Interest in 2-channel/stereo audio and prices here and other sites

I had a 5.1 system, but I have gone to a 2.1 channel system on my A/V side for simplicity - the new house does not lend itself to surround sound.

BUT - I still get some amazing sound effects across the room - like dogs barking at the sides. Not as good as a n.1 system, but then I found it's more the LFE's that I really wanted - not the bullets whizzing from behind my head.

But it's not that different from 2 channel - in that a poorly engineered n.1 soundtrack just sounds really bad and gimmicky, whereas a well engineered n.1 soundtrack can sound pretty amazing.
I guess as I got older I found I was looking for quality sound and not special effects.

There are some very good DVD's, like Hell freeze over the make the most of n.1 - but I still like my vinyl version better :-)

Regards - Steve

Immersive audio is the new thing. Artists that hear it, want their catalogues remixed  in immersive. Holographic stereo is still the goal with 2-channel, and it’s still a good goal. But immersive Atmos upmixed music is beyond holographic. It just has an energy and umph that is hard to contend with. I love my AVR and streaming, but I’m building a 2-channel for my teenager and his growing vinyl collection. New tonearm came in the mail today and the McIntosh MA5200 came last night. Decided to add a streaming option as well, and maybe a CD player too. It will be in addition to, rather than instead of. 

@dgluke

 

Good luck with that one. I built systems for my kids only to discover they were happy listening to the speakers on their phones.  After a few years one of them went all Hi FI on me with an $89 soundbar.

 

Regarding the OP the multichannel market was the big marketing ploy of the nineties and early 2000s. I myself am a multichannel fan and have two MC systems in my home in addition to my 2 channel system. However MC failed spectacularly in the marketplace. There is now an attempt to revive it with Atmos and also to simulate an immersive experience with headphones. My home won’t accommodate Atmos and I haven’t bothered to explore the new headphone technologies, but those who do and enjoy them will hopefully breathe some new life into Multichanel.