Death Of Two Channel Audio Room?

DaveNote · « **on:** 25 Jul 2012, 11:44 am »

To paraphrase, "I'll give you my two-channel audio room when you pry it from my cold, dead ears!"

This writer thinks they will. What do you think?

http://audiophilereview.com/reference-speakers/the-dedicated-two-channel-listening-room---rip.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AudiophileReview+%28Audiophile+Review%29

Dave

1oldguy · « **Reply #1 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 11:53 am »

Quite possible !!!!

JohnR · « **Reply #2 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 11:56 am »

Largely substance-free article. Over 2x ad space relative to "content."

Phil A · « **Reply #3 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 11:58 am »

Audiophiles are a small minority of the people who buy home electronics used to listen to music. With the advent of home theater over the past decade (not to mention the recent tragedy in Aurora and terrorism in general), more people are putting in rooms primarily dedicated to home theater. There will be some of those who enjoy music and will gear their systems to do both decently. So, while in the strict sense 'dedicated 2-channel' may not be exactly what it used to be, I think there will be more rooms used for 2-channel audio than ever before, just not solely for 2-channel.

mrhyfy · « **Reply #4 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 12:17 pm »

Quote from: JohnR on 25 Jul 2012, 11:56 am

Largely substance-free article. Over 2x ad space relative to "content."

+1

spinner · « **Reply #5 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 01:10 pm »

+2

Cacophonix · « **Reply #6 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 05:09 pm »

Quote from: mrhyfy on 25 Jul 2012, 12:17 pm

+1

Use AdBlock Plus, and you'll not see any ads, or atleast most of them.

Fernando · « **Reply #7 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 06:08 pm »

Quote from: Cacophonix on 25 Jul 2012, 05:09 pm

Use AdBlock Plus, and you'll not see any ads, or atleast most of them.

AdBlock Plus and DNT+ _rule_ !

I see no ads, and four sites blocked.

Certainly, I don't like HT -- too much input for my understanding.

Peter J · « **Reply #8 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 06:58 pm »

Quote from: Phil A on 25 Jul 2012, 11:58 am

Audiophiles are a small minority of the people who buy home electronics used to listen to music. With the advent of home theater over the past decade (not to mention the recent tragedy in Aurora and terrorism in general), more people are putting in rooms primarily dedicated to home theater. There will be some of those who enjoy music and will gear their systems to do both decently. So, while in the strict sense 'dedicated 2-channel' may not be exactly what it used to be, I think there will be more rooms used for 2-channel audio than ever before, just not solely for 2-channel.

I think you've hit that particular nail on the head. Whole house audio, custom installs and home theaters are now the mainstay for the only real stereo shop around here. If they hadn't morphed their business to keep up with where demand is, my guess is they'd be long gone trying to survive on "stereo gear" alone.

The times they are a changin'.

HsvHeelFan · « **Reply #9 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 07:24 pm »

I just don't get "whole house" audio thing.

I'm serious about my 2.1 Bryston powered stereo.

I'm not serious about my Home Theatre setup and I don't see that changing.

When my kids move out, one of their rooms will become a dedicated 2 channel room, again (It was that before they showed up).

HsvHeelFan

Phil A · « **Reply #10 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 07:44 pm »

Quote from: HsvHeelFan on 25 Jul 2012, 07:24 pm

I just don't get "whole house" audio thing.
HsvHeelFan

I don't get it either. I'm going through a house build now and I've gone through them before and it's nothing I'd want. An old boss had this quote on a house build back around 1996 for a cost of over $4k to get a keypad and cheapo in-ceilings to a kids playroom in the loft. I have a Squeezebox Touch today and for what it costs its easy to get sound to another room.

For HT rooms, it's also the economics of what it costs a family to go to the movies

redbook · « **Reply #11 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 08:22 pm »

For me ,even though I have the dvd player wired through the preamp ,I rarely use the system for movies. I seem to be happy with the very good sound of the TV speakers! HT is wonderful but not as important as my 2 channel sound.

sfraser · « **Reply #12 on:** 25 Jul 2012, 11:55 pm »

While I have never purpose built a room for two chan. audio I have according to the wife commandeered a couple of rooms in the past. I believe what she means is positioning furniture, custom cabinetry etc around the L /R speakers. "the room revolves around speaker placement" is the way she puts it. I guess I am guilty as charged. While I can appreciate the benefits, I am not sure if I would want a dedicated room at this point. I like to listen to music in a comfortable open environment, most dedicated 2 chan. rooms seem a little to sterile for my liking. Same goes for home theatre rooms, I much prefer the large family room which serves multiple purposes. The only fly in that ointment of course is containing the sound, in the family room, especially for late night listening/ movies.

