What hifi system type do you have set up ?

[filecat13]

I've got a pair of speakers that almost put you in the room in an intimate musical setting. Most people wouldn't want to (or be able to) spend the kind of money it takes to do this. IMO, if you want "live" music, then go to a concert, music hall, or other venue. That's the only place you'll find it.

When it comes to an immersive musical experience in the home, IMO 5.1 (or 7.1) beats two channel in a couple of important ways. One, it is more capable of recreating the space of the original recording, be it studio, concert hall, or church. Two, it is far more capable of presenting a musician's/producer's internal vision of how the music should sound in a tightly controlled presentation.

Both of these points go directly to the second-most important element in home listening: the room. Since so many folks pay little or no attention to the room, it has the greatest overall effect on what we hear, whether we acknowledge it or not.

Rather than spend $10k on a super two-channel system that must overcome the faults of the room that it's in, I believe it's more prudent to spend $7k on a two-channel system and $3k on room treatments, or even better to spend $9k on a 5.1 system and $1k on the most serious room flaws.

And yes, this does require the availability of sufficiently well-mastered source material and/or a sophisticated encoding/decoding system. Two channel or multichannel, it's still subject to the "crap in, crap out" rule.

[E-Stat]

I've got a pair of speakers that almost put you in the room in an intimate musical setting.

That's why I prefer what good dipolars can do.

When it comes to an immersive musical experience in the home, IMO 5.1 (or 7.1) beats two channel in a couple of important ways.

The challenge for me is that none of the music I accumulated in the first thirty years of my hobby fall into that category. I don't have a MC system for that reason.

...or even better to spend $9k on a 5.1 system and $1k on the most serious room flaws.

Agreed on investing in room treatments, Using a dozen bass traps completely eliminated the room nodes in my room without resorting to EQ.

rw

[Ajani]

The challenge for me is that none of the music I accumulated in the first thirty years of my hobby fall into that category. I don't have a MC system for that reason.

Yep, I'm in a similar situation.... I've been collecting music for 15 years and none of it is MC. Worse yet, very little music that I regularly listen to is available in MC. So I'd have to not only buy all new music to take advantage of a MC setup, but also develop new preferences in music.

[OzzieAudiophile]

Ajani.

Take a look at the official sa-cd website, where it has the full list of what you can get
on sa-cd, new releases, and upcoming ones. You can search, their database is also
be trimmed by genre. It also gives you direct links to plenty of shops that stock it too.

I was fortunate enough that they released these on SACD -

Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds,
The Best of the Carpenters
Andrea Bocelli - Andrea
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms - 20th Anniversary Edition - remixed in 5.1 surround by
Mark Knopfler himself

All of the above sound absolutely incredible, and that is just accessing the CD layer.
Each also have the other two layers of SACD 2-channel, and SACD 5.1 surround.

If you never had the chance to listen to SACDs, take the time to do so.
Perhaps the official websites have some that you at least reckonise.

I am not necessarily saying you should go out and complete your 5.1 system for the
sake of SACD, unless 1, you have plenty of spare money, and 2, intend to have
a SACD and/or DVD collection.

If you have only a 2-channel system, either go to a mate's house, or go to a shop
which has a 5+ channel setup and has some SACDs to play for you.

[pixelthis]

Well from the votes so far, it appears we have peeps that have a preference more for
2-channel than for 5+ channel.

Please if you read this read, do vote. Take pride in your babies, tell me about your system
as well. So far I've heard some nice setups. 30+ years ago, a good proportion of us would
of shared the same systems. Now it's most likely no one would have the same setup.

Pity we all live so far away from each other, we could bring some components over to
each other's houses, hookem up and compare/find out how it's like. Some components
brands go very well with others.

A lot of us you will know you want/need to change/upgrade your system. The USA and
Europe peeps have been blessed to have more choice of brands/components. The bad
part is that even though there's more cream, there's also more rubbish. In my part of
Australia, we have much less of both.

I've seen/heard lots of appealing features in one brand or another, it's nearly never the case
where most of these nice features all exist within the same component.

Sounds like you really love this stuff, good for you.
I fell in love with "surround" sound when it was still pro-logic, thought a prologic system
was a decent compromise.
But came to the realization a short while ago that none of my HT systems gave me even near
the sastifaction of my simplest two channel rig.
A movie is nice but fake, an amalgam put together by many. Some have as many as six writers.
Sure theres a lot of "engineering" going on with music, but what you wind up with is inherently a single statement,
and seems more "real".
I get more out of just sitting and listening to a jazz guitar on a quality system than any movie ever made.
One is escapism, one is life itself.
So my 602s2's will be the "start" of a new 2 channel system.
Looking foward to building it, if I EVER GET THE CASH TOGETHER

[OzzieAudiophile]

Pixelthis, due to your dialemma between 2-channell superior sound to 5-channel,
along with many other follks on here. I'm going to write a new post, open for
discussion regarding how to address that.

