Are Home Theatres any good for 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

[spacedeckman]

Hi
I have a nice music stereo, a NAD amp and Mission Speakers. They are about 11years old now. The speakers are a bit big for the new home so i wish to buy something small that can be mounted on the wall but has big speaker sound. I have looked at Buying 2 small speakers and a sub but the cost is quite high for just basic speakers ..approx $500. So i am now considering buying a Sony Home Theater "STRDE598" or similar for $350. It comes with all the speakers, amp but no cd/dvd. I have those all ready.
My concern is that it will not sound nice for music listening. That is what it will get for most of the time. Can they be adjusted to provide a balanced sound for music? As opposed to just shaking bass and all top end? In other words, is a basic Sony home theatre system any good for All home audio entertainment?

Any thoughts ?

cheers
kev

Keep your money in your pocket. With $500, you have no place to go but downhill. $500 can buy you a decent sub, or a decent pair of speakers, or a decent receiver, not a system that would occupy your attention for more than 3 minutes without giving you that sick feeling in your stomach that you just wasted a bunch of time setting up a big stinking pile of poo. Then you just have to take it back to the store to get your money back.

Space

[zepman1]

I would not buy one of those HT in a box setups and expect it to be sifficient for music, especially for under $500. There is probably no need to spend a ton on a receiver in your price range, the speakers will likely be the weakest link in the system.

If at all possible I would keep the missions and use for L/R channels. Then upgrade receiver (for less than $300) to something capable of 6.1 or 7.1 surround if that is necessary. Then you can start adding components piece by piece such a a subwoofer, center channel, and surround speakers. Just make sure that you can find a center channel that will closely match the sound of your mission speakers.

If you need to get something smaller for the front, get some decent bookshelf speakers and a sub. Those small sattelite speakers are too small to produce anykind of decent sounding midrange.