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Do NOT Blow Your Entire Budget on Two Channel Audio

Yes, two channel audio is here, and is not going away. However, object based audio is delightful, widely available on Tidal and Apple Music, and should be in the listening room of every music lover on the planet, not just "audiophiles. If you plan to be a music fan a year from now start building your object based audio system today. You will need:

1) A receiver/processor capable of Dolby Atmos.

2) A subscription to Tidal or Apple music.

3) A Firestick, ATV, or Nvidia Shield.

4) A minimum of 7 timber matched speakers and a subwoofer.

Once you experienced stereo would you ever go back to only mono? No, you would build a system capable of either mono or stereo. Now that object based audio has arrived do the same thing. Build a system capable of mono, stereo, AND object based audio. When Elton John heard Rocket Man in an object based format for the first time why did he demand to convert his entire catalog to Atmos? If you don’t know, then you need to go listen to Rocket Man in a good Atmos setup ASAP.

So, take your budget, DIVERSIFY, and get a good Atmos capable receiver or processor. Object based audio is NOT last decades surround sound or home theater. It is for MUSIC first, if you need a recommendation on how to allocate your budget feel free to post a question. Most importantly, you don’t NEED two systems, one for music and one for movies. A good object based audio system can play two channel music just fine. A two channel system on the other hand can’t play object based audio without a proper processor or receiver.

Greg Penny talks mixing Rocket Man in Atmos.

https://youtu.be/ggzfcUKDqdo?feature=shared

 

kota1
lynn_olson's avatar
lynn_olson
356 posts
 

That’s something that often gets missed. Read about the production guides for Atmos, and it is clear it is a superset of Dolby Digital 5.1 (not 7.1). So down-mixing simply remaps overhead, or spherical, content, into the 5.1 plane.

Down-mixing Atmos into 2-channel, or discrete 5.1, into 2-channel, essentially destroys it. The Dolby guides are clear: make a separate 2-channel mix, and while you’re at it, make sure the 2-channel mix has good mono compatibility (because that really matters in the 2-channel world).

5.1 is the common interchange format between stereo and surround, and the Dolby/DTS upmixers/decoders work surprisingly well. And it’s not a big deal to add 5.1 to a top-of-the-line 2-channel system.

unreceivedogma's avatar
unreceivedogma
981 posts
 

No, thank you.
As simple as that. 
I'm fine with what I’ve got. 
 

https://www.theaudioatticvinylsundays.com/

kota1 OP
2,706 posts
 

Thanks for contributing to the thread. really liked your story of how you scored that nice cartridge for your TT @unreceivedogma 

If I were a vinyl enthusiast and wanted to have a pure analog, tube based, immersive setup I would add a Black Ice Audio F360 preamp. I have no "need" for it either, but after watching the Zeos review I find myself thinking more and more about folding it into the HT, or even my desktop system: 

The Black Ice F360 preamp review by Zeos:

https://youtu.be/noe6GsyYDJc?feature=shared

 

thecarpathian's avatar
thecarpathian
4,453 posts
 

@kota1 ,

"Do NOT Blow Your Entire Budget on Two Channel Audio"

This expression literally means wasting all our money on two channel stereo.

Really don't think there's a single person on here who thinks all his money spent on his system has been a waste.

And it's nice to see you're trying to be so civil and polite after your temporary ban.

​​

fittebd
101 posts
 

I keep seeing post on its either a processor or pre.  You can do both in same system. So many come with bypass no. Many have done it for years.  Sure if you don’t want don’t do it. A vinyl enthusiast is certainly not going to to but many others would.  
 

Honestly the bigger issue is all the speakers and their wiring not the pre.  It’s a ton of work hanging and running the wires and in many cases finding the place to put them.  I built my room with this in mind so it was easier for me.  But I get those who have a living room system or even a den it’s a big ol mess to install.  But I agree with OP it’s worth the squeeze. 

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