Describe the "new HiFi sound"?

@dave_b @decooney @jjss49 

So I spent some time today on my two channel setup. Got some nice Transparent cables running from my Sony Signature TAZH1ES dac/pre and used it as a dedicated preamp, bypassing my Marantz processor. My Paradigm active speakers have both RCA and XLR inputs so I hooked the pre to the RCA. I use a toggle switch to choose the input I want to use. The Signature line was years in development and represents Sony’s flagship products. Next I recalibrated my Paradigm Link streamer ARC room correction with my PC and that took 20 min. Got it dialed in perfectly for my preferred curve. Then I must have played music of various genre for the next two hours. The Sony has features that let you upscale audio to hirez (DSEE) or remaster files in DSD using the proprietary FPGA DAC. Totally geeked out with the settings. This setup is unbelievably clear, it unleashes whatever your speakers are capable of reproducing. Guess what? It is just like the audio shows, 2 channels shines with acoustic music and female vocals where the music is presented as coming from in front of you. Rock, big band, pop, orchestral music is more dynamic and unnatural in this fashion. In my immersive setup the center channel makes the soundstage better so you can move around and not need a sweetspot. You have 0 localization of speakers, the walls become speakers and that is more of what I experience at a concert hall. So, I still prefer having both options.

@kota1 good experiment. Sounds like fun. Gotta ask.

Have you ever heard a dedicated 2-channel HiFi system with no software involved, no pre-processing, non-oversampling (NOS) dedicated DAC, dedicated preamplifier, paired with dedicated class-A amplifiers, and really good passive (non-powered) speakers before? 

Do you have a reputable Audio Note dealer near  you?  If so, try to go listen. 

@decooney , I have owned many two channel systems and still use one for my desktop. I prefer solid state to tubes and have used varios amps and speakers. I have also attended various audio shows. There is nothing that compares to the feeling of having your walls themselves become speakers and the room becoming pressurized like it does when you have 14 active speakers, all individually biamped with internal monoblocks although two channel can get you 50% of the way there on well recorded material. It just requires sooo much effort and tweaking I find it a real PIA compared to just following the Dolby standards on immersive audio room set up and hitting play. Did you see my system on my profile?

I find that all that Dolby processing takes away from the music.

@kota1 no, had not before, and just checked it out, thanks. Nice.  You enjoy it and that's what matters. As noted "on well recorded material". Gotcha.  I listen to all sorts of different and inferior recordings, so that rules me out for immersive sound.