Home Theater sound -vs-audiophile system

[Claude]

I heard many different HT system and all of them gave me the impression that «bass» was so much boosted that it had nothing to do with reality, except maybe for explosions, earthquake, and things like that.

Most of the time, the music content was almost unbearable, at least for me.

II guess that those 5 or 7 chanel amplifiers are builded precisely for spectacular sound effects and certainly not for music reproduction.

Am i wrong?

Claude

 

[Pandovski]

You are not wrong my friend. That doesn't make them bad, just bad for listening to music in stereo mode. Most are one trick pony, but some of them were made multipurpose to be excellent with both movies and stereo music.

Ever tried a Marantz, Harman Kardon or Denon? Which brands and models in particular have you auditioned?

BTW

The 'Mericans are asleep, so no debate until afternoon EST at least.

 

[Claude]

Home Theater sound -vs-audiophile sound

I heard many different HT system and all of them gave me the impression that «bass» was so much boosted that it had nothing to do with reality, except maybe for explosions, earthquake, and things like that.

Most of the time, the music content was almost unbearable, at least for me.

II guess that those 5 or 7 chanel amplifiers are builded precisely for spectacular sound effects and certainly not for music reproduction.

Am i wrong?

Claude

 

[hjames]

I heard many different HT system and all of them gave me the impression that «bass» was so much boosted that it had nothing to do with reality, except maybe for explosions, earthquake, and things like that.

Most of the time, the music content was almost unbearable, at least for me.

II guess that those 5 or 7 chanel amplifiers are builded precisely for spectacular sound effects and certainly not for music reproduction.

Am i wrong?

Claude

I don't know what systems you have heard or how well they were setup, but there are different tastes and configurations in Home Theater systems just as audio buffs have different tastes in 2 channel systems. Its not just about bass levels, but that can be the first thing that jumps out at you ... I do admit I run my sub 6-9 dB higher in movie mode than I do for music ....

The real key to a good system is having all the speakers tonally matched so the character and timber of the sound is consistent no matter which direction its coming from (and I don't mean those little home theater in a box cubes on a stick-stand).
Another thing with an audiophile home theater is it costs a bit of money to have 7 channels of high quality sound - good amps aren't cheap, and neither are good speakers.

 

[Todd MacDona]

I had a Yamaha HT receiver. You could choose from various stadiums, arenas and cathedrals worldwide. It also worked in 2 channel mode. I left it in 2 most of the time. Lots of echo effects. Lots of people liked it, just not for me in the end.

 

[RS Steve]

I have a nice Yamaha surround receiver combined with a AR-1 High Res. speaker system for my HT setup, it really does movies well. I can switch it to just stereo mode and play 2 channel music also. I have no complaints with it's performance in either mode, but to my ears the vintage combinations do a better job for my two channel tastes. My HT can put out way more bass simply because the front speakers have two 15" side firing woofers powered by 500 watt carver amps. They have controls to adjust the level so it's no problem to dial them in for music.

 

[stereofanboy]

Most powered subs have adjustable crossovers and volume control. If your sound is too bass heavy, those are the first things to check. Many people adjust the crossover point too high, and the volume to high as well so that they can hear the sub over the other speakers. The secret to sub integration is to not be able to hear localizable sound from the sub. That is difficult if not impossible to achieve without a noticable gap if your other speakers are small.

 

[schaale]

I have a denon 2311 and it does 2 channel pretty good. In 2 channel mod it doesn't use the sub. My front main speakers have 2 eight inch woofers in 100L ported cab tuned to 24hz. I prefer my Sansui qrx-7001 though, it has better bass

 

[Vintagear]

I have a Denon AVR-3803 (120 wpc) and it can’t compete (for 2 channel music) with a vintage Sansui AU-717 (85 wpc) or an AU-719 (90 wpc).

IMO with a modern HT receiver, the real power is not there regardless of what the specs say. IME while running a pair of B&W 683’s (no sub) the Denon would go into protect mode playing 2 channel music with sudden dynamic burst at a high volume levels. On the other hand, the Sansui’s (even though rated at a lower wattage) will drive those 683’s right through the same section of music (even at a higher volume) without breaking a sweat or going into protect.

I found that the Denon also runs out of steam well before the lower wattage Sansui’s do. Keep in mind that the –db settings on the volume controls do not coincide between manufacturers. You will need an SPL meter and test tones to do a proper comparison.

I also listened to the Denon and the Sansui AU-719 extensively with a pair of Sennheiser HD650’s (Denon in direct mode & Sansui tone controls set flat) and I found the Denon did not sound as good as the Sansui. Somehow it sounded tinny and did not seem to control the full range of sound as well.

Personally, I never use my Denon AVR for music listening, only for HT which is what it was really designed for.

 

[bobins08]

My HT system was nothing great for stereo but does very well for Blu rays and movies and digital stuff as it was intended to do.

It consists of a Dennon AR 3808ci reciever, basic Panasonic Blu Ray player, a Denon ipod dock, B&W 684 in front, B&W 686 center, and B&W 685 in the rear (the 685 is actually being wasted asa surroiund - it is a sweet little bookself speaker) and a Velodyne 12 inch woofer. The Denon decodes CDs and all the formats well and the DAC in it is decent. It is 7 channel with lots of "watts" that seem to be optimized for HT, not stereo.

When I play vinyl on this I use a Kenwwod KD550 (stock arm). The phono input is poor so I use either the Jolida JD-9 or the HypnoToaded CA 640P for a phono stage. I also Bi-amp the front speakers. Given all of this the stereo sound is quite good but not close to the system in my signature.