DaveNote · « **Reply #13 on:** 26 Jul 2012, 01:02 am »

I have external, two-channel, speakers connected to a two-channel receiver that is connected to my TV. But no surround. No sub.

I understand that a lot of people enjoy HT. But it seems that many people (not all I'm sure) want their systems to replicate the sound effects found in movie theatres. Great for people who love movies with lots of these effects. I guess we haven't been attracted to HT because movies with big sound effects are not our thing.

But I think the market trends are in favour of HT. One indication is this: count the number of two-channel receivers available through mass market retailers as compared to multi-channel AV units.

Dave

Fernando · « **Reply #14 on:** 26 Jul 2012, 02:07 am »

Quote from: DaveNote on 26 Jul 2012, 01:02 am

I have external, two-channel, speakers connected to a two-channel receiver that is connected to my TV. But no surround. No sub.

Just like me.
And agree on all your other points as well, Dave.

Nice to meet u

launche · « **Reply #15 on:** 26 Jul 2012, 02:40 am »

I would think 2 channel enthusiasts would be thankful for the home theater movement on several levels if not only for the fact that some home builders cater to that crowd and the possible existence of a workable room for media enjoyment remains alive.

I must be in the minority here because I find what the movie sound engineers do to outpace what I'm hearing in hi-fi music.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #16 on:** 26 Jul 2012, 02:56 am »

You think it would have happened already if it were to happen altho I don't pretend to speak for the next generation. Launche must mean things other than music itself. Lovers of live music don't give a shit about effects if that's what your talking about, my young brother.

OzarkTom · « **Reply #17 on:** 26 Jul 2012, 03:33 am »

If more and more people keep losing their homes, I guess there will be no choice.

Plus the younger generations hang out on Head-Fi listening to those cans. I suspect headphone dealers are making most of the money today.

Fernando · « **Reply #18 on:** 26 Jul 2012, 03:35 am »

Quote from: jimdgoulding on 26 Jul 2012, 02:56 am

Lovers of live music don't give a shit about effects if that's what your talking about, my young brother.

Circle - Paris Concert.
Braxton / Holland / Altschul / Corea.

launche · « **Reply #19 on:** 26 Jul 2012, 05:01 am »

Quote from: jimdgoulding on 26 Jul 2012, 02:56 am

You think it would have happened already if it were to happen altho I don't pretend to speak for the next generation. Launche must mean things other than music itself. Lovers of live music don't give a shit about effects if that's what your talking about, my young brother.

I love live theater as well and prefer it to movies.
We are listening to recorded (mostly studio processed) music in an analog or digital format not live music.
When I see an audiophile's music collection consist of unprocessed live recordings I'll begin to entertain that argument.
The "Live Music" forums should be very crowded then.
In the sense of recreating an illusion of... I feel the movie (sound) people do a better job at their craft. I see a lot of audiophiles try to belittle movies/home theater and I'm not sure why. Last time I checked a hell of a lot more goes into making a movie than making a record and the same goes for trying to reproduce the medium in your home.

For me if the end goal is to illicit an emotional response then cinema wins hands down. Hell I watched a movie recently I didn't even want to watch (The Flowers of War) and got all choked up, wrestled with moral failings etc... Cinema does provide that to me on a regular basis and by comparision music is just enjoyable.

Watching a movie I once heard a jet appear to fly above me as if hundreds of feet in the sky and guess what I looked up to see if it was dropping a bomb and I said now that was pretty cool. Is that any more odd that wanting to hear the 3rd violinist turn her page? So for instance if audiophiles can go ga ga over their imaging and sound staging then the HT crowd surely deserves right to do the same. And yes there are a great many audiophiles that put systems together mostly for the purpose of enjoying imaging and sound staging so let's not kid ourselves here we are all one in the same.