Apologies for missing your response so long ago. No notifications were coming to me via email.

I'm aware there are software decoders out there but, yes, I din't really want more complication if I could get B-format decoding (e.g. from the G61) if I could help it. My flat imposes limits on laying wiring (concrete floors & ceilings). Originally, I couldn't play .amb files properly to an external interface, either, hence converting to .WAV. No actual transcoding. Audacity plays back .amb properly but does not label the WXYZ channels unambiguously when displaying the waveforms vs. channels.

My opinion of UHJ isn't low, it's just that full B-format is very noticably better; no phasiness in the rear imaging and better imaging focus towards the rear of the soundfield, though see my comments, below, re mics used. I have both a good number of Nimbus and a handful of other CD UHJ recordings and 7 UHJ LPs that are quite a hotch potch of material. The best of the LPs for imaging but least musical, to my ear, is by Russel Haswell 'In It - Live Salvage (2010)'. If you want to make your ears bleed, give it a try (Discogs). You may need a stiff drink before and afterwards. A great UHJ LP for atmosphere and sense of space and intimacy is from The Easy Club 'Skirle Beat (1987 - REL Records Ltd).

For me, with UHJ the sense of spaciousness and imaging are good to great on ambient recordings depending on the microphone technique used, either Nimbus-Halliday or tetrahedral, and great on material mastered ambisonically from mono (e.g. single track ambisonically panned). The Nimbus-Halliday seems to give odd right side imaging whereas a tetrahedral mic sounds much better on recordings on which I could acertain which mics were used.


G61RSL, G98-DH, G01, Quad 606, Quad 306 (x3), Quad-ESL63 (x 2 pairs, F&R), KEF LS50 (S), Quad 10L sub, Martin Logan Motif (CF) + miniDSP