I suppose if you go away from the big box store electronics then things would improve for stereo play back but at a significant cost.

 

[HTHMAN]

It is largely setup. Most people want to hear the explosions, etc, on the movies. Often they have a boomy sub, especially if they have an HTIB or boxed speaker set. I have used my sound level meter on a few friend's system and find that they just can not be accurately set by ear. Balancing out the speakers makes a huge difference. If you properly set up your surround system with proper speaker distances, position, levels, crossover etc, you can make them sound pretty good. For 2 channel sound, I still prefer my vintage stuff but that is what it was designed for. For music, I prefer a good 2 or 3-way speaker over a satellite/sub setup.

 

[jsixis]

I heard many different HT system and all of them gave me the impression that «bass» was so much boosted that it had nothing to do with reality, except maybe for explosions, earthquake, and things like that.

Most of the time, the music content was almost unbearable, at least for me.

II guess that those 5 or 7 chanel amplifiers are builded precisely for spectacular sound effects and certainly not for music reproduction.

Am i wrong?

Claude

yes you are wrong.
My 1992 Yamaha RX-v992 in stereo mode sounds excellent
The new ones sound excellent too.

 

[VorlonFog]

Put a couple of bass transducers under your HT seating, and you won't need to turn up the subwoofer so much. I'm running a pair of these "bass shakers" off the secondary LFE connection of my pre-processor/pre-amp and it makes a world of difference in the HT experience, without ruining the stereo audio experience.

 

[Coastsider]

My Home Theater rig is primarily set up for just that as well as other multi-channel formats like SACD and DVD-A and while the Oppo Blu-ray player can be used for conventional Redbook CD's and there is a turntable and a reel to reel deck in the system that can be used in pure analog 2-channel mode, they are not used very often as the R/L speakers in the rig are optimized for multi-channel and so are otherwise a bit too far apart for critical 2-channel listening. Fortunately I have 2-channel systems in other locations in the house including in a dedicated music room that are used for that purpose.

 

[AVService]

How many if us have ever heard a Train Crash,Plane Crash or explosions in life?
Often the effects used to make these sounds in a movie have nothing to do with the events they claim to portray. On top of that we wouldn't know if it were right anyway usually!

So many of the things we look to in an HT setting are not even remotely what we can expect and most listeners only know to look for the "sizzle" if you get what I mean?

Most also want to listen too loud to be able to discern details and ruin the low level dynamics and articulation if any was there in the first place.

It is uncommon for a receiver based system to do a great job with Ht,there are just too many compromises built in but people need to love what they paid for and so they turn it up.

I install these every day and I could never live with a HT system as my main system although I have lived with some HT processors in Stereo and been satisfied too.

Just like the iPod and quality many don't get it and wouldn't see it if they could?

 

[HeezDeadJim]

How many if us have ever heard a Train Crash,Plane Crash or explosions in life? On top of that we wouldn't know if it were right anyway usually!

I've never seen a train wreck, but we live block and a half away from the track. When the train starts up and the first initial pulling of every car....you can feel a thunderous low "explosion" that sounds like someone is shooting off a howitzer in your backyard.

Even inside my house, you can feel extremely low frequencies when the links between each car pulls from that distance. I highly doubt a sub could match that low and powerful reverberations.

Also, when the power transformer blows down the street, you KNOW it (besides the lights and power to the house going off). You hear a sound a loud crack and pop, then a sound sweep from 300hz to 0hz that you can also feel in the air for a brief period.

 

[HeezDeadJim]

...and you won't need to turn up the subwoofer so much.

...and it makes a world of difference in the HT experience, without ruining the stereo audio experience.

A sub shouldn't be "ruining" the stereo experience. I have a sub when I listen to 2-channel and it's only to for presence and fill out the extreme bottom end. If I turn off the sub, you don't notice it's doing anything unless you actually listen to songs that have that low frequency.

It's like the tweeters to speakers. The most noticeable frequencies are coming from the mid woofer and covering the tweeter with your hand doesn't make that huge of a difference. It's just slightly veiled. Same with the sub. I notice it, but not enough to make the timpani drum or bass drum stand in front of the singer or guitarist.

 

[VorlonFog]

A sub shouldn't be "ruining" the stereo experience. I have a sub when I listen to 2-channel and it's only to for presence and fill out the extreme bottom end. If I turn off the sub, you don't notice it's doing anything unless you actually listen to songs that have that low frequency.

Sounds like your sub is setup just as I prefer them, then. Presence without being glaringly obvious.

 

[I.R.Brainiac]

I love my stereo rig,it has my best speakers.
I also love my multichannel rigs and they are tuned primarily for music.

If you cant get a multichannel setup to equal your stereo setup,your DOING IT WRONG.

 

[sb01]

I love my stereo rig,it has my best speakers.
I also love my multichannel rigs and they are tuned primarily for music.

If you cant get a multichannel setup to equal your stereo setup,your DOING IT WRONG.

x2. There is no reason you can't get a quality 2 channel music experience from the same rig that gets you a quality HT or multichannel experience unless you just flat out haven't set up your equipment correctly.
Problem is, some setups would not qualify as "quality HT" to me. For separates, take your pick of equipment-- any halfway decent preamp/processor/amp system should give you a quality music experience. With receivers, it's a little tougher-- and that's why I always, ALWAYS, go with a Marantz--- you know, that receiver brand you DON'T see in most of the big box stores.