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Do NOT Blow Your Entire Budget on Two Channel Audio

Yes, two channel audio is here, and is not going away. However, object based audio is delightful, widely available on Tidal and Apple Music, and should be in the listening room of every music lover on the planet, not just "audiophiles. If you plan to be a music fan a year from now start building your object based audio system today. You will need:

1) A receiver/processor capable of Dolby Atmos.

2) A subscription to Tidal or Apple music.

3) A Firestick, ATV, or Nvidia Shield.

4) A minimum of 7 timber matched speakers and a subwoofer.

Once you experienced stereo would you ever go back to only mono? No, you would build a system capable of either mono or stereo. Now that object based audio has arrived do the same thing. Build a system capable of mono, stereo, AND object based audio. When Elton John heard Rocket Man in an object based format for the first time why did he demand to convert his entire catalog to Atmos? If you don’t know, then you need to go listen to Rocket Man in a good Atmos setup ASAP.

So, take your budget, DIVERSIFY, and get a good Atmos capable receiver or processor. Object based audio is NOT last decades surround sound or home theater. It is for MUSIC first, if you need a recommendation on how to allocate your budget feel free to post a question. Most importantly, you don’t NEED two systems, one for music and one for movies. A good object based audio system can play two channel music just fine. A two channel system on the other hand can’t play object based audio without a proper processor or receiver.

Greg Penny talks mixing Rocket Man in Atmos.

https://youtu.be/ggzfcUKDqdo?feature=shared

 

kota1
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,183 posts
 

There is a market for any consumers demand...

One market does not replace the others...

Most high end  consumers and music listener invest less time in movies and more in music... ( anyway how many non stupid movies comes from Hollywood ? Some not many )

I listen any non american movies when i listened to one, at least  doing so i learn at least something about other cultures... And i am tired of Hollywood pastiches...

Spectacular CGI matter less for me than intelligent content , then in audio  as in movie, I prefer music to sound at the end...

I invested way more in books and music than in movies... I dont need atmos for movies and for music  only 2 speakers or one headphone is needed...

I am a dinosaurus...

My only phone is a flapping one from 15 years ago with almost no screen and almost no computing abilities... ( phone are useful read me right but i hate them more than i use them )

😊

 

kota1 OP
2,706 posts
 

@facten

That is a great reply, thank you, it is clear that even high end manufacturers like Wilson are partnering with Dolby Atmos market because customers want it. When I refer to boat anchors in five years I am referring to DAC’s and products that use semiconductors. A $5000 dac five years ago is very close to a boat anchor compared to what a $500 dac can get you today. Digital preamps/processors that include dac’s are a GREAT topic re: budgeting. The Marantz 8805 that was $5K five years ago dropped in price as soon as the 8805A with 8K HDMI came out and dropped again when the 16 channel AV10 came out. If you don’t need 8K and/or 16 channels its going for about half of what it would 5 years ago. You can apply that same strategy with a digital two channel preamp/dac.

I love the strategy of getting a processor that is one level down from the flagship and a two channel preamp with HT bypass for about the same price as one flagship unit (either MCH or 2CH).

kota1 OP
2,706 posts
 

@mahgister 

One market does not replace the others...

What about the Blackberry being relaced with the iPhone?

The CD being replaced by streaming?

 

mahgister's avatar
mahgister
13,183 posts
 

You mix things...😊

Blackberry and Iphone it is phone MASS market : the same market...

 

Cd and streaming or ripping etc: it is MASS music files market : the same market...

 

Audiophiles are not defined by being MERELY in the mass market... These two are different targetting market...

For sure technology is evolving which IMPLIED some mid level convergence between mass market and audiophile market ... The mass market audio becoming more "audiophile" by the technological improvement progress and the audiophiles market becoming less costlier for the same reason... But these two market the mass market and the audiophile market will stay distinct for the decades to come... Why ?

Because music is not sound, and sound is not music ; even if they are not separable they are very distinctive...

Then one market does not replace the other they COEXIST for different goal and different reasons...

 Then we are not all designed by our audio history and taste from  the same "plaster mold"... We are all different and a solution for one is an impediment for another one...

I own no iphone... 😊

@mahgister

One market does not replace the others...

What about the Blackberry being relaced with the iPhone?

The CD being replaced by streaming?

 

 

 

 

nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,899 posts
 

Speaking of replacing....

The OP should heed his own thoughts on the subject, literally and personally.

All the best,
Nonoise

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