Are Home Theatres any good for music??

[westcott]

Just for the sake of argument... what is the ideal sound dispersion of a speaker for Home Theater use? What is the ideal sound dispersion of a speaker for Stereo music listening? Are they the same?

What are the optimal acoustic properties of "the room" for Home Theater applications? What are the optimal acoustic properties of "the room" for Stereo Music listening? Are they the same?

How important is placement of speakers for Home Theater applications?
How important is placement of speakers for Stereo Music listening? Are they equally important? Etc...

From my point of view, it isn't just a matter of whether a speaker or component is "good" or "bad" per se. It is more a matter of whether the equipment's properties lend themselves to meeting the needs of the particular application at hand. If one accepts the premise that there is no difference in the requirements for creating optimal sound for either format (HT or Stereo) then the equipment will work equally well for either format. However, if one does not accept this premise (and I do not), then it becomes appropriate to ask what properties are best suited to each format and then what equipment possesses those desired properties.

I most cases, it is easy to find equipment which does a reasonably good job with both formats. It is only when one looks at really optimizing the sound of either format that the disparity between the formats and the needs of the equipment becomes obvious.

Just another point of view thrown in to stir the pot a bit.

Q

I am glad you brought this up. A dedicated audio room has one primary listening position, a home theater does not unless you are a hermit\bachelor. So, speaker placement and toe in can be completely different. The main reason I bought Klipsch speakers for my home theater was because the horn design has been used in theaters since their inception. They are very directional compared to other speaker designs but this is not an issue if you place enough of these speakers in a room to overcome the problems of imaging and sound stage. Is this ideal? It may be for a home theater with multiple seating positions but would not suit the audiophile and his primary listening position.

Would I ever go back to two channel systems? I have both and I have to tell you, 6 or more speakers against two is rarely a fair match when using comparable components.

Am I happy with the sound in my home theater? I am very happy even though I had to make some compromises. I can still move the speakers for better audio in a primary listening position If need be.

So, yes a home theater can sound as good as a dedicated two channel room but most of the time some compromises are going to have to made for the former.

Happy Holidays!

[GMichael]

I am glad you brought this up. A dedicated audio room has one primary listening position, a home theater does not unless you are a hermit\bachelor. So, speaker placement and toe in can be completely different. The main reason I bought Klipsch speakers for my home theater was because the horn design has been used in theaters since their inception. They are very directional compared to other speaker designs but this is not an issue if you place enough of these speakers in a room to overcome the problems of imaging and sound stage. Is this ideal? It may be for a home theater with multiple seating positions but would not suit the audiophile and his primary listening position.

Would I ever go back to two channel systems? I have both and I have to tell you, 6 or more speakers against two is rarely a fair match when using comparable components.

Am I happy with the sound in my home theater? I am very happy even though I had to make some compromises. I can still move the speakers for better audio in a primary listening position If need be.

So, yes a home theater can sound as good as a dedicated two channel room but most of the time some compromises are going to have to made for the former.

Happy Holidays!

Good points.

But let me throw this in. Sometimes I listen to music when I can not be in the room, let alone the sweet spot. If I have work to do that has me running from room to room, a movie just aint gonna cut it. So I turn on the music.

[Quagmire]

I am glad you brought this up. A dedicated audio room has one primary listening position, a home theater does not unless you are a hermit\bachelor. So, speaker placement and toe in can be completely different. The main reason I bought Klipsch speakers for my home theater was because the horn design has been used in theaters since their inception. They are very directional compared to other speaker designs but this is not an issue if you place enough of these speakers in a room to overcome the problems of imaging and sound stage. Is this ideal? It may be for a home theater with multiple seating positions but would not suit the audiophile and his primary listening position.

Would I ever go back to two channel systems? I have both and I have to tell you, 6 or more speakers against two is rarely a fair match when using comparable components.

Am I happy with the sound in my home theater? I am very happy even though I had to make some compromises. I can still move the speakers for better audio in a primary listening position If need be.

So, yes a home theater can sound as good as a dedicated two channel room but most of the time some compromises are going to have to made for the former.

Happy Holidays!

Nice post. I would only add that generally when one seeks to optimize the sound of one format, compromises must be made to the other. Much as most folks seem to think that the mechanics behind what produces optimal sound for each format are the same, they are not. You hit on several of the differences/compromises that must be made but in reality, the list could be much longer. Even something as simple as the design of 99% of center channel speakers used at home represents a sonic compromise to accomodate the "Home" theater environment. Do people really think that the horizontal array of drivers in a center channel speaker is sonically advantageous? I hate to say it, but in my experience, most folks do. No, the only reason for this speaker design is to work around the video display typical of most homes. Do they use such designs in professional movie theaters? No. No such compromises are necessary there. Are the front L/R speakers even toed in for imaging and soundstage in a movie theater? You'd find that most aren't, and if you are trying to build a Home Theater which will seat more than just a few people, it may be more beneficial not to toe in your main speakers either. Will this arrangement work equally well for optimal Stereo music listening? Since I'm asking this question redundantly, I won't bother even providing an answer -- folks should answer this question for themselves. Once again... nice post.

Q