[skippy]

well i got flamed at another forum for calling surround sound a novelty. so i figured i'd like to see what you guys think of surround sound vs. stereo.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah, it's a novelty. No flames here, but I guess you should probably expect that in a headphones forum.

OTOH, it is a really cool novelty, when done right. If you've ever played a game that's got pretty good sound (the arcade game, "CyberSleds" comes to mind), then you know what I mean.

 

[Braver]

for music there's only one way, the 2 speaker way (which includes headphones ofcourse

). if you record it in stereo, all you need is a good stereo set-up to make it sound real.

for surround encoded stuff, movies, some live concerts on DVD etc, surround is better, you can't make stuff ound like it's coming from behind with just two speakers in front of you.

I don't watch a lot of movies, I'm not interested in surround. I don't think it's a novelty tho, I bet it works.

 

[mc whak]

Well, I'm sure there were people who thought stereo was a novelty when it first came out as well. Granted, I haven't heard any of the SACD/DVD-A surround titles yet, but I don't know if I'd call it a novelty. If that's how the artist wants it, so be it.

 

[edog]

Regarding music, whether surround sound is a novelty depends on the original recording, as well as the surround sound recording techniques. If the original recording was not made with more than two channels in mind, you can most likely forget about making a reasonable surround sound mix from it. However, if the original music was recorded for multiple channels, maybe surround sound can be a benefit.

One exception to what I've said above is music that can be effectively remixed for surround sound. An example would be Pink Floyd's Darkside of the Moon. That album has quite a few sound effects, which would be even more dramatic if they were surrounding you.

Overall, I think that surround sound has limited applications for music. For home theater, it's necessary though. To effectively create the feeling that you're inside the movie, sound must come from all around you. In real life, does sound come from just the front? No, it comes from all 360 degrees around you. Why should the movies be any different?

 

[Nezer]

I agree, it is just a novelty and I said the same thing on the DVD-A vs. SACD thread.

However, it's the only novelty that the consumer will care remotely about. But, if surround sound were to take it would have launched big in the 70s. It's integral to movies but I dont think it will stick with music. That is until FM radio starts broadcasing in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally posted by edog One exception to what I've said above is music that can be effectively remixed for surround sound. An example would be Pink Floyd's Darkside of the Moon. That album has quite a few sound effects, which would be even more dramatic if they were surrounding you.

Actually, I think that has a quadraphonic mix

 

[timoteus]

I would have no problem calling it a novelty. Since 5.1 was originally created for video I don't think it will have much staying power. I think once 6.0 or 7.0 surround emerges and becomes mainstream and successfully incorporates video and audio it will give stereo competition. To our advantage!

A good collection of articles on this is at the Chesky site. Read the last three articles of the five found here:

http://www.chesky.com/News/body_sacdnews.cfm

 

[KR...]

read on :

http://www.stereophile.com/shownews.cgi?1238

The Consumer Electronics Show officially opened today, Tuesday, and the SACD press conference put together by Sony and Philips started the day. Sony's Shizuo Takashino opened the presentation by explaining the three-phase rollout for the high-resolution format. Phases one and two, represented by the release of high-end and multi-disc SACD players, are now complete he said, with phase three launching at the show. As Takashino states, "This year is the true beginning of the mass-marketing of SACD."
Current hardware manufacturers for SACD now include Marantz, Classe, Accuphase, Pioneer, Sony, and Philips. Takashino announced that products will be arriving shortly from dCS, Linn, Luxman, Lindemann, Denon, Kenwood, Onkyo, and Yamaha. Software is now coming from over 40 independent labels according to Philips' Guy Demuynck, with over 600 titles so far, and 75-80% of those in multi-channel surround sound. Universal's Larry Kenswil reiterated his label's support of SACD, and promises to begin distribution of titles in the next few months. Already slotted for SACD re-release are albums from John Coltrane, The Allman Brothers, and Muddy Waters in addition to more recent works.

Most refreshing was the matter-of-fact presentation from Tower Record's Russ Solomon, who admits openly that 2001 was a flat year for music, and hopes SACD will give sales a boost. Solomon says he hopes folks will replace their CDs with SACDs "just like they replaced LPs with CDs. Even with CDs, something is still lost in the process of getting music from the recording studio to the player. This is not the case with SACD." He added, however, his frustration that new SACD releases "are coming too slow."

http://www.stereophile.com/shownews.cgi?1238

 

[rickcr42]

actually I have been using a version of the Hafler ambience exraction method for many years,1970 somthing.
On a live recording with a lot of L-R information it really opens up the soundfield
Studio recordings ? NOT !
I will take mine in two channel thank you.Artificial enhancements sound like what they are-not real
Now movies are another thing.Surround sound and big screen tv are a match meant to be.I can not watch regular tv in surround,way too distracting.But when the family sits down to watch a video it is surround or nothing

 

[cajunchrist]

I don't think surround is a novelty, I think it's a gimmick to get people to buy more equipment. Even in a professionally set up environment I have never had the illusion that I was in another location from the surround information.

Surround music will require people to buy two different mixes, one for portable use and one for the home. I don't think people will widely accept a format that requires someone to buy two CD's, especially if the proposed copyprotection prevents you from copying your CD's on to your harddrive for computer use.

If the record companies had their way, they would make you buy one CD for home use, one CD for your car, one CD for your portable, and charge you a fee to download the music for your computer. When will it end?

cajunchrist

 

[skippy]

just for clarification, we were discussing music videos being rereleased on dvd (the songs were originally recorded in stereo), and i called surround sound a gimmick for use with music. like most of the guys here, i think surround sound is pretty nifty for movies.

 

[KR...]

surround sound is perfect for movies, but I wouldn't want to listen to music that way.

 

[bootman]

Check this out for novelty.
You just have to read it since if I told you what it was, you won't believe me anyway.

 

[cajunchrist]

yeah, and you would have to have a sound engineer come to your house and individualy focus all 254 of those drivers to get it to work. Plus, with a single sound location, where are you going to put the t.v.? (assuming it needs to be centered)

Also, the damn thing only goes down to 80 hz, you gotta get a subwoofer too?

cajunchrist