EG.

[pixelthis]

Pixelthis, due to your dialemma between 2-channell superior sound to 5-channel,
along with many other follks on here. I'm going to write a new post, open for
discussion regarding how to address that.

EG.

Great idea because its a fundamental problem.
It would be great if you could have both (and some can) but for most its just not practical.
I wouldnt be happy with an inexpensive system , why bother? My current HT rig would probably outgun it anyway.
But a really nice 2 channel system would mean a HTIB for HT, if that.
My last 2 channel system was around three grand, todays dollars thats nine grand, for a receiver system.
Has to be one or the other

[O'Shag]

For the best of all worlds, its necessary to have both. Multi-channel music can sound fantastic. To realize the full impact of movies the way the director intended, a multi-channel system is necessary. Watching HD sports in multi-channel is da bomb.

But, the right two-channel system can bring music to life in way that can make listening to a performance an captivating and emotional experience. The right setup can do this with alarming regularity. From my perspective, this will be accomplished to maximum effect only with tube amps (Hybrid Triode works really well) driven from a tube preamp, and for the ultimate - by a vinyl/analogue front end (although digital can sound awesome too through tubes).

[OzzieAudiophile]

Hi, well I finally got a practical lesson in HD world !!.

As I write this at home, I am sitting in front of a LCD 40 inch screen. My eyes are going to pop out of my head soon, but it will be worth it haha. Sounds wrong, but it definately beats
my 19 inch crt screen. My old crt television just coincidenally was exactly 19 inches also.
In case you're wondering, yes I hooked up my PC to my brand new Samsung LCD tv.

I found out a real difference between 480p, 576p and 720. That's what you get for not having a HD set top box, satellite is HD incapable in my country (until end of this year).
Also I do not own a DVD upscaler. DVD seems to be not as blocky as everything else.
I found out that recording in long-play on my DVR is definately no longer worth it, not on
a 40 inch 1080p capable LCD. So it's standard recording from now on.

Also now I have found just how crap my roof tv aerial really is haha, well I shouldn't be
laughing because it really is crap. A old coathanger could of done the same job.
I'll have to get that addressed, but I do not watch free tv much anyway.

I have no HD player yet anyway, so I'll wait 2 years before a blu-ray recorder with a
1 TB hard drive comes out. I have only 2 movies (1 including Dragon's Lair), on blu-ray,
and from the limited selection that I'd be seen dead buying, I think I would personally
find it worth my money in 2 years time anyway.

When I'm sitting 10 feet away from my screen, the dvd and tv playback is pretty good.
The maximum resolution the programs on tv/satellite are 576p. The blocks are not so
obvious from that distance. 1 foot away, I need a bucket haha.

pixelthis : I have written a new post about comparing pre-power vs integrated vs
receiver, and one set of recommendations as such as to how to achieve the best
of both 2-channe/5-channel worlds.

Only food for thought. Let me know if you find the info useful.

[pixelthis]

Hi, well I finally got a practical lesson in HD world !!.

As I write this at home, I am sitting in front of a LCD 40 inch screen. My eyes are going to pop out of my head soon, but it will be worth it haha. Sounds wrong, but it definately beats
my 19 inch crt screen. My old crt television just coincidenally was exactly 19 inches also.
In case you're wondering, yes I hooked up my PC to my brand new Samsung LCD tv.

I found out a real difference between 480p, 576p and 720. That's what you get for not having a HD set top box, satellite is HD incapable in my country (until end of this year).
Also I do not own a DVD upscaler. DVD seems to be not as blocky as everything else.
I found out that recording in long-play on my DVR is definately no longer worth it, not on
a 40 inch 1080p capable LCD. So it's standard recording from now on.

Also now I have found just how crap my roof tv aerial really is haha, well I shouldn't be
laughing because it really is crap. A old coathanger could of done the same job.
I'll have to get that addressed, but I do not watch free tv much anyway.

I have no HD player yet anyway, so I'll wait 2 years before a blu-ray recorder with a
1 TB hard drive comes out. I have only 2 movies (1 including Dragon's Lair), on blu-ray,
and from the limited selection that I'd be seen dead buying, I think I would personally
find it worth my money in 2 years time anyway.

When I'm sitting 10 feet away from my screen, the dvd and tv playback is pretty good.
The maximum resolution the programs on tv/satellite are 576p. The blocks are not so
obvious from that distance. 1 foot away, I need a bucket haha.

pixelthis : I have written a new post about comparing pre-power vs integrated vs
receiver, and one set of recommendations as such as to how to achieve the best
of both 2-channe/5-channel worlds.

Only food for thought. Let me know if you find the info useful.

