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In Reply to: RE: but still... posted by luigi22 on July 17, 2007 at 13:01:21
luigi22: in reproducing a multi-instrument performance, 2-channel has vastly more critical information to offer than mono in instrument separation, its contribution to such music appreciation is clearly superior to mono. When there is no L & R distinction in instrument positioning and ambiance retrieval, and when everything is happening on top of each other in a single channel, the music does not draw me in the way stereo does. I might have followed up from a thread that talked about fun in listening to mono, but mono's limitation is too overwhelming for me.
You also brought up the issue of 2-channel vs. 3-channel. My experience in this regard is fairly limited. I experimented with it with no success and reverted back to 2-channel some time ago. With all stereo recording, playing it back with a center channel involves the summation of the L & R, which is hardly a faithful rendition of the original 2-channel signals, unless recording studios begin producing 3-channel recordings. Then, there is the problem of using additional equipment for reducing the center-channel level to reap the image stability you mentioned without injecting too much energy onto other instruments that are supposed to be on opposite ends of the stage.
There is also the issue of adding a speaker between the L & R speakers, which can affect spatiality adversely. I had a 32-inch TV between the speakers and I did not realize its detrimental effect on spatiality until I removed it.
Beside the point of practicality in any given domestic environment, this touches on the aspect of multi-channel surround sound, and inevitably the aspect of idealism to contend with. With 2-channel, most of the time we are trying to recreate the event in our listening space, ie. Enjoying the performances in our living room; but multi-channel aims at recreating the illusion of the recording venue, ie. bringing the listener to the concert. Now, I can lose myself very easily into a 2-channel reproduction; but experiencing a multi-channel recreation of the event addresses very different sets of enjoyment priorities than music-listening through a 2-channel setup. Listener focus on surround-sound becomes one of illusion credibility, on how well the ambiance of the venue is mastered by the studio, transferred to disc and reproduced at home using the listener's own equipment, whereas one focuses on entirely different aspects of sound in a 2-channel system.
Personally speaking, I listen for how a particular equipment sound in my system and how it contributes to my enjoyment of music. The emphasis on surround-sound is the recording engineer's vision of the 3-dimensionality of the event, not whether the system is producing the music per my sonic preference. Then, there is the pain of changing 5 speakers in a system change as opposed to just 2...etc. Beside a ban of a 5-speaker system by my wife, I can't imagine myself changing/upgrading 5 speakers and related equipment, at least not with the relative ease I have with just 2 speakers and individual equipment. The fun factor with 2-channel is undeniable in this regard.
Speaking for myself, surround-sound is exciting and very entertaining, but during those circumstances in which I was given the opportunity to experience it, surround-sound works only if demonstrated with true 5.1-channel softwares, and still there is the personal preference of making music come alive in front of you, or recreating a concert hall in your own home -- eyes closed, of course. A last point: music-listening via surround-sound ceases to work for me when the rear channels begin to produce anything more than ambiance cues. Because when that happens, it is transitioned from providing music appreciation sessions to providing sensor-stimulations. Mono, on the other hand, limits the realistic reproduction of instruments, and enjoyment obtained via this mode of listening is fundamentally surpassed by 2-channel.
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