• Welcome to The Audio Annex! If you have any trouble logging in or signing up, please contact 'admin - at - theaudioannex.com'. Enjoy!
  • HTTPS (secure web browser connection) has been enabled - just add "https://" to the start of the URL in your address bar, e.g. "https://theaudioannex.com/forum/"
  • Congratulations! If you're seeing this notice, it means you're connected to the new server. Go ahead and post as usual, enjoy!
  • I've just upgraded the forum software to Xenforo 2.0. Please let me know if you have any problems with it. I'm still working on installing styles... coming soon.

I have decided I don't need surround sound, ever

The more I think about it, the more I realize that every movie I truly love and watch over and over didn't leave any impression on my concerning their surround sound or soundtrack. The movies which stick in my head for their amazing soundtracks and use of surrounds are, well, toss-out flicks I'd probably never want to see again if not for the whiz-bang flashy audio. I lost interest in gimmicky sound decades ago.

I remember you posting that you liked some of the TV shows integration of surround sound into their shows. Numbers is one I recall...


Yeah, I just called the distributor and ordered them. Any day now.

So, you've pulled the trigger on the drivers for your next ultimate system?
 
After a kick ass 2.1 demo and 5.1 demo weekend, I would stick with what I have. Especially after Oblivion and It!

However, if I was starting from scratch I would have a hard time deciding.

For me - "IT" was one of the best sound mixes I've heard in years. The use of surrounds added a lot to the overall feel of the movie.
 
My system is used for TV and movies about 90% of the time, so the calculus is a bit different. I really enjoy the surround experience and watch a lot of action and sci-fi material with strong surround content. I also find that having a center channel is very useful in a living room setting where the seating area is often wide, relative to the distance between the seating and the display. The ends of my sofa put listeners directly across from the main speakers, for instance.

None of that means I want to concentrate my investment in the surround speakers and I am a strong believer in the idea that smaller speakers from a less expensive line from the same manufacturer are usually up to the task.
 
I remember you posting that you liked some of the TV shows integration of surround sound into their shows. Numbers is one I recall...

You are absolutely correct. But looking back it wasn't the story, acting, plots, or any of those things which I found memorable. What I remember is the use of surround sound to produce a cool effect in the home. I don't necessary care to watch a show that doesn't enthrall me for the story first. There is such a HUGE selection of amazing stuff to watch, I don't need to make do with an average show just because the soundtrack is cool.

So, you've pulled the trigger on the drivers for your next ultimate system?

I did. I'll post more on them in the future.
 
For me music is what really matters. Video entertain is desirable, but that isn't why I own high end amps and speakers.
 
I enjoy the surround, However still place the value in getting lost in the Story and Video. Music still is king also.
 
To each his own. I LOVE me some good surround. In the real world we hear sounds from all around us. I like that replicated in the not so real world.
 
Flint

That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of .. Really spending all that time knowledget for a non surround system is rubbish! The main reason to cook BBQ is to enjoy it like speakers ya know.

So the more speakers and BBQ you have the better !


Some people and their audio Nirvana go just too far, blasphemy I say, you have been kicked off my island .

Now pull yourself together and build a full surround system like you know you should....

Lol that was fun.. since no one gave you shit am board, waiting in a dock getting unloaded.

Can't wait to see what you come up with ..



:moon::nyah:
 
When I was a kid I thought I would totally be into home theater and surround sound, but when I got older (and reading this forum), I realized I cared more about good reproduction of music more. Plus I don't have the room or money to do surround sound to the standards I would want, and don't watch movies much anymore, so I'm happy sticking with 2.1 setups
:thumbsup:
 
I don't even want to do 2.1. A good fullrange speaker that can get down to 15Hz should be fine.
 
Time-aligned drivers this go around? Just trying to think of design elements you might implement...
 
Time-aligned drivers this go around? Just trying to think of design elements you might implement...

Mine are time-aligned now via the DSP crossover. This way is better acoustically, the stepped baffles are terrible in general for diffraction and strange acoustic listings.

The one nice thing about the Altec A7 is that the drivers are aligned without and added negative characteristics.
 
Recently I have gone the opposite direction of Flint, adding surround channels. Downloading Auro3D to my Marantz receiver, currently I have height channels on stands for the front and rear. JBL LSR 308's and 305's, nothing on the ceiling yet but I do have some Elac speakers that I want to try there.

Unfortunately I have sloped ceiling, which is not supposed to be a good thing acoustics wise. However I consider this kind of an experiment, to see what is possible and what is not in my room.

I bought a few Bluray's to help my quest encoded in Dolby Atmos, which supposedly can work with Auro3D. One is actually encoded in Auro3D it's a Russian movie about a space station in danger of falling to earth. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6537238/

So far I like the extra sound coming from the rear height speakers, the front height, speakers can't tell much difference there. I still have a lot more experimenting to do but, will update as I go along.

FYI, I've never cared for pseudo surround, for movies not any real improvement, IMHO. With music it always seemed like more high frequencies are directed at you, confusing the imaging/soundstage of the front speakers.
 
Last edited:
The one nice thing about the Altec A7 is that the drivers are aligned without and added negative characteristics.

Besides being inherently time aligned, another benefit of the short horn on the woofer is that over the crossover region both the LF and HF drivers are loaded by an exponential horn, making the transition extremely smooth and the dispersion patterns close to identical. This is not the case in any other speakers other than ones like the Klipschorn, however that speaker is not even remotely close to being time aligned.
 
Ohh, so are you not going to use your infinite baffle subs at all with your next build?

Of course I will! That's the best sub bass I've ever heard indoors. But, they will be incorporated into the main speakers, not treated as a separate .1 channel.
 
Of course I will! That's the best sub bass I've ever heard indoors. But, they will be incorporated into the main speakers, not treated as a separate .1 channel.

So, you are looking and maybe have found that stereo pre-amp.

I am curious to know how you will incorporate the infinite baffle subs into this "Stereo" system................
 
So, you are looking and maybe have found that stereo pre-amp.

I am curious to know how you will incorporate the infinite baffle subs into this "Stereo" system................
I will wire the sub drivers in stereo and use a crossover for each. Basically, my future system will be a 4-way system.
 
Back
Top