Comhear's Yarra 3DX Brings Surround Sound To Soundbars

Sound can be an incredibly immersive tool for movies and games. A capable sound system can make you feel like you’re right in the middle of a war zone, or in the crowd of a concert. Normally, a high-end sound system requires purchasing a number of different speakers and installing them around a room or wearing a bulky headset. The Yarra 3DX, however, can achieve the same quality with one simple sound bar placed below a screen.

The Yarra 3DX, from Comhear, looks like a typical sound bar on the outside, but the inside is divided up into numerous chambers for each audio driver. Each driver is paired with an amplifier, and using some fancy math referred to as “My Beam” technology, and produces sounds like it’s coming from all corners of the room.

Of course, the recording process will also determine how recordings sound. Something recorded in stereo can’t magically become surround sound. Gerry Chastelet, CEO of Comhear, told International Business Times that the Yarra 3DX will still make anything sound amazing, regardless of how it was recorded.

“Anything that is recorded in stereo, will be played back in amazing stereo that has the best elimination of crosstalk from a soundbar available. Sound that is recorded with a binaural microphone will be played back in full 3D sound,” Chastelet said. “Movies and TV, which will record in surround sound, will be played back as such. Mono recorded sound will be played back in as close an approximation as possible to stereo or surround sound through the My Beam technology.”

Because the sound bar can playback any kind of audio, Chastelet says all you’ll have to do is connect your devices and enjoy. “The Yarra 3DX will play back sound as recorded, offering a perfect playback experience that won’t require additional tuning from the user to experience the recorded sound as it was meant to be heard,” he said.

Yarra 3DX must be tuned to the right location in a room to allow these beams of audio to work properly. An app enables easy setup, and allows up to three people to get the 3D effect. “The Yarra 3DX comes with an iOS and Android companion app that will allow for specific HRTF programming to enable multiple ‘sweet spots,’” Chastelet said. But what if you aren’t sitting in one of those tuned spots? You’ll still hear audio in clear stereo, even if it isn’t in full “3D” mode.

The Yarra 3DX is currently getting crowdfunded on Indiegogo, offering a number of different setups and price points. The basic sound bar is $369, and expected to ship by March 2018. This includes the app, along with a subwoofer.

So what do you think? Are you interested in checking out the Yarra 3DX for yourself? What do you currently use for your sound setup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section