Multi-channel for music anyone?

[Deadeye]

This is really me JoeESP9. For some unknown reason the forum will not accept my correct user name.

In any case; I have one good (to me) system that has to serve double duty. When playing any multi-channel material I use the Lexicon with a pass through on my SP9. I have the volume control set at unity gain for it. I measured and marked the position with a removable marker.

My SP9 is connected directly to the front amps. All 2 channel sources are connected to my preamp. Although my system and room is optimized for 2 channels I get pretty good (to me) results) when playing any kind of multichannel source. I guess having timbre matched speakers makes a difference.

In multichannel mode a well recorded thunder storm sounds very convincing. Try the PS Audio DVD From Coal To Coltrane for a well recorded storm. Batlle scenes from a movie like the opening battle scene in Saving Private make we want to duck. Some of this is because of the Lexicon processor. However, I think it's mostly because I've taken such time and care in getting the front two channels right.

In two channel mode, with a good recording the end of my room with the speakers disappears and it sounds like real live (well almost) musicians.

To sum it up....
At my house multichannel material gets played in multichannel and stereo material gets played in stereo.

[E-Stat]

When playing any multi-channel material ...

Joe, what is your true multi-channel source? The Lexicon would be unnecessary with a SACD MC player. Or do you refer to a synthesized environment?

rw

[JoeE SP9]

Joe, what is your true multi-channel source? The Lexicon would be unnecessary with a SACD MC player. Or do you refer to a synthesized environment?

rw

I don't have an SACD player. I've getting ready to pull the trigger on a Pioneer DV-79AVi universal player. I hadn't bought any SACD's so I had no real need for a player for them.
For now my MC source is Dolby Digital DVD's. I suppose as things change for me I'll need another processor with mc analog inputs.

[frenchmon]

Joe, what is your true multi-channel source? The Lexicon would be unnecessary with a SACD MC player. Or do you refer to a synthesized environment?

rw

I have both sources and while they both do MC they are not the same as far as sound.

frenchmon

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

All of my hometheaters and music listening rooms are either 5.1 or 7.1. While I have quite a few two channel classical and jazz recordings on CD, I also have quite a few classical and jazz CD's encoded in DTS 5.1 sound. Most of my listening these days comes in the form of these DTS 5.1 recordings, SACD, DVD-A, and Bluray music, all in either 5.1 or 7.1 surround. I optimized my systems to accurately playback ALL music, whether it is mono, stereo, 3.1,5.1 or 7.1. A two channel system is not capable of doing this.

The idea that it takes a lot of money to put together a MC system is a rediculous assumption. I have two 7.1 hometheater/music systems, one built around Sufire CRM-2 mini monitors that I paid $450 a piece for at a liquidator sale, and upgraded vintage ADS L-300 mini monitors I paid $50 a piece for, and later added better mid/bass drivers and a new crossover. When you include amps for both, one costs $5000 dollars, the other $2000. I do not think any audiophile would protest the sound of either of these two systems, especially because they sit in rooms with excellent acoustics even before I tweaked them. Optimum setup was easy when you understand how the ear/brain interprets sound coming from different directions. Wooch already outline the proper position for a 5.1 system, but for 7.1 it is a little different. Proper 7.1 speaker setup put the center a 0 degrees, the left/right mains at 30 degrees, and left/right side speakers at 90 degrees, and the left/right rear wall at 150 degrees. The subwoofers I use are 15" custom built large sealed box, and I use two of them in each system.

I firmly believe in system flexibility, as I do not want my system to have built in playback limitations no matter what I am listening to or watching.

Looking forward, the Blu ray format is the last great hope for MC high resolution music. SACD and DVD-A are basically dead formats with no R&D or advancement forth coming. I own about 20 Bluray music only titles, and I must say I have heard nothing on SACD or DVD-A that approaches the quality I hear from these releases. I have two 24/192khz releases, with the rest being either 5.1 or 7.1 24/96khz releases. More of these titles are on the way.

While I respect the choice of others to remain in the two channel world, my desire for flexibility and the ability to listen to all music natively drove me away from the two channel world years ago. There is nothing like listen to music that is spatially recorded, and properly played back with the natural spatiality intact. I always found it a little strange when audience responses came from BEHIND the performers, and not in front and to the sides of the frontal sound stage. I found it strange and weird to hear reverberation tails coming from behind the performers instead of behind me. I do not like having to always sit exactly in the center of my room to get a proper soundstage. If you move off center with two channel, then whatever speaker you are closer to is what dominates what you hear. That just is not good for me.

For a recording perspective two channel is much more difficult to get right than multichannel. Images have room to breathe in MC, and in stereo it is confined to the space between the speakers. There are just too many limitations with two channel that I am mot confortable with.