Sorry, but you are wrong again. It is not true that a live performance is superior to two channel stereo. All that can be said is that they are different. Two totally different experiences that serve two totally different purposes.
I think anyone that believes a system in their home can somehow magically transport them to a live performance in a theater is delusional. It’s not going to happen whether there are two speakers or 13 speakers all over the room and hanging from the ceiling. It just ain’t going to happen.
You are still in your room which is the main determinate of what you hear regardless of how many speakers are deployed. In fact, there can become a point where all of those extra speakers are a detriment to the sound quality rather than an enhancement.
If you want to keep believing that multi-channel is preferable to stereo for the best quality sound in listening to music that’s up to you. But trying to sell it here is not likely to go very far.
However, you might find better reception over on one of the home theater forums where sound quality is not as important as other things. Particularly, as trying to create an illusion that you have somehow been transported to a live performance.
I busted my 5" fullrange loudspeakers, sounded very good at listening volume and listening position but the kids demanded a party and the speakers couldn't reach party levels. Compression kicks in pretty soon and dynamics fall apart. Eventually after few kids parties wrinkles appeared to the metal cones. Otherwise sounded pretty good still at high volume, no bad sounding distortion. The portable BT speakers that are everywhere get pretty loud as well but sound really bad when loud. All home parties I've been with home stereo speakers have sounded quite nasty when cranked, the typical big-box store variety. High distortion in the local bars as well (small town).
Anyway, with big multi-way speakers party volume is reached without compression, problem solved
Lots of fun, loud and clean has some extra impact. Bought a cheap SPL meter recently to see how loud it is, haven't tested yet.
Anyway, with big multi-way speakers party volume is reached without compression, problem solved
Lots of fun, loud and clean has some extra impact. Bought a cheap SPL meter recently to see how loud it is, haven't tested yet.
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I busted my 5" fullrange loudspeakers, sounded very good at listening volume and listening position but the kids demanded a party and the speakers couldn't reach party levels. Compression kicks in pretty soon and dynamics fall apart. Eventually after few kids parties wrinkles appeared to the metal cones. Otherwise sounded pretty good still at high volume, no bad sounding distortion. The portable BT speakers that are everywhere get pretty loud as well but sound really bad when loud. All home parties I've been with home stereo speakers have sounded quite nasty when cranked, the typical big-box store variety. High distortion in the local bars as well (small town).
Anyway, with big multi-way speakers party volume is reached without compression, problem solved
My pre-amp has the option of setting a limit on the stepped attenuator, which prevents that sort of damage. You would have been wise to pick up an old pair of 3-ways off a local buy and sell for dirt cheap and let the kids thrash them at the party. Preserve your full range speakers for normal listening. My local buy and sell site right now has numerous mid-fi multi-way "party" speaker pairs that are going for peanuts. Many come with amps or receivers. Stick them out by the wood pile with a tarp over them when not in use.
In my experience, there are few "critical listeners" at parties like that.
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I should have been clearer, I'm still thinking of two channel stereo just than using two speakers might be a design trade off
...even for two channel recordings?
Given that i estimate that the very best speakers are 20% of where we can go. If one takes a sampling of the finest loudspeakers available today, they are all equally valid loudpeaker designs and they will sound different.
Because compromises in the design cannot be avoided. And each designer chose a different set.
For instance an OB/Dipole has a specifi dispersion that classicalfan mentions, ha sthe immediate compromise of using an OB. When one choses an OB one is making significant compromise right off the bat.
Not right or wrong, just a choice.
BTW an OB is usually a poor dipole. But can be much more efficient and less costly.
dave
Why not? They each have sound going backward.
I was implying that despite their constant directivity as you say, they have (or might have) an early reflection component. What is it about dipole that people want, do they see the rear wave as inevitable or desirable?
To answer that question I might ask whether someone would want dipole, and yet not want omni?
Worth saying again. The goal of trying to “match" a live performance is a red herring.
As soon as the live event (not many of those on CD unless one is a classical fan) is recorded, so much information is lost that there is no way to identically reproduce the live event. Besides a whole lot of other things.
As has been pointed out, that recording is a distillation of the event and may in ways be better than the erformance depending on where you sit.
And most songs today are artifical creations made in a studio with the (stereo) hifi as the intended output device.
The big compromise is that if one wanted to listen to live music exclusively as much as we listen to hifi one would need to have a huge space and LOTS of money.
And listening in your car & on the bus becomes very limiting.
dave
1/ Cost: many speakers, many amplifiers, typically poor pre-amps vrs higher quality in stereo because of way simplier, way fewer compomnents to pay for.
2/ lack of recordings that take advantage of more than 2 channels.
But if all you listen to are movies…
dave
Good points Dave. I agree.
Furthermore, there are two approaches to listening to studio recordings. One approach attempts to make their own system and room "disappear" so they are effectively (approximately) transported into the studio. The other approach lets the musicians into their room to play.
Adherents of one of these approaches like to claim that their approach is the "only way" to "true hi fidelity" and everything else is "mid-fi", while the others simply enjoy the sound of musicians playing in their living room, knowing it isn't perfect and not really caring.
I don't want to sit in a studio with musicians. I want them to come to my place and play. But to each their own.
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