Do you listen to music in stereo mode or extended stereo mode. (1 Viewer)

[David Judah]

I have yet to hear a DSP that creates a better sound with STEREO to ME.

I know Lexicon owners swear by Logic 7 and Meridian's Trifield has a good pedigree and alot of positive reviews. They are certainly more sophisticated than the stock DSPs you find in most mass market receivers.

John Kotches has some Meridian gear, so maybe he'll see this thread and chime in on how well it handles 2 channel stuff, or some Lexicon owners can relay their experiences with Logic 7. I have seen many threads over the years though of Lex owners claiming that once they listened to CDs with L7, 2 channel just didn't cut it anymore.

DJ

 

[Ben LG]

I prefer stereo mode when listening to CDs cause I dont care to hear anything that is not supposed to be behind me. I just repositioned my fronts by pulling it up past my wega and toed it in a bit more and its amazing how much of a difference it made. The imaging is perfect to me now, sitting directly in front of the television seems to make the speakers disappear. As BrianWoerndle said, Ive noticed details similar to "trumpets behind the violins" and such, the sound fills up the entire room and seems as though I have rears even though I just removed them! If done right.. the results are very rewarding.

 

[Lewis Besze]

Lewis, looks like a nice rig. IMO, your room seems a bit narrow, and the mains are maybe a bit too close together, and a bit low (it may be the picture) though they are well into the room. The right speaker looks like it is going to yeild a nasty first reflection at the listening position.

The room is 13x27 or so give or take a few inches.Yeah I wish it was a bit wider.The pictures do distort a bit.All speakers are placed symerically from the nearest walls.The fronts about 8ft apart and I sit from them about 8ft.The tweeters are about ear level when I "sunk" into my recliner.

 

[ReggieW]

I understand what everyone is saying here. I will have to say that multi-channel recordings are now starting to slowly improve, as I've bought a slew of great surround recordings on DVD-A/SACD that get it right imho: Donald Fagen's Nightfly, Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky from Naxos, Sinatra at the Sands, and the just released "Tommy" from The Who. Since buying the NAD T762, I do listen to Redbook CD's more in stereo than I did with my old Denon 1802, but still prefer discrete multi-channel mixes when done nicely. The EARS mode is also a nice DSP on the NAD's though I don't know how it compares to Lexicon's Logic 7 or Meridian's Trifield DSP.

Reg

 

[John Garcia]

The fronts about 8ft apart and I sit from them about 8ft.The tweeters are about ear level when I "sunk" into my recliner.

Well, the pics are deceptive then. 8' apart should work well. That's about what I have mine at, also with the tweeters at ear level when seated. Unfortunately, I can't put my center on a stand in front the way you have yours, but that makes no difference for 2ch

I have not heard L7 yet...

 

[joe goswami]

I have to admit to using DPLII prominently for stereo recordings LP or CD. I don't have an SACD or DVD-A player and am perfectly content with the DD 5.1 mix on all DVD-A's (shocking isn't it?).

I've always preferred the "sweet sound of vinyl" over CD and listening to some of my vintage audiophile pressings in DPLII is a lot of fun (remember we we all had "fun" with our gear).

I used to be a serious stereohead but marriage, family, etc. etc. has barely given me time to worry about speaker placement, sweets spots et all.

Although, when the wife & kid go on vacation, I'm at home enjoying what my grear used to sound like (rough life).

I'm curious what the new DPLIIx will improve on an already awesome method of re-channeling stereo)

 

[Lewis Besze]

I can't put my center on a stand in front the way you have yours, but that makes no difference for 2ch

It does wonders for MC music and movies though.

 

[ReggieW]

Joe,

You may want to consider picking up a universal dvd-a/sacd player as the differences between the hi-rez and DD/DTS tracks can sometimes be pretty dramatic. I know you may enjoy the DD track (as i did before going hi-rez), but believe me, you will like dvd-a/sacd even more.

Reg

 

[RichardHOS]

You have to remember that when you listen to a symphony at a nice hall say 10th row center the reflections of the sound from the sides,ceiling and rear wall have the effect of the hall you are listening in. A properly set up 2 channel will convey this space in real time and give you the most realistic imaging.

Just wanted to add my comments here, as the above is IMO incorrect. 2 channel playback has serious physical limitations, the greatest of which is the inability to properly locate ambience cues from something like a good concert hall recording. 2 channel playback will produce sounds coming from where they shouldn't, and an absence of sounds from where they should.

Ambience extraction and multichannel playback can correct this, but not all multichannel systems are created equal.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Almost every person that listens to music on my system (in stereo) will fight with me saying that the center speaker is on.

I've played the "which speakers are active" game with my wife a few times, and she also swears there is sound coming from the center speaker when I'm playing music in two-channel.

I only use DPLII and DTS Neo6 for processing television and DVD video two-channel soundtracks. For music listening, my SACD/CD player is connected directly to the 5.1 channel analog inputs, which bypasses all processing from my receiver. So, for redbook CDs I get pure unprocessed stereo. For SACD, it depends on the mix whether I listen in stereo or multi-channel. For DVD-Audio, it's usually multi-channel, but I do not listen to DVD-A very often.

 

[Scott_N]

With multichannel music I find myself listening to the speakers instead of getting into the music. Not to mention the fact I like tubes and vinyl so I have no use for multichannel.

 

[RichardHOS]

There is no reason why ambience extraction and multichannel playback can't be used in combination with vinyl source and tube amplification.

 

[Paul Simmons]

To be honest, I use stereo alot more.

 

[Lewis Besze]

Just wanted to add my comments here, as the above is IMO incorrect. 2 channel playback has serious physical limitations, the greatest of which is the inability to properly locate ambience cues from something like a good concert hall recording. 2 channel playback will produce sounds coming from where they shouldn't, and an absence of sounds from where they should.

I agree!

 

[Scott_N]

Richard

I've yet to hear a ambience DSP mode including DPLII Music or Logic 7 that doesn't sound crude or contrived to my ears.
I really can't stand using a center channel for music because it ruins the stereo image IMO.

 

[RichardHOS]

To each his own.

I have no problem with people preferring things one way or another. I have a problem with people incorrectly stating the physical attributes of a two-channel vs. multi-channel soundfield.

 

[Scott_N]

Same here Richard.

 

[MingL]

I use 2-ch stereo when I want to listen to the music and equipment, i.e. critical listening........

I use multi-ch surround when I want to enjoy myself listening to the music, i.e. rock the block........

As always, to each his own.