Is multichannel audio really worth getting into

[mtrycrafts]

I own a DVD-A that has a 30 second sample of the first track in Carl Orff's Carmina Burana and I own a 2 channel CD of Carmina Burana. Although they are different recordings of different choruses and orchestras, the vast difference in CD sound and DVD-A sound can only be explained by the fact that DVD-A freakin' ROCKS bro!
...
I absolutely love multi-channel music. I think it's like watching movies on a HDTV widescreen. Once you get a taste of it, there really is no going back. Then again, some people don't care. They're good watching The Matrix in a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Yes, multi is nice, very nice and yes, SACD/DVD-A can hold more information but outside of the care taken with DVD/A and SACD, most of the time, and being multi ch., that is the aspect that makes it better, not the extra info in storage.

 

[Jack Hammer]

DSOTM was the first SACD I listened to. It's definately made better by multichannel, IMO it was an eye opener for an old favorite. Not everything I've listened to in multichannel has given me the same feeling. A few of my 12-15 sacds are better than the stereo versions. Most are not a dramatic difference to me (also a lot of those are only 3ch, not 5). I would say it depends on what you are listening to and how much you like it.

Jack

 

[supervij]

Just yesterday I listened to a 5.1 DVD-A of The Polyphonic Spree's Together We're Heavy (classed as "symphonic rock" -- music that will definitely not be to everyone's taste!) And while I enjoyed the music and the surround mix immensely, I remembered this thread and decided to listen to a few songs in its PCM Stereo mix. It was fine, no complaints, but compared to the 5.1, the stereo mix was flat, uninspired and uninvolving. If I didn't have the 5.1 of this album, I never would have known what I was missing, and might have been happy with the 2.0. But I do have the 5.1, and won't go back to 2.0, not for this album anyway.

cheers,
supervij

 

[mtrycrafts]

...I would say it depends on what you are listening to and how much you like it.

Jack

Yes, that goes without saying Mastering quality matters. One only has to listen to those compressed CDs

 

[thegreenline]

I love it

I love it, I have James Taylor(Hour Glass & October Road), Elton John(Madman Across The Water & Tumble Weed Connection), Carol King(Tapestry), Fleetwood Mac(Rumors) and The Carpenters(The Single).

They sound as good as a well taken care of album, and then the feeling of being surrounded by the music is great. Just listening to MC music makes me feel better.

Also there are some great DVD's Loggins & Messina Sittin' In At The Santa Barbra Bowl, Sade and Dido are something that you need to hear.

 

[davidtwotrees]

Also there are some great DVD's Loggins & Messina Sittin' In At The Santa Barbra Bowl, Sade and Dido are something that you need to hear.

SADE has a DVD-A out? Or are you referring to a DVD-V?
To the op. I guess the only reason to get into multi channel at this point is if you are a classical listener. The M/C offerings in that genre are HUGE, and the sonic benefits would make it worth it. While I love the two dozen or so mc discs I have, it wouldn't be worth it to "get into" mc for that small a library. Of the two dozen discs I own, I'd say ten were jaw droppers. Really a shame this format didn't work.........

 

[Jack Hammer]

Another thing to consider is your listening habits. Multi channel listening is best when you are seated in your listening position. The effect isn't as noticeable if you mainly listen to music in the background while you do stuff around the house.

Jack

 

[Geno]

Put me on the list of MC lovers. If you're a classical or jazz lover, there's certainly no shortage of SACD or DVD-A titles. Rock & Pop are a different story, but there are many out there if you look hard enough. The AIX recordings and offerings by Mark Knopfler are great.

 

[Pyrrho]

One would only have to attend some out door concerts to see how flat it is, no room/concert hall envelopment with the soundfield.

It depends upon the terrain. I have heard outdoor music with strange echos bouncing off of distant objects. I have also heard an orchestra outside, in which they used microphones and speakers. I found that by going behind the stage, I could hear the sound directly from the musicians rather than through the speakers, and that was better. (Come to think of it, there was a building behind me there, too, so some of the sound would have bounced off of it somewhat like off the back wall of a concert hall, which might also have helped the sound.)

 

[Waveform]

I have begun to listen to 2 channel music using the "DTS Neo:6 Music" mode where the centre and surround channels are created by processing, and now listen to all music this way. I find that the surround speakers are on but only serve to improve ambience rather than announcing their presence. However what I like best is the creation of a true centre channel, so that one does not have to be seated at the sweet spot to perceive the phantom sources in the middle. I don't like Dolby PLIIx for this purpose because it tends to collapse the front channels to the centre channel too much, robbing the soudstage of its width. With DTS Neo:6 however, I can choose exactly how much the front channels are attenuated to create the centre channel (on a scale of 0 to 5, I like it set at 4). To me this sounds just like stereo, but somehow a little better.

 

[Nomo]

I have begun to listen to 2 channel music using the "DTS Neo:6 Music" mode where the centre and surround channels are created by processing, and now listen to all music this way. I find that the surround speakers are on but only serve to improve ambience rather than announcing their presence. However what I like best is the creation of a true centre channel, so that one does not have to be seated at the sweet spot to perceive the phantom sources in the middle. I don't like Dolby PLIIx for this purpose because it tends to collapse the front channels to the centre channel too much, robbing the soudstage of its width. With DTS Neo:6 however, I can choose exactly how much the front channels are attenuated to create the centre channel (on a scale of 0 to 5, I like it set at 4). To me this sounds just like stereo, but somehow a little better.

Actually the PLIIx music mode has more control and adjustability than Neo6.
While Neo6 does sound good, I've found that for my tastes I need to be able to adjust the center width and panorama depending on the type of music. PLIIx allows this.