Pick your poison...2-channel or multi?

Yes, Cdw, every speaker that uses massed drivers has the same problem I outlined. It only gets worse with many speakers, and is containable with just two.

Yes, my speaker is better for a lot of reasons, but its not exlusive. You can have then too. You can even use Zu speakers for a MC system. A pair of Definitions in front supplemented by Druids all around would be about as good as MC gets, within its unfortunate limits. And by the way, it really is not at all significant to me if "....so does every other manufacturer and DIYer around!" I cannot be responsible for what others haven't discovered yet, especially if they refuse to take advice, right?

You have developed a habit of mis-stating my position. I haven't said nor thought that combining drivers renders them having "no fidelity." That would be an absured idea. There are essentially only degrees of unreality available to us in hifi. We're all just trying to keep the unreality to a minimum. I have a way.

And yes, sometime you will hear what I'm talking about -- that good drivers massed draw attention to what is not matched.

Phil

CDw,

Nothing on the market sounds like a Zu speaker. Honestly. Whether you like them or not, Zu speakers are their own thing. So I am quite certain you have not heard "my type of system." Don't presume that if you heard a Lowther or Fostex FRD loudspeaker driven by triodes that you've heard my system. Not likely close.

The only "old" technology in my amplification is the tubes themselves, particularly the 300B triode. Hmm....it's still regarded, within its power limits, one of the most linear amplifying devices made to date. Now, apart from that little bit of excellence, it sounds good too, especially if it is used in an advanced circuit to eliminate the bass bloat common in too many 300B amps, and the design pulls the treble spray into line. How's that done? With inventive combinations of resistors, capacitors, chokes, inductors, and transformers that are in virtually every other modern amp. "It's just a modern housing"....? Ridiculous. And, Man, if you haven't seen it, wait until you see an 845! Magnificent!! How about 7 of those to light up a room, if you're so set on MC?

I believe you cannot hear what I have been describing as the superior sound of well-designed 2C. I also do not attribute this to a physical deficiency in your ears but an attitudinal one between them. But that will sometime change and you'll begin paying attention to what your ears already know, that your brain has yet to assimilate. Patience.

I don't think I said 2C "has its problems with being holistic." In fact I pointed out holistic sound as a superior 2C attribute. There are people who feel that monaural sound is better still, but I've already said I'm not among them. 2C is CAPABLE of delivering the highest fidelity music reproduction available today at a given cost, but there's no guarantee you'll attain it. There are lots of ways to screw it up! Certainly, someone who knows what they are doing with MC could design a system that sounds better than someone who DOESN'T know what they are doing with 2C. But that's not what we've been talking about. Design two systems, one MC and one 2C informed by the same respective expertise and funded by the same money -- heck let's give the MC guy 50% more! -- and 2C wins on fidelity, tone, less "unreality."

Now, I know you don't believe this. I am confident someday you will.

Phil

CdWallace. Why so cynical?

Very well elucidated thread...I would have to vote for MC although mine's a bit above the budget number quoted earlier...it can way out do my previous Krell 2 channel set up...Sounds better on music...surround recorded music and of course anything to do with video....But it does take some fussing...about a year in my case to get the HTS where I really am happy with it

Jefff1,

What's your system bro? That was the whole point of this thread to find people who have managed to get their multichannel system to outperform their two channel system.