Sennheiser, Neumann and Igloo Vision Cooperate on Shared VR

Stunning entertainment, fully realistic training or inspirational sound- and video-scapes – the new spatial audio solutions created by Shared VR company Igloo Vision and audio experts Sennheiser and Neumann are set to turn the current solitary VR experience into a new form of collective enjoyment. The solution lets museums, artists, education facilities, event spaces, architects and corporations offer attractive immersive experiences that can be fully tailored to their needs.

Igloo Vision has partnered with Sennheiser and Neumann to create the ultimate in immersive sound and vision: an Igloo Shared VR space equipped with an AMBEO 9.1 sound system created from compact Neumann KH 80 DSP studio monitors.

The environments act like a giant VR headset: Wraparound sound and vision immerse entire teams in 360° or VR content. With Igloo spaces ranging in size from 5 to 21 metres in diameter, up to 750 people can join the experience and be engaged, inspired or entertained. Adding the Sennheiser AMBEO 9.1 system means that true 3D spatial soundscapes can be reproduced, enabling sound designers to precisely pinpoint the locations and sources of different sounds, accurately linking what is seen with what is heard.

The first step in the partnership has been to install and calibrate the 9.1 loudspeaker system in the standard 6-metre Igloo Shared VR cylinder. The resulting AMBEO Igloo cylinder works with an acoustically transparent screen that lets the high-quality audio pass through unhindered, allowing for full immersion in both audio and video.

As Véronique Larcher, Director of AMBEO Immersive Audio at Sennheiser, points out: “The spatial audio experience really makes or breaks the illusion – and this captivating combination of 360° video and spatial 3D audio creates a totally convincing experience of being in a different environment.”

Colin Yellowley, Founder and Head of R&D of Igloo Vision, added: “Besides the huge field of immersive experiences for brands, Igloo is active in the field of simulation, where real-life scenarios are recreated for training and education purposes, and also in visualisation, helping customers see how finished design concepts will look and feel. With three-dimensional audio added to the 360° vision, we can now create even more lifelike experiences for clients.”

Thanks to the partnership, Igloo is able to offer a wide range of ready-made spatial audio solutions: As well as the Igloo cylinder, Sennheiser AMBEO systems can be specified and calibrated for any Igloo products – which range from 2.5-metre projection cubes right up to 21-metre projection domes. Clients and sound designers are invited to experience – and also to test their existing content – at Igloo Vision’s Shared VR demo centre in Wood Green, London.