Moved from 2 channel to Home Theatre - Regrets?

I slowly moved from 2channel to HT and although I, at one point (and sometimes still), have had the thought of moving back to HT floating about, I quite enjoy the full cinema experience and I also have a great room for the setup so I have stayed the course on HT and really don't regret it. I'm with CinematicSystems on several points. I can't really voice opinions on some of the gear he is suggesting you dump, I would follow his lead on the suggestion that a balanced speaker set up of 5 Europas (or other GMA) and an appropriate sub (my suggestion being a REL) would be quite nice. I'm not sure if GMA makes a dedicated center channel, but matching the front and center goes a long way towards creating a balanced sound. I'd also advise that a nice processor may go a long way towards beefing up your sound. I have a Primare processor that I feel is quite 'musical' and I've also compared it's 2-channel digital processing to that of the Camelot DVD/CD player w/ Swiss Anagram DAC's and it's not that far off. On that note, I think you might find a processor that serves nicely as a 2-channel DAC as well. At the very least, make sure it has an analog bypass to accomodate not HT gear. You could probably finish off your cabling with Signal Cable and even sell off the Audience cables and replace with Signal in order to apply the cash elsewhere. If you felt like justifying the extra expense, pick up Audience cables on A'Gon to round out the package. With regards to amps, there's obviously lots of choices and even more opinions, but I think the Audio Refinement is a solid recommendation. You could probably pick up a really nice three-channel amp and relegate your Aragon to rear channel duty as well. I did this initially, and feel it's a decent way to go. A single 5 channel amp does, however, balance the sound and does reduce the number of 'boxes' in the rack and this isn't a bad thing at all. Speaker placement is of course, mucho important once everything is settled. I'd also suggest that your choice of DVD player can go a long way towards improving picture quality. I have a projector, so these improvements are magnified, but even with a smaller screen it is quite relevant. One of the newer Denon or Rotel players would be a good choice and may even provide you with good 2-channel audio, at the very least serving as decent transports for a HT processor. Good luck and enjoy!

you are correct in a sense, but you seem to be unwilling to recognize that some of us *WILL* pay the extra to have multichannel done right. i optimized my system for multichannel music, and then added a DD/DTS decoder so i can run movies through it as well. it can be done without compromise. it's all about doing it properly. i still consider my setup to be a music-first setup, despite the dvd player, ld player, cable-box, projector, etc. because that's how i designed it. i just happen to play movies through it as well.

i can't agree with anybody who says they get more enjoyment out of two channel and that's the end-of-the-story for them. to me, a *properly* done multichannel setup with a *properly* done multichannel recording brings forth very substantial improvements in experience and realism.

i'm not talking about applying pro-logic decoding to cd's, either, i mean SACDs and DVD-As that were specifically recorded for multichannel. some are poorly done, true, but when it's done right, two-channel simoly cannot capture the experience as well. much like mono cannot capture depth like stereo can, having more channels expands the possibilities and realism of music. classical recordings take on a realism and sense of space that boggles the mind and more experimental-rock/pop recordings have amazing new options.

i'm sure that there are some out there, but i cannot fathom anybody listening to DSOTM, Avalon, Up, or the Downward Spiral in multichannel being able to listen to the stereo recording of it afterward and proclaiming it better. the same goes for the MLP and Living Stereo 3-channel recordings i have. they sound more real in the multichannel mode.

so, in short - multichannel is more expensive and is harder to properly set-up. this is true. there is a relative dearth of recordings available that truly ulitize the format to its fullest potential. this is also true. but to state that nobody is willing to do it properly is false. and to state that it can't be better than 2-channel is (IMHO) false.

to state that it's not worth the money/effort to you is very well your choice. but i implore you to seek out and hear a setup done well so you know what's possible before you dismiss it entirely.

Lazarus28, I second your opinion. Glad you spoke up. I would have otherwise.

Trying to campare a two-channel high quality system to a multichannel high quality system is like trying to campare some cute little mini-monitors to a full-range speaker system...don't ya think? Of course many people are convinced that their mini's do compare, but...in the end and in a side by side comparison the truth would always be revealed, and is as sure as death and taxes.

By the way, I've owned many mini's (fine speakers), they just come up a little short against their bigger brothers...much like two-channel does.

Dave

Lazarus-

You have a very sweet setup. I'm not sure everyone going the 2 channel route is saying "don't bother with multichannel"--or at least I didn't. If movies or SACD are your raison d'etre, or at least you get a big and continuing kick out of surround sound, by all means go to multichannel. I just wanted to say don't do it because you think it is the natural evolution of a system or inherently better. It is just different.

I had a good multichannel rig. CinemaSystems not withstanding, I think (and a lot of other people thought) the Casablanca was right up there in terms of high end multichannel. I went through several different kinds of amp and speaker combinations (I'm inclined to agree w/CinemaSystems that electrostats/hybrids are not the way to go) and I'm pretty sure I know what good multichannel sounds like. And, I did get a kick out of the whole surround thing.

[confession]I never did multichannel audio, largely due to my own obstinate nature. I think I was refusing to buy SACDs after having bought the album on vinyl, the album on CD, and the remastered album on CD. Paying for the same tunes the fourth time around seemed to break the camel's back.[/confession]

But, I took a look at my life and decided the calculus was wrong *FOR ME*. Multichannel is a *lot* harder to get right than stereo. Multichannel requires a lot more gear to be done right. Multichannel takes up more space on your rack and in your room. And, I found that while I did enjoy it, I didn't enjoy it enough. I think I ultimately decided that I'd spent a lot of money and made a lot of other compromises in terms of aesthetics and convenience--which weren't really justified--based on a perception that multichannel was a natural system evolution or somehow "better."

I am certainly not saying that other's balancing can't come out different. But, I'm offering up my $0.02 that you should, before jumping in, consider how much use its going to get, how much it means to you, and fully consider the financial/technical/aesthetic consequences. Maybe you have a seven digit checking account and the financial impact doesn't matter one whit. Maybe if you don't share my sparse decorating aesthetic, the incursions of HT won't bother you as much. Maybe if you have lots and lots of room, giving up living space isn't as much of an issue. Maybe if you aren't as lazy as me and actually get off your a** and turn on the tube amps for the surrounds you would enhance your enjoyment. Maybe if you don't lie down on the sofa to watch movies the surround has more impact. etc.

Frankly, I've still got my Casablanca. I'm building a weekend home, and probably will put a multichannel system in there, because the balancing in that environment is different. I will probably do things slightly differently, because it will be a dedicated HT setup--probably go solid state and err some on the side of convenience over absolute sound. Right now, however--even having experienced the glories of full blown multichannel HT in the living room--I'm happy as can be with a stereo that just does PCM really well.

Back to reality time. Trying to now figure out the aesthetics of dropping a 14U acoustic rack enclosure in my study. *sigh*