It was stuff I was quite familar with, but thanks anyway.
That info can be quite helpfull to those getting into this

[pixelthis]

YOU ALSO seem to be taking the same hd path I did.
When I got my panny 47 I justified it was to watch DVD.
DVD looked so good on it and letterboxing was reduced.
THEN ONE LOST WEEKEND I put a 30 ft mast up and got a HD tuner box.
It was the only option really
The very first HD I watched was the CBS tv show about a crime fighting taxi driver,
My antenna wasnt up yet, I ran a coax out to my car throught the door, set a inside UHF antenna up on the car.
In the rain. Kept running in and out adjusting it
BUT I was hooked, and XENA, even in SD on a HD channel, didn't help any
Now DVD still looks quite good, but they no longer
look as good on an HD set as they did.
"Upconverting" wont give you any extra res, but it gives you all of the res you have
After watching everything from "NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN" to trashy UFO
shows on history HD, DVD has become very pedestrian.
I honestly can't envision collecting any more movies in that format.
And standard def looks like a ratty old VCR

[OzzieAudiophile]

Hey pixelthis.

Looks like you went into a lot of effort, I commend you.

I perhaps should of said "upscale" as some Universal disc players claim they can upscale
DVDs up to 768p, 1080i and/or 1080p.

One highly respected reviewer stated for the NAD M55, that the best feature of it was
the DVD upscaling.

I would like to see this with my own eyes to find out if the upscaling is true, or porky-pies.

I certainly have no doubt that my blu-ray discs will impress me on my lcd.

[OzzieAudiophile]

I got the original PS3 and started off a Blu-Ray collection. I watched Heroes, The Dark
Knight, absolutely incredible.

Despite what reviewers have said about the 'poor' playback for music PS3 do, well I would
guess if you had to compare PS3 CD playback to some of the best sources money can
buy, then I'd be forced to agree.

However PS3 does a pretty good job with CD playback for me, but my DynAudio
Contours are my strongest component. The SACD playback expectedly is much
better than CD.

I've conntected the audio using a Monster mid-range Optic cable. I intend to upgrade
that cable. I'm trying to upgrade my cables right now to reduce the number of
weak links of the signal.

[Worf101]

I guess I don't fit in this post.

1. I have a new HT system downstairs in the living room.
2. HT system in the bedroom (overkill and unnecessary but it's there now).
3. Multichannel in my computer room for full gaming.

Now, I listen to music mainly on my Main HT rig in stereo the Platinum Audio Studio 3's mate quite well with my Onkyo 905 and I'm happy. I'd LOVE to have a dedicated 2 channel room with monoblocs and all that jazz but, I've not the room physically for it. I also listen to music on my puter rig either through my Logik nearfield monitors or my Sennheiser head phones. However I think that I listen to most of my music in my car, like everyone else here.

Da Worfster

[Doc Sage]

Had the 7.1 surround gig for over 3 years yet did most of my listening in 2 channel stereo. The few times that I got to see a video, the benefit of surround was lost to me.

A year ago, I came into possession of a 2 channel integrated amp (Sudgen) and fell in love with the quality of the sound. Being that my pad is small, I sold my side, back & centre speakers and have not looked back since.

It's above the music.

Doc Sage

[Luvin Da Blues]

Had the 7.1 surround gig for over 3 years yet did most of my listening in 2 channel stereo. The few times that I got to see a video, the benefit of surround was lost to me.

A year ago, I came into possession of a 2 channel integrated amp (Sudgen) and fell in love with the quality of the sound. Being that my pad is small, I sold my side, back & centre speakers and have not looked back since.

It's above the music.

Doc Sage

Your singing my song, 'cept I only had a 5.1 system (I still have a MC system in my bedroom). I find my speakers image so well that with all the post production spatial tricks used today that even with only 2 speakers the ambient sounds and spatial cues are still very good. Don't miss MC at all.

[filecat13]

Seriously, men, if you had a MC system for a while, then switched "back" to two channel, I have to wonder what was wrong with your MC system.

[Luvin Da Blues]

Seriously, men, if you had a MC system for a while, then switched "back" to two channel, I have to wonder what was wrong with your MC system.

Nothing wrong with my old MC system. It's about getting better equipment for the same cost plus, the fact that music playback is a greater concern for me that having bullets buzz around my head.

Cheerz,

LDB

[E-Stat]

It's about getting better equipment for the same cost plus, the fact that music playback is a greater concern for me that having bullets buzz around my head.

I had this same debate with TtT some time back. I can neither afford creating a MC version of my two channel system or am willing to lose its capabilities just to get the other channels. The very best system I've heard was a two channel system. On the other hand, if your budget allows, then perhaps Ray Kimber's rather nifty MC system would likely do the trick. Look here.

rw

[Deadeye]

I only have one system. The one in my bedroom doesn't count. I use only the front 2 channels through my preamp for music. I only have a half dozen or so CD's mixed for surround. They are mostly underwhelming.

[IBSTORMIN]

I have three systems and the stereo system and one 5.1 is balanced.
I am not balanced.