[M_a_r_k^NE]

It seems like more and more folks are getting into HT and multi channel receivers and amps are becoming the norm. Also companys going more multi-channel. The mainstream electronics stores visited by the masses ala BestBuy, Circuit City, I never see a 2 channel amp for sale. In high end stereo stores visited by the minority the 2 channel amps are there but not as much as previous years. Will the 2 channel amp (one pair of speakers) make a slow death? I guess the 2 channel amp will live on with the few in the high end audio cult perhaps. Thoughts? Any stereo salesmen out there know the sales trends?

[Carl Johnson]

This is nothing new. I spent a year selling mid-fi audio equipment in '97 and back then 99% of the receivers I sold were surround sound. Even people just looking for a two channel setup would get a multichannel receiver because they were the most economical.

[Michael Langdon]

I just bought Parasound 2 channel and 5 channel amplifiers for a 7.1 HT setup. I previously used a Carver 6 channel amp with a setup that used only 1 surround back or rear center channel speaker. My processor is THX Ultra 2 certified and thus contained some additional THX processing only available when configured for 2 surround back speakers. Of course two amps take up more space but weight is distributed over two units. One 7 channel amp, at least the ones I were looking at, can weigh 95+ pounds. I use the 2 channel amp for the front speakers and the 5 channel amp for the remaining speakers.

[Brett DiMichele]

Depends on your useage....

If you are Bi Amping a set of speakers a 4 channel amp
comes in handy if precious rack space is an issue..
Otherwise I would go dual 2 channels or even more preferable
4 monoblocks.


2Channel is not even remotely close to "dead" but eventualy
it may be with the J6P crowd and 2Ch will stick around with
the audiophiles or those in the know.

[Thomas_Berg]

i just sold all my HT stuff to move to a 2-ch system. i just bought a Classe CA-150.

5.1, etc might be big in the mainstream markets (BB, CC), but those stores suck for HT anyway. 2-channel is FAR from dead.

[Scott Oliver]

Umm... no 2-channel is not dead. In fact, vinyl is going through a golden age these days, and it is the poster child of 2-channel.

[Michael Yung]

Amp configuration is like length of skirts. It goes in and out of fashion depending on the season. Right now, we're seeing a lot more multi-channel (more than 2-channels) amps b/c there's a need for it. This wasn't the case many years ago. So with the new multi-channel amps, comparatively speaking, there seems to be less 2-channel amps. However, 2-channel audio is not going away so sooner or later companies are going to redesign their 2 channel amps w/ the latest and greatest technology for those people who want to replace or get into good 2-channel audio.

In the end, buy what makes sense for you. Don't worry about the configuration as much as the quality of the amp.

[Ricky T]

2 channel amps won't be dead if you pick FOUR for your 7.1 system

[ChadLB]

There are alot of options for a 2 channel.

Add it to a 5 channel to make 7 channel.
Add it to a 3 channel to make it 5 channel.

Maybe you already have a system and just want a seperate nice 2 channel system.
I think it is the upgrade bug that hits...that makes people want to add 2 more channels to there existing system.

[Yogi]

They are very much alive in my opinion. But I do see the trend towards multichannel movie and music.

[Ron-P]

Quote:

2 channel amps won't be dead if you pick FOUR for your 7.1 system

I recently bought 4 Adcom 2-channel amps, 3 of which are bi-amping my mains and center while the 4th powers the surrounds.


Peace Out~

[Kevin C Brown]

2 channel is not dead:

1) Some prefer a separate 2 channel system for audio vs a mutlichannel system for video.

2) 2 + 5 = 7.1.