Poll!

[killa]

I was just wondering how many people run stereo setups and how many run surround? I personally have gone back to 2 channel (no sub either) because it is simpler.

[arlis_1957@yahoo.com]

Re: Poll!

you mean for ht? 5.1. listening room, 2 channel. same room desktop comp, 2.1.:D

[killa]

Re: Poll!

Ok your main system you prefer. If you could only have one.

[jerryanderson]

Re: Poll!

5.1 Living Room
2 Channel Bed Room

[Wolf]

Re: Poll!

stereo 2.1- PC.
Stereo or sometimes 2.1/5.1- main LR system.

Later,
Wolf

[killa]

Re: Poll!

stereo 2.1- PC.
Stereo or sometimes 2.1/5.1- main LR system.

Later,
Wolf

Arghh! thats cheating. OK I realize I should have thought my poll out a little better lol.

[howard]

Re: Poll!

Two channel is what I like. I have never heard a home theater that I liked. I am not saying that there are no good ones, I just never heard one. I also don't normally associate my audio equipment with watching tv. Just my preference.
Howard

[A9X]

Re: Poll!

I don't see any reason not to incorporate both into one system. Even for the hardcore purist 2ch types it is easy enough to do with nothing additional, except perhaps a switch in the main 2ch signal path.

[killa]

Re: Poll!

Two channel is what I like. I have never heard a home theater that I liked. I am not saying that there are no good ones, I just never heard one. I also don't normally associate my audio equipment with watching tv. Just my preference.
Howard

I agree. Ihave tried to like my 5.1 setup but I always go back to 2 channel

[Steve Henry]

Re: Poll!

HT is 7.2, but with a touch of the remote, I can change to 2.1 for music. PC is 2.1

[Froste]

Re: Poll!

My main system is a 9.2 setup, which is great. More sound the better.

[MrkCrwly]

Re: Poll!

Home theater = 5.1
Music = 2

[benchtester]

Re: Poll!

I run 2-way, but I haven't worked with surround in a long time. I may try it again soon.

However I used to work for an Audio startup company. We had a listening room designed like an ideal audio living room. We started with 2.1, then implemented 5.1. At first it was fun, but we realized something was messed up. One example was the pistol shots in Terminator 2. When we went to 5.1, they sounded more like rifle shots. Sure enough, the delay was wrong so there was some smearing. We managed to correct the time delay. But I came away with the feeling that surround is difficult to get right (melding all the speaker's output at the listener's position). Surround sound seemed analogous to ketchup, fun at first, but masking some of the subtleties.

(Rant on) I am amazed at the attention people give to the center channel. Get rid of the center and use the left and right channels to place the sounds across the screen. Maybe the image may be a little wider than the screen, but that doesn't both me as much as giving into monaural dialog. (Rant off)

[mmacoustics]

Re: Poll!

My main room is 7.1 - can't beat it with movies. Although I love a good stereo set-up, I find myself watching more video than just sitting down to listen to just music. Thus the 7.1 gets my vote.

[rogoll]

Re: Poll!

5.1, but I don't listen to music very often. In fact, I've basically gone to purchasing DVD-based music. The visual impact really seems to improve the experience IMHO.

It's really important, though, to make sure you've tuned everything properly for it to sound right. In fact, I add a little extra to the LS and RS. A lot of my particular settings are probably impacted by my hearing loss (grenades in Army, and steel mill before companies started taking OSHA seriously).