Anyone with a high-end home theater sans sub?

Javachip,

No flame here - I promise - just a slight correction in terms. It might actually be more accurate to say that the Meridian DSP speakers maintain a digital signal THROUGH the crossovers, as the crossover is also digital. The D to A convertors are at the end of the signal path immediately preceeding the amplifiers, after all DSP processing (such as volumne, treble, bass, balance, tilt, etc.) and crossovers.

I agree with Flrnlamb,

Johnmcelfresh, you need to do some more research.

Wow. What a thread. My only comment is that when you watch the sound engineers mix the sound tracks- its done channel by channel for the most part. ( Lots of playback and reworking and balancing to be sure). But the information, from an audio standpoint, is crafted for, in most cases but not all, a 5.1 channel balance.

I do think you can have a decent movie audio expereince with high end 2 channel, but the digital 5.1 sound tracks are made to be heard through 5.1 channels. Anyone who is missing out on a quality center channel has missed the boat. trying to do 5.1 through 2 channel means you can never hear how the soundtrack was designed to be heard.

Just like trying to take a good 2 channel recording and play it through a 5 channel stereo option leaves a less than desired result, trying to hear a 5.1 designed soundtrack through a 2 channel set up, while gratifying through high end speakers, falls short of hearing the movie audio experience as it was designed to be heard.

My only other comment is that I really don't personally enjoy the bass reproduction on the Def Tech line of speakers. That's just my opnion.

Bass reproduction is, first and foremost, a function of proper seating and speaker placement. This is at least the equal, likely more important than the actual speaker design, in regards to bass woofer. That's what I find!
I've heard the best speakers and woofers in the world placed where there's absolutely NO bass response to be heard! Basically, the speakers were placed in a huge null!
On the other hand, you can easily place woofers and listening possitions where the sound is so boomy and unatural, that any fidelity potential is a wash!
give me a properly setup speaker system, over all the "potential" in the world, every time! That's just me.
I do think you have much greater flexibility however from a sub/sat system vs. full range speakers in the typical smaller or medium sized domestic home spaces usually involved.
I've personally heard the Def Tech's setup, simply superbly in the past. But I can easily see setting em up "wrong" for ill-results though.

try a james sub or a sunfire signature for home theatre... they pack a punch and work really well and have a small foot print...

i have a sunfire signature in my ht systtem and though it doesnt intergrate with music as well as my rel sub did...it is pretty good for home theatre (ie incredible imo) considering its size...i couldnt find anything else close (the james is very good)