Wait a second, has anyone in the Audiogon forums actually heard BACCH, or is this just repeating things said on the Internet? Not being snarky, I’m serious.
Yes, I’ve heard it. I bought "BAACH4Mac", the lowest price version, for under $1,000 USD. You can spend over $30K for the most expensive versions, with several price points in between. The cheapest version does not have the most advanced filters, nor does it include a microphone for acoustic measurements or a web cam for head-tracking. Software only, for MacOS only.
This is not a gimmick, it really does produce remarkable effects. For example, in one of the first tracks I heard, the apparent position of a trombone player moved from approximately my left speaker to a point around 7 feet to the left, placing it outside my living room walls and onto the front porch. Uncanny. However, I don’t get that dramatic effect with most recordings. And you may not get it with all loudspeakers. Mine are hybrid electrostatic speakers that are rather tightly focused on the listener’s sweet spot.
IMO this is a potentially game-changing technology, but years after first release, it still isn’t productized to the point it is ready for prime time (unless it’s been greatly improved since I bought it). For most users, the installation and set-up process might take an hour or more, with a lot of telephone support and remote access by the vendor. The UI is ugly and complicated. And again, at least in this lowest-price version, you don’t get the most dramatic effects on all (or even most) recordings. I kept thinking something about my setup was wrong, so I kept monkeying with it until I gave up and went back to conventional stereo. I may revisit it soon, after having made other upgrades to my system.
I’d be interested to hear if anyone has auditioned and can comment on both BAACH4Mac and Apple’s spatial audio technology.