Stereo versus surround sound

[Beckman]

What is your opinion?

lows however in a surround system are reproduced by a subwoofer. This device perhaps gives you all the bass and warmth you'll need but it's 'non-directional' sound. It doensn't really matter where you put the woofer, but is that really so? Is bass-sound non-directional?

Moving my sub just six inches in and direction greatly affects how it sounds. Currently I have it facing perpendicular to my speakers about 1 ft. away from the wall in on both sides. This seems to make the subwoofer less noticeable, that is I can't tell if the bass is coming from the sub or the speakers. Other tricks I have tried involve elevating the front tof the sub an inch higher than the rear, and placing the sub one foot behind the two front speakers.

The main problem with subs and music is that spekaers usually go down to about 35 Hz - 50 Hz. The sub then kicks in. The lowest note on a bass guitar is about 38 Hz. The lowest note on a piano is 28 Hz (I think). During musical passages a poorly set up sub can sound terrible. People tend to turn them up too loud and don't have the crossovers adjsuted properly. With my system if the sub is turned up too loud I notice that the lowest note on the bass guitar comes out on the sub, while the other notes come out on the main speakers. Sounds terrible.

As for listening to music with five speakers, I think multi-channel music is the future of home audio, but it has a LOOONGGGGGG way to go.

[maxg]

"As for listening to music with five speakers, I think multi-channel music is the future of home audio, but it has a LOOONGGGGGG way to go."

My take is that unless someone comes up with a downloadable MP3 like multi-channel format it will always be a minority interest product, not much larger than vinyl is today.

Apple have hit upon a mechanism that will allow the music industry to make money from downloadable music and it looks like it will stick. This may have a very dramatic effect on music sales, and not all of it bad.

I see the slow, inexorable death of CD over the next 20 years (maybe less) and the domination of the downloaded single at the expense of albums in any form.

Multi-channel may take a growing share of the optical disk music market (I am including DVD audio and SACD in the market alongside traditional CD) but the market as a whole for them is on the way downwards.

DVD video will continue to go from strength the strength IMO - but if they continue to attempt to push ever more speakers into people's living rooms then that too will fail. 5.1 seems to be as much as the masses will stand.

(Interesting side note: I spent christmas in Manchester (England) and had a full day in the enormous shopping centre they have there. Whilst my wife attempted to buy every shoe and item of clothing ever made I sought sanctuary in a Sony store.

In the store there were innumerable portable players (MP3 and CD), DVD players, a new DVD recorder, an MP3 type jukebox with a 40 Gb disk, headphones, camera's, organisers, video cameras and all the rest of the Sony stuff, except SACD players. I did not see a single SACD player (either dedicated or DVD combo unit). Equally as surprising - they had 2 turntables on display, although to be fair one of them did look more aimed at DJ's than casual users).

[Beckman]

I see the slow, inexorable death of CD over the next 20 years (maybe less) and the domination of the downloaded single at the expense of albums in any form.[Quote]

I agree. CD are to easily converted to mp3. Records companies can't make as much money on them.

Multi-channel may take a growing share of the optical disk music market (I am including DVD audio and SACD in the market alongside traditional CD) but the market as a whole for them is on the way downwards.[Quote]

I disagree. I think multichannel will take over much the same way surround sound with video has. Just because music will be released in multichannel format doesn't mean you can't play it in stereo.(Ex. DVD)

DVD video will continue to go from strength the strength IMO - but if they continue to attempt to push ever more speakers into people's living rooms then that too will fail. 5.1 seems to be as much as the masses will stand.[QUOTE]

I agree, more speakers will be pushed. I think it is Parasound that sells a processor that has 7 channels, a sub output, another sub output for ultra low frequencies(to shake the room) and four additional programmable outputs for a total of 11 speakers and 2 subs. I think that for most people 5-7 is the most they will use.


As for releasing multichannel music an a mp3 type format that can't be illegaly downloaded, it would have to sound better or as good as RBCD/DVD-Audio/SACD for it to really catch on. MP3 sounds terrible compared to RBCD on a good stereo.

[jbangelfish]

12hz seems mighty low for 8" but if Bose could reach 22 or 23 with a 4 inch, almost anything seems possible. You are right that nearly all music is well above this range but we are able to appreciate above and below what we can actually hear. It seems to change our perception of the music with low notes being felt, the highs seem more complicated but with speakers that are able to reach well above our hearing range, high notes seem more distinct. I can't really explain why I can hear a difference but it adds something.
I am a big fan of pipe organ and they do play very low (down to 8hz for a 64 foot pipe but these are rare). Some new bass guitars also reach quite low and some electronic sounds are also getting well below what many speaker systems are capable of. I like to get as much of the range as I can.
I believe Avantgarde claims 10hz for their big bass horns and I commend them for their efforts and innovations in horn design. They are quite expensive though.
Bill