What sound system do you have?

Since we talked about this yesterday, I thought it would be nice to go back to this topic again.

Well, like I said, we have a Samsung surround set. What are they called? Multi-media sound systems, you know, complete, with five speakers and a subwoofer. We fixed it so no need to buy anything new soon.

Still we went to Saturn last week (before it was fixed) and had a look, also at the more serious sound systems. Problem is, besides that it's expensive, that we have a very small living room, so we would have to choose between a table or a subwoofer haha. There's really no place to put all that stuff!

Different question: what music would you bring to the store to test the audio system?
I would pick King Arthur's Woad to Ruin. Last week we took Tron because that disc was already in the car. When we fixed our thing at home we tried Inception first.

Thanks Steven! That's interesting.
I have no idea what low end and high end speakers are though...

I think I do understand what you mean by separated instruments, instead of one wall of sound I guess?
Perhaps one day we'll buy a really good sound system and isolate the room.

Not the living room! That would look ridiculous... But a room for music listening and movie watching.

Low end and high end pretty much just refers to cost! A high end pair of headphones, for example.

Don't be fooled by the many audiophile lies though, you don't need to spend a lot to get a good sound. Obviously the more you spend, the better it will be. But it doesn't mean it's worth going crazy on speakers. As long as you have a relatively healthy budget, there's plenty of great 'low end' speakers and systems to choose from.

I don't think Bregje will need that kind of set up though! (That is assuming she doesn't mix and produce albums. )

I have a pair of Audioengine A5s for my computer, and a pair of Sennheiser HD650s connected to a FiiO DAC amp (one step down from those HD800s). Being an audiophile is a slippery slope!

Being a recording studio, and Abbey Roads at that, they'd have that 7.1 system set up to perfection.

My listening is confined to the Marantz CD5004, Rega headphone amp, and the Grado speakers

Because those sound systems are made for the cinema. In such a production here's the distribution of the signal:

1. Left
2. Right
=music
3. Center
= for the voices of the actors
4. Left surround
5. Right surround
= sound effects
.1 = sub frequencies form cinematic bass six, explosions and such

Now all music is being recorded edited mixed and mastered on 2 channels , never intended to be played on home theaters. The whole chain of musical production in a way brakes at the home theater. It's a system incompatibility. What your home theater does is taking a stereo recording and matrixing those into six channels in real time based in algorithms that change and basically distort the original recording's phase and frequency balance.

Those systems boost low and high frequencies and usually lack middle frequencies, which hold the timbre, the warmth and character of the recording.

Of course you can listen to music on those and it's a slightly distorted version of the music as it was produced. Some like it. It's down to our listening culture. But it's not what the makers of the music intended. Plus, all the psychoacoustic studies so far suggest that music is mostly enjoyed on 2 channel stereo systems still.

You will be blown away when you listen to the same music on a proper 2 channel 2 speaker audio system Bregje believe me
It is not intended to be reoroduced surround channels And l.f.e with all that bass.

To be sure: D. is right...technically and theoretically.
But at the end of the day it's about personal preference.

I am more than satisfied with my minuscule forty-five year old speaker set.
Would a music producer or sound technician be horrified? Almost certainly.
But I do not buy equipement to satisfy everyone else.
Just myself will do.

I don't think you can, really. Not with software anyway. You'd need a mono extension plug, or a mono extension cable for your head phone.

But couldn't you just move the balance on the Play Control all the way to the side of your good ear? Granted, you'd get the sound through only one speaker, but it will to all intents and purposes be a mono sound.

Cheers. I will give that a go.

Or....or........just buy a good stereo system I have a small, relatively cheap mini hi-fi (not micro, i don't dig the sound quality i heard from those so far) (300 euros) philips system with 2 speakers which kicks ass. Very clear music, very pleasant.

As peculiar as this may seem: I don't like sorround sound. Not eben in cinema. (And don't get me started on 3D!) I do prefer a well ballanced clear HiFi stereo panorama.

I mostly listen to music when sittng at my PC. I have a standart sound card and a high end stereo system by Logitech and I am quite satisfied with it. I also have a Tascam external sound card, that I use for midi extensions. For some reason I never came round to couple it with the Logitech system. (Using headphones when playing with VSTs.)

In my living room I "only" have a Panasonic compact system. Nothing great but sufficient.

In my kitchen I have a portable Panasonic radio / cassette / mp3 / CD recorder. Actually I like the sound of that one better than that of the compact system in the living room. No Bose, but quite impressive.

Yamaha self-powered hs80m studio monitors on m-audio delta audiophile 2496. And at the living room, this little wonder