2.1 Stereo System for TV Listening

This topic actually interests me at the moment. I have gone from a 7.1 system down to a 2.1 system as I have grown tired of all of the cables, speaker wires, endless experimentation, furniture placement considerations and the rat’s nest behind the TV. I’ve also grown more fond of listening to music than watching movies. I really enjoy 2.1 for music and the more I think about it, 2.1 works just fine or my TV needs. It’s clear and immersive enough for me.

At the current point in time, I cannot imagine ever going back to 7.1 or 7.2.

FWIW... I’m amazed at the knowledge base and experience of many of the people on this forum.

@stereo5 I love my Zvox, use it in my bedroom setup. voice is incredibly clear. i think about adding a sub to round out the stage.

@flyfish77 I had a great Arcam 5.1 setup, then came 7.1 and it all began to feel like way too much to deal with. I slimmed down to a quality 2.1 and have been happy ever since. hope you have fun with the transition.

I use my main system in 2.1 for TV and movies and it sounds great.   Did away with surround 15 years ago and never looked back

if you are concernedwith dialog clarity you need a center channelwhich means surround sound

we are a shop that caters to both high end stereo and theater

the best solution is a two channel integrated plus a suround receiver plus acenter and mains isw hat you want

Dave and Troy

audio intellect nj

home theater designers

My experience is similar to a few members above. I ditched surround sound about 15 years ago and I've never had the urge to go back. My TV setup has 2 modest tower speakers and a 10" subwoofer with no center channel. It's only my wife and I that watch TV on a love seat so imaging hasn't been a problem. I don't use a center channel because the dialogue is quite clear but I will admit that a couple years ago I began using subtitles for movies. My wife and I realized that we were missing a lot of dialogue - especially when the actors had foreign accents - and it was silly not to use the subtitle feature. I don't think a center channel would make any difference.

Once I went to 2.1 I realized that it actually improved the movie watching experience. For me, surround sound is mostly distracting. We don't watch many blockbusters with whooshy-bang-boom sound effects so surround is really not important to us. And it's so nice not to have to deal with all those damn wires and extra speakers.

In my main system upstairs I have a TV on the wall behind the speakers (the speakers are about 6' into the room). I use this for watching concert videos and for breaking news if I'm I'm paying bills or doing something up there. My system images very well so 2 channels provides an excellent "you are there" experience for watching a concert.