6.1 for Music?

[mfabien]

Presently have a 5.1 system. Should I think of adding a rear Center channel speaker?

I know a 6.1 system can be nice for movies, even in Matrix format. But I listen to music much more than movies. What would a 6.1 system give me for music? Would sound from a rear center speaker be kind of odd for music? Do I want to feel I'm sitting with the musicians?

Are music Cd's pleasant to listen to in Neo6? With my 5.1 system and the Neo:6 program, the music is heard mainly from the 3 Front speakers and subdued from the surround speakers.

 

[mfabien]

Am I in the wrong Forum for this topic? 8 readers and no response to date !

Are readers vested in 2 Channel Stereo only?

 

[Taifun]

I recently tried adding a rear center to my setup. When listening to music I found the rc as subdued as the lr+rr speakers. I actually could not tell the difference from the 5.1 setup when using either NEO:6 or the DPLII DSPs. I could however tell a big difference with DTS movie soundtracks. Since i was borrowing the extra speaker I have returned to my 5.1 setup. Having moved the rear channels and re-calibrating my system with the MCACC I can say I don't miss the extra speaker in my current setup. My having moved the speakers to take the extra rear into play made a bigger difference in my room. This is my expirience only. I'm sure someone else with a similar setup will chime in...

 

[mfabien]

Taifun,

Makes sense, for music all 3 surround speakers should be subdued for ambiance. Could be different for a DTS concert like the Eagles as some of the supporting instruments are heard from the rear surrounds (for instance the horn in the intro for Hotel California... wonder how that is handled in DTS-ES?). And how would Steely Dan sound in DTS-ES since it makes good use of rear surround for different instruments and supporting voices? Like sitting in the middle of the band?

So the rear center speaker's usefulness is really for movies? Like the sound of a Helicopter in the background moving from rear left to rear right and passing through the rear center. For the amount of time I look at movies, the investment is hardly justified.

 

[Taifun]

Mfabien,

It may entirely depend on the source. We (my friends and I) listened to a few DVD-As including some in DTS. The consensus was the room needed a bipole/dipole speaker design instead of direct radiating speakers to make a difference. Having moved back to my 5.1 setup I would agree. We could hear a difference using 6.1 but I prefer the 5.1 setup. What I am saying is your mileage WILL vary. Room considerations, placement, speaker design and the played material all impact your expirience.

So what I would recommend is what I am doing which is expiriementing to find what works best for you. I have been borrowing friend's speakers and swapping out mine, or running both in order to see what works. That and continuing input from people on this site. AH rocks for helpful info IMHO!

 

[j_garcia]

For music, it isn't going to ad anything. There are only a very limited number of 6.1 music titles, and I haven't found any that I'm interested in anyway. DVD-A and SACD are 5.1 at this point, so I can't say that 6.1 would be a benefit for music. For movies, that may be a different story.

 

[mfabien]

j_garcia,

I guess that is the bottom line. Good for movies but adds little for music.

I'll ask my supplier to lend me a speaker for a couple of days... who knows he may agree, and I'll see exactly what's what.

 

[Taifun]

Good point

J_garcia,

Very true. I was muddying up what I was trying to get at, I think the compromise is if you setup a 5.1 vs a 6.1 or 7.1 setup you place speakers a bit differently in order to take advantage of the extra speakers. I have been toying around with whether or not to add more speakers to the rear and return to the 5.1 setup due to simplicity and preference.

BTW, was your suggestion to check out the GRs that started me on expirimenting. I'll have to start a thread to ask you more questions

 

[j_garcia]

Prior to the GRs, I had a 6.1 setup. With the GRs, like Taifun, I actually don't miss the rear center at all. I had the opportunity to buy another single matching A/V-2 for a great price, but I don't have a place to put it in my current setup, but I haven't felt as though anything is lacking anyway. In the right room, with a good setup, I think 6.1 and 7.1 would be a good thing, but still may not benefit serious music listeners. I haven't heard a good example of PLIIx yet, so I can't comment on that, but so far I haven't found a DSP that provided me with a better sound that a well done multichannel mix.

What I noticed is, even with ES material, it is so well mixed usually that even without being processed in ES, the surround content is very good. I heard this recently with Domino - not the best movie but the ES sound and a good mix was great!

Very busy with work and other things lately. If you need something specific, you can always PM me too

 

[Jack Hammer]

I think the only real advantage is to have sound all around the room, not neccessarily better or worse. I usually play the radio through 7.1, but only because I'm walking around a lot when It's on. I don't think there is any real advantage at this point to it.

 

[Sleestack]

Personally, for SACD and DVD-A recorded in 5.1, I prefer a strict 5.1 setup. If properly set up, you don't need a rear center channel as the rear speakers will do just fine at creating a "phantom" center rear channel for any material that is supposed to be presented that way. Only a limited number of SACDs and DVD-A send significant info through those rear channels, but for those that do (Porcupine Tree, Steely Dan etc.), a proper 5.1 setup really allows you to hear things as they were meant to be.