Sabai wrote,
"Geoffkait,
After your failed attempt to convince us that Kal Rubinson of Stereophile does not believe in holographic sound, may I reiterate:
Could you please give us the details regarding who "in the industry" minimizes the importance of holographic sound and their reasons for doing so -- and where they have actually stated this? And could you please give us the details regarding who "in the industry" actually denies the existence of holographic sound and where they have actually stated this?"
You left out the part where I said "...or believe that soundstage is artificial."
Here are a few of Kal's many statements/opinions regarding stereo imaging and soundstage. Enjoy.
"You can think and prefer what ever you like, of course. And, yes, it is fairly demanding. However, the accurate reproduction of a performance in a real space simply requires more than 2 channels/speakers. (See Floyd Toole's new book for lots of discussion.)
It is unfortunate that you, and many others, have not had the opportunity to hear what is possible with a proper multichannel music system. I believe that some of the problem is that most high-end vendors are equally in denial."
Kal
"The sound reflections accomplished with stereo speakers may be somewhat satisfying but they are not a reproduction of the original performance space and, notably, they are the same for every recording you play."
Kal
"With 2 channel stereo playing music the entire room is filled with ambiance in front of the orchestral shell extending to the directly in front of my sitting position. In other words my entire room is alive with sound, the performers up on the stage and the ambiance everywhere else. With multi-channel the center channel and the rears speakers suck out the ambiance on the sides of my room. Since I don't like sound coming from the rear anyway I tried putting the rear speakers on the sides of the room but that didn't work either. I short no where could I put 5 speakers that would even come close to the sonic realism of what 2 floor standing full range speakers can do."
That may be your perception and your preference but it is not realism. In any real-world live performance the ambiance comes from all directions. Folding it all to the front and relying on the spurious and inflexible reflections of your rooms ambient contributions is artificial. As for splitting a discrete center to the L/R speakers, that, too, creates shifts and cancellations that result in a center fill that is insubstantial compared to three across.
Of course, as ever, for what it is, de gustibus non est disputandem."
Kal
"Geoffkait,
After your failed attempt to convince us that Kal Rubinson of Stereophile does not believe in holographic sound, may I reiterate:
Could you please give us the details regarding who "in the industry" minimizes the importance of holographic sound and their reasons for doing so -- and where they have actually stated this? And could you please give us the details regarding who "in the industry" actually denies the existence of holographic sound and where they have actually stated this?"
You left out the part where I said "...or believe that soundstage is artificial."
Here are a few of Kal's many statements/opinions regarding stereo imaging and soundstage. Enjoy.
"You can think and prefer what ever you like, of course. And, yes, it is fairly demanding. However, the accurate reproduction of a performance in a real space simply requires more than 2 channels/speakers. (See Floyd Toole's new book for lots of discussion.)
It is unfortunate that you, and many others, have not had the opportunity to hear what is possible with a proper multichannel music system. I believe that some of the problem is that most high-end vendors are equally in denial."
Kal
"The sound reflections accomplished with stereo speakers may be somewhat satisfying but they are not a reproduction of the original performance space and, notably, they are the same for every recording you play."
Kal
"With 2 channel stereo playing music the entire room is filled with ambiance in front of the orchestral shell extending to the directly in front of my sitting position. In other words my entire room is alive with sound, the performers up on the stage and the ambiance everywhere else. With multi-channel the center channel and the rears speakers suck out the ambiance on the sides of my room. Since I don't like sound coming from the rear anyway I tried putting the rear speakers on the sides of the room but that didn't work either. I short no where could I put 5 speakers that would even come close to the sonic realism of what 2 floor standing full range speakers can do."
That may be your perception and your preference but it is not realism. In any real-world live performance the ambiance comes from all directions. Folding it all to the front and relying on the spurious and inflexible reflections of your rooms ambient contributions is artificial. As for splitting a discrete center to the L/R speakers, that, too, creates shifts and cancellations that result in a center fill that is insubstantial compared to three across.
Of course, as ever, for what it is, de gustibus non est disputandem."
Kal