Originally Posted by
Mr. Widget
I have a reasonably high quality HT set up with horn loaded two-ways across the front, a pair of cone and dome surrounds, and a pair of Sub1500s. I find it quite satisfying for movies, and can't imagine going to more channels... especially since movies are mixed for 5.1 and most theaters are 5.1... I think the 7.1 is only useful for odd rooms or when you are forced to sit at the back of the room up against a wall.. As for 5 or more "large" speakers... I suppose that would make sense for multichannel music, but that isn't my thing. For movies, it is absolutely unnecessary. Look at the surround speakers at any good THX theater. Small effects speakers. That's all that is needed.
I have two 5.1 set ups, one is a home theater and the other is for TV and occasional music. I have yet to hear a multi-channel recording that I prefer to pure two channel stereo. I suppose this is purely subjective, as there are those who like what I consider strange effects and that is fine for them, but for me I agree with Al, I want the musicians on stage with me in the audience. For me this works best with one pair of speakers in front in an equilateral triangle with no wall immediately behind me. Unfortunately to get this performance right, I have not been able to succeed by simply using the left and right channels of either of my 5.1 systems... the processors are just not as good as a dedicated two-channel rig. I realize that there are a few kilo-buck units out now that are supposed to be good enough, but my budget won't accommodate that, so I have found it more reasonable to have duplicate systems... extra amps etc. and a true two-channel preamp for sound quality and convenience.
Widget