Ask S&V

Q I am looking for a standalone headphone surround sound processor that handles both Dolby Digital and DTS and lets me use my own headphones. Does such a product exist? —Anthony Aurigemma

A There are only two options I know of that meet your requirements, and neither of them are particularly affordable.

The Beyerdynamic Headzone H1 ($1,399) is a standalone Dolby Digital/DTS-compatible processor with coaxial and optical digital inputs to connect a Blu-ray player or other source. You can either use the Headzone with your own cans, or fork over an extra $430 for the company’s DT 880 HT headphones, which feature tracking technology to compensate for head movement.

Moving up the food chain, you’ll find the Smyth Realiser A8 ($2,910). This sophisticated standalone processor features both HDMI and 8-channel analog inputs (plus pass-through outputs) and head-tracking tech. Initial setup of the Realiser involves taking measurements of your ears/hearing (the package includes tiny mics that insert into earplugs) as well as your listening room and speakers. Once completed, the Realiser literally recreates the experience of listening in your own room using your own speakers, but over headphones.

If the above options are too rich for you, there’s Sony’s 9.1 channel wireless headphones ($499). Sony’s rechargeable ‘phones come with a Dolby True HD/DTS-HD MA-compatible base station that has HDMI and coaxial/optical digital inputs and transmits uncompressed signals wirelessly over 2.4 and 5 GHz bands.