So, Martin, what did you think of the home-cinema system, when I demo'd it to you the other day? It's just a giggle really, but I quite like it:)
Marco.
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So, Martin, what did you think of the home-cinema system, when I demo'd it to you the other day? It's just a giggle really, but I quite like it:)
Marco.
You were getting a pretty good sound. I'm not keen on using a centre speaker myself but I didn't notice it working on its own so that's good. The subs are surprisingly effective too, given they are budget efforts.
Cheers, dude. I know what you mean about a centre speaker 