2 Channel or Multichannel-update

[Bernd]

Bernd,

I have heard very good HT setups also sound very good in 2 channel. A friend of mine has an Arcam receiver connected to Vandersteen speakers. He had a professional installer set this up for movies but also listens to all his music that way (he's not the tinkerer type). But last time I was there, I brought some of my classical CDs and we configured the system for stereo listening. The stereo sound was excellent after a little tweaking. Maybe it was the dual subs, or just the high quality speakers, but it is definitely possible to enjoy both stereo & surround sound. That said, I am not able to get that synergy at home, and this may be the reason why I still go back to my 2 channel system when I really want to listen to music.

To answer Terence's questions, I do have different setups for SACD and HT. For one, the Axiom VP150 center speaker in my setup seems to overpower the M22Ti L&R speakers, so I always have to decrease it 2-3 db. I also set the sub a touch higher. I should also mention that I also find a noticeable difference between DTS (my preference), DD (most DVDs), and ProLogic (most TV) and they all have their own tweaks (which my preamp fortunately saves) so using the "HT" label throughout this discussion may be misleading.

Hi,

I am glad that you have heard good 2 channel through a MC system. That's something I have yet to find. We played the PG-Play disc through the MC sytem and it sounded as I have never experienced it. We then used the red book version of that cd for 2 channel only and not only did the soundstage collapse, the quality of the reproduction got nowhere near what I get at home through Vinyl,tubes and 2 channel. Point taken that my home set up is more expensive (take note Feanor).
Yesterday I played Peter Gabriels Play through Vinyl at home and it gave me something that even the MC did not provide.
So the lesson(s) learned for me here are, I don't think you can compare MC (using the correct software) with Vinyl and 2 channel. To me they are both following separate lines. Both give enjoyment, but through different presentations.
In an ideal world I would run two separate set ups.
It was fun and I am glad I had the opportunity to experience that.

Peace

Bernd