Stereo vs Multi-Channel (5.1 and greater)

[Townie62]

I'm a huge music fan and have been for many years. I'm in the market for a complete new stereo system (electronics, turntable, loudspeakers). I'm also considering the purchase of a home theatre system. I've always been of the opinion that the two don't go together. If you want a good stereo system buy a good 2 channel amplifier / 2 speakers. Keep the home theatre system separate. For economy I would like to build them both into one system. My question is simply this: Have I been right about keeping the two systems separate or is there a dynamite home theatre system that can also be a dynamite 2.1 system?

BTW, my first time posting to this site.

 

[markw]

Define "dynamite".

home theatres have come a long way in recent years. There's no reason you can't get very good stereo/music from many home theatre systems if you select the right components and speakers. The trick is to audition based on two channel music, not movies.

Of course there are those purists who will insist that can't be done but odds are they are the same ones who complain when their peas touch their mashed potatoes on the plate.

 

[Swerd]

BTW, my first time posting to this site.

Welcome to AH!

I'm in the market for a complete new stereo system (electronics, turntable, loudspeakers). I'm also considering the purchase of a home theatre system.

We're experts at spending other peoples money .

I've always been of the opinion that the two don't go together. If you want a good stereo system buy a good 2 channel amplifier / 2 speakers. Keep the home theatre system separate.

For economy I would like to build them both into one system. My question is simply this: Have I been right about keeping the two systems separate or is there a dynamite home theatre system that can also be a dynamite 2.1 system?

I guess it comes down to just what size room you have in mind when you say "home theater". About 15 years ago, I expanded my old stereo system into a 5.1 surround sound system. It's in a typical family room, roughly 16 × 22 feet, which continues, into a semi-open kitchen. There is a sofa & love seat, coffee table, cabinets & shelves with TV and electronic gear, and a fireplace on the side of the family room. It's the same room where my old stereo was located, and I never had any problem with using it for both home theater or stereo music. I do this with an A/V receiver supplemented by an additional 2-channel amp driving the front two speakers.

When other people say "home theater" they mean a larger room, perhaps a finished basement, with more seating arranged specifically for watching video on a large screen. Occasionally, I see people who demand very loud listening levels for these HT systems, and they use pro-sound type speakers meant for large rooms or auditoriums. The few that I've heard did achieve that loudness goal, but it came at the expense of otherwise poor sound quality. I often see that owners of such rooms also have separate stereo systems in smaller, more comfortably sized rooms.

So, room size may play a large role, however, I don't see any inherent reason why stereo amps or receivers have any performance benefit over a multichannel system. As far as I know, all AV receivers allow listening with 2 channels in stereo. Quality sound comes down to good speakers, the ability of the amplifier(s) to drive the speakers well without clipping, and the location of speakers and listeners. These are the very same issues that occur with whether you listen to two channels or five.

 

[zieglj01]

I've always been of the opinion that the two don't go together. If you want a good stereo system buy a good 2 channel amplifier / 2 speakers. Keep the home theatre system separate. For economy I would like to build them both into one system.

Welcome to the forum

A good system - will handle both stereo music and home theater.
A good speaker is a good speaker, and is able to handle speaking
and singing voices, different instruments - plus all types of action
and sound effects.

If my speakers can not handle both music and home theater, then
they will be fired.

Plus need to remember, that there seems to be a lot of music in
movies and tv programs.

 

[SurvivalDad]

I am a fan of 5.1.

 

[3db]

+1 on what Swerd and Zieg are stating. You may need to go to pro audio if your room is overly large and you want to achieve insane loudness levels. However, for more conventional room sizes/typical applications, a good speaker is a good speaker and will be able to perform equally well in both environments. The only thing I see that may be a small stumbling block is speaker and display placement. My main system serves as both 2channel and home theater setup. I placed my fronts to form an isosceles triangle from left/right main and my listening position. That is generally what is recommended for 2 channel. Because my emphasis is on audio, I'm sitting too far from my 47" screen to take complete advantage of 1080p. I see it more as 720P picture. A larger screen is in the works and will rectify that part. Its not a killer for me at this point.

Home theater recommends using the equal lateral approach between left/right mains and listening position. It still sounds good to me and pans across the front still sound expansive. The speaker positioning are just rough guide lines and they will fall somewhere in between the two depending on the acoutics of the room and the speakers used.

Hope this helps.

 

[Swerd]

When I posted above about large home theaters and pro-sound speakers, I meant to say that no one has a home theater room large enough to require pro-sound type speakers. I think 3db said it with better emphasis .

I sometimes hear people say that "if large pro-style horn speakers are good enough for commercial movie theaters, then you should also want them for your home theater". No home theater, even a full-sized basement, is at all close to the dimensions of a large commercial theater or public auditorium. Those speakers are designed to be loud enough for really big spaces. And most, if not all of them, achieve that at the expense of significantly lower sound quality.

 

[Swerd]

We seem to have lost Townie62, a one-and-done thread starter . Either he disagreed , or our answers made so much sense that he dropped everything and ran out to buy what we recommended .