective which I do not experience when listening to live music. I prefer sitting fairly close to the stage and musicians and hearing the direct sound from the instruments while also being surrounded by the reflected sounds of a good hall. This is what the best recordings and systems attempt to recreate.
I don't know what to suggest about how to advertise your new footers, but I appreciate that you want to hear feedback about your marketing. So far, I find the marketing a bit confusing compared to the written and stated objectives that you have made in this thread. I do wish you and Steve great success because if these footers do help a system move closer to that which we experience with live music, that is to be encouraged and celebrated.
