[srb]

Sometimes I think it would be cool if I just had an old MONO (one channel) setup....
I could move around the apartment and not worry about missing some of the music just because I'm not in the sweet spot.

Just get a preamp with a mono switch and enjoy the best of both worlds.  Stereo bliss in the sweetspot, then flick it to mono when it's time to roam.

Steve

[JLM]

Stereo is a flawed multiple channel system:

- It locks you into the centerline between speakers;
- Has difficulty producing a large 3d image (envelopment)
- It is based on 80 year old technology (90 degree vinyl groove)

But:

- Can work great for headphones;
- Has 80 years of experience
- Tons of material available

Note that proper in-room bass reproduction has the same requirements regardless of number of speakers (assuming we're staying on music, not dinosaur thumps).

The perfect room has far less to do with acoustics and more to do with access (listening to what/when you want).

[michaelhigh]

My listeningspace is a dedicated 2-channel wonderland with 3 dedicated rigs. One is a SET tube rig with all of 4 watts, ultraefficent speakers and a preamp. One is a vintage Sansui and AR4x's with a JBL SUB150, and the third is a Crown/JBL PA for when I feel like a jam session with local musos. My TV/computer rig has 40 music concerts on it, and I can use any of the 3 rigs to view/listen in conjunction with a 37" Vizio. My computer has 10,000 audio files of all kinds, from flac to wav to 320 kbps mp3, and I've been concentrating on using dbpoweramp to upsample as many lossless files as I have room for to 24/192 and mp3's to 320. I recommend this to anyone who wants to see just how amazing high def listening can be. The mp3's are there because there are titles that simply aren't available in lossless yet, as we all know. I have a Thorens TD-165 so I can enjoy the vinyl experience. As part and parcel of being a musician I can't live without 2 channel. I also own a 24 track digital recording studio and use powered monitors and sub for stereo playback. I generally will not watch action/comedy/drama movies unless I'm appeasing a family member, although I do enjoy biographies and historical content to some small degree. 2 channel is nowhere near dead to me. YMMV, as will the majority of sheeple with their phones, cameras and touchpads.

[launche]

"majority of sheeple with their phones, cameras and touchpads."
You mock these people but yet praise the very technology in your own enjoyment of your 10,000 audio files and lossless 24/192 content.  I just don't see the logic here.

We smart phone and touchpad people are going places.  There's many things I find interesting and one is the relative contradictory nature of thought. 

"The perfect room has far less to do with acoustics and more to do with access (listening to what/when you want)."

It's hard for me to understand this because they can have absolutely no relationship to one another.  You don't even need a physical environment to listen to what you want/when you want.  I've long trumpeted this freedom of listening and for me the last place I'd want to exercise it is in a room.  I have the ability to listen to "Midnight Rider" while driving 150 MPH under a full moon on a straight-away through the Nevada desert after making a major score at the blackjack table and getting out of dodge with 10 grand in the passenger's seat and you think I'd rather listen to that song in a room through some nice stereo speakers?  Most music isn't made to be trivialized in such a manner.

[JLM]

IMO "true" audio doesn't exist in a car or earbuds.

IMO it trivalizes music to have it play 2nd fiddle to driving or riding.

Would it be a hoot to listen to your favorite jams at 150 mph, yes I'm sure.  But hopefully at that speed you're concentrating on the road.  In my room I can focus purely on the music, without distractions.

[redbook]

 Ditto that  +1

[DaveNote]

"majority of sheeple with their phones, cameras and touchpads."
You mock these people but yet praise the very technology in your own enjoyment of your 10,000 audio files and lossless 24/192 content.  I just don't see the logic here.

We smart phone and touchpad people are going places.  There's many things I find interesting and one is the relative contradictory nature of thought. 

"The perfect room has far less to do with acoustics and more to do with access (listening to what/when you want)."

It's hard for me to understand this because they can have absolutely no relationship to one another.  You don't even need a physical environment to listen to what you want/when you want.  I've long trumpeted this freedom of listening and for me the last place I'd want to exercise it is in a room.  I have the ability to listen to "Midnight Rider" while driving 150 MPH under a full moon on a straight-away through the Nevada desert after making a major score at the blackjack table and getting out of dodge with 10 grand in the passenger's seat and you think I'd rather listen to that song in a room through some nice stereo speakers?  Most music isn't made to be trivialized in such a manner.

Multi-channel, mobile, two-channel, whatever, is not a matter, IMO, of either/or, but personal preferences...or different applications. I don't have a proper HT system, but I do listen to music through my iPad, with headphones, and other devices, and in my car, any one of which can be enjoyable in its own terms. In my two-channel audio room I try to get the best sound I can get subject to what I can afford.

Driving at breakneck speeds from a big casino win while listening to music? Great for those who like to gamble and drive very fast! Neither one happens to be my cup of tea, but the 10 grand looks good...it would pay for the Bryston Model T Active version for my two-channel audio room! 

Dave

[launche]

Well if you can make it out of Vegas with some winnings that is indeed a rush as is getting to triple digits in your ride.  Guess I'm one of the oddballs then.

10 grand in winnings going to more gear... nah applying mine to my week long stay at the Royal Villas at Half Moon Resort in Jamaica.  Private staff, private pool, direct beach access, world class spa. Live like a King for a few days. I'll be listening to my Ipod by the pool and somehow I imagine it's going to sound mighty fine. 

Live & Listen.

[DaveNote]

Well if you can make it out of Vegas with some winnings that is indeed a rush as is getting to triple digits in your ride.  Guess I'm one of the oddballs then.

10 grand in winnings going to more gear... nah applying mine to my week long stay at the Royal Villas at Half Moon Resort in Jamaica.  Private staff, private pool, direct beach access, world class spa. Live like a King for a few days. I'll be listening to my Ipod by the pool and somehow I imagine it's going to sound mighty fine. 

Live & Listen.

Are you sure you're not living the life of James Bond, especially in Casino Royale? 

Dave

[launche]

Bond...I wish I were so rich, handsome, interesting, fit and charming.  Just a regular Joe who's learning the value of not taking things too seriously and have a little fun before you die.  I will say I think I have had the pleasure of spending time with some bond-like women in my youth, however that happened I think the lord for smiling upon me.

Interestingly, the Bond films have never really showcased any hi-fi systems to my knowledge, that's seems a bit odd since they have such iconic music associated with the franchise.

http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=400909

Sorry if I derailed the thread.

[DaveNote]

Bond...I wish I were so rich, handsome, interesting, fit and charming.  Just a regular Joe who's learning the value of not taking things too seriously and have a little fun before you die.  I will say I think I have had the pleasure of spending time with some bond-like women in my youth, however that happened I think the lord for smiling upon me.

Interestingly, the Bond films have never really showcased any hi-fi systems to my knowledge, that's seems a bit odd since they have such iconic music associated with the franchise.

http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=400909

Sorry if I derailed the thread.

Launche, maybe you should start a new topic: "If Bond had a HiFi System, What Would It Be?"

Dave