Setting up surround arrays like a commercial theater; multiple speakers per channel (1 Viewer)

[Jason Charlton]

I'll second what David mentioned in his last post. With the state of current consumer-level home theater equipment, it is not that difficult to exceed the performance (both video and audio) of most of the mega-plexes out there.

Sure, 4k projection sounds incredible, but when your screen is 20 feet high (or more), regular 1080p will look like crap! They need all 2,160 lines just so you don't see pixel structure.

It's all a matter of scale - if you could quantitatively "scale down" the performance of a commercial theater to typical home theater sizes, you'd likely see that it's no better, and probably worse, than a moderately priced home theater system.

 

[Electric_Haggis]

Dan, I certainly don't blame you for being skeptical about Dolby IIz.

 

IIx, on the other hand, converting 5.1 mixes to 7.1, is STAGGERINGLY effective without being harmful to the surround soundstage.

I've yet to hear a mix which isn't improved by this, and doesn't in fact sound like it was mixed that way!

 

(6.1 is not such a good idea, with way too much surround info collapsing to the centre rear.)

 

It is important to place your rear surround speakers fairly wide apart. Even having them on the side walls close to the rear wall isn't a bad idea.

 

For even better results, use bipoles or quadpoles for the rears, and bipoles, quadpoles or dipoles for the sides.

 

 

A setup like this will always give you a far more three-dimensional surround landscape that merely having 2 channels with multiple speakers (as in the cinema).

 

 

 

[CB750]

Dan,

 

While I appreciate your quest for realism you do have to realize that any movie is nothing more than a recreation of an actual event. I can say that as a Vietnam vet their are good and bad war movies but none of them can actually recreate what it is actually like to be in a war. The world revolves around us in 360 degrees of vision and sound and although movies have made great improvements since the John Wayne war flicks they still are not the real thing. If I put a live jazz trio in your living room it would not sound the same as a recording of the same group no matter how good the system.

 

I remember back in the 1970's reading Dr Bose's research on sound reproduction. It was prompted because as a musician he wanted to know why recordings played through his newly purchased hi fi didn't sound like live performances. The conclusion is there are acoustic qualities of reflected sound that are unique to each concert hall that cannot be duplicated in the home environment. The same is true of large movie theaters. The best you can do with electronic equipment will be a compromise of something that was not real to begin with.

 

Since you seem to have all of your equipment on hand then please experiment to your hearts content and report back to us what you have been able to achieve.

 

[Ed Moxley]

 

Originally Posted by DanChristensen

Ever notice how home surround units, even the big monster and flagship ones, are only made for exaclty one speaker per channel; never more? Also ever notice how all theaters use a plethora of speakers for the surround channels?

Ever notice how a good surround system at home sounds better than theaters?

I've not been to a theater yet, that sounds better than my system. This is why a lot of us that has a good system has pretty much quit going to theaters, except for that rare movie they just have to see on the giant screen (LOTR trilogy for us).
 

 

[chuckg]

I have on a few occasions been completely foooled by my home theater system - I turned around in my chair and looked for what had made that sound back over there in the corner...and then realized it was the movie. My wife got up to answer the phone last night, then realized it was the movie. This has never happened in a theater. Though I will say that the incredible loudness in movie theaters is seldom matched at home!

 

[Ed Moxley]

Originally Posted by chuckg
Though I will say that the incredible loudness in movie theaters is seldom matched at home!

I don't want it matched at home! The theaters are way too loud for the size room you're in. That's the way it's been in the theaters I've been in.
 

 

[chuckg]

Exactly - when someone on-screen is whispering, it should not shake my pants leg... But, the loudness may be in response to the intolerable rudeness of some theater goers who just can't shut up.