6 Channel vs. A/B Stereo (1 Viewer)

[RyanBarker]

Ok, i got a bit of a problem,need some advice.

My setup is
Yamaha rx-450
Mission m74i Fronts
Mission m70 Rears
Mission m7c2 Center

Here is the problem. In normal setup... the fronts are on the A posts, the center on Center Posts and the rears are on L&R surround Posts. When i Listen to music, i only use the 2 front m74i's because I do not like the sound of "6 channel stereo." Yesterday, just for fun I moved the rear speakers to the Front B posts on the receiver.... and then played some of my favorite cd's with both A& B speakers on. I loved it!! Amazing. The 6 Channel thing is terrible.... but this A and B setup really got me excited. Problem is... when i want to watch a DVD i have to manually plug the rears back into the surround posts on the receiver. The only thing I could think of were 1. see if my receiver can somehow solve this (i didnt find in the instructions and I doubted I would) or 2. this is an idea that makes me shiver.... but splice the rear wires to feed both to the surround inputs and the B speaker posts,(of course only using one at a time.)
Anyone have any opinions for me? Help would be much appreciated.

-RB

 

[ScottCHI]

hmmmm. i'm not familiar with your receiver so i'm not sure how your "6-channel stereo" mode works, exactly, but can you individually turn the center channel completely down to OFF in that mode without really "losing" anything content-wise?

and will your receiver then remember those speaker settings individually for each mode?

 

[Rob Kramer]

On a lot of receivers (probably most), the B channel doesnt get bass management. Also, again in a lot of cases, the B channel doesnt get the best DAC (relative to the A channel DAC).

 

[ScottCHI]

yeah, theoretically, leaving the speakers connected to individual channels should yield the best results; not sharing an amp (again, i'm not familiar with your receiver).

is your "6 channel stereo" mode doing some additional processing that could be causing it to sound poor?

 

[RyanBarker]

Hi,

Well, some of that was over my head. I didnt understand the part about bass management for the B speakers.

Heres what i notice, in the yamaha 6 chan stereo mode(yes, i believe it is an effect, not a true pass thru of music) the rear speakers get a small workout like they would in a DD or DTS movie. Sound.... but not LOUD and no bass. With them connected to the B channel, they get the same power the fronts get.... and they rock. Of course not the level of the m74's.... but the m70 rears are a decent sized bookshelf speaker. We are not talking about some small satts for rears... these things can bump.... and in 6 channel stereo, they feel sad.... and thirst for more!

-RB

 

[RyanBarker]

side note:

the m70 rears are front ported and wall mounted... and i can FEEL that they dont get a workout in 6 chan mode. Minimal air pressure.

Personal Opinion: 6 Channel Stereo was invented for sub/sat systems... i can see the benefit of it with a system like that.

-RB

 

[Marc H]

Try adjusting the delay times for the speakers in the six channel stereo mode. I think you might find that makes quite a difference in how that mode sounds.
I use a Yamaha with an 8 channel stereo mode which I initially thought was a gimmick that I would never use but I have found it wonderful for radio listening or for low volume TV watching.

 

[JamesCB]

Are you sure? I've never heard of that. Ususally the "B" speaker out is parralleled with the "A" output. There is not a seperate pre/amp section for the "B" speakers out.

James

 

[RyanBarker]

Your correct, I just put my main speakers on B for a test, they get the same power and sound as when they are conected to the A binding posts.

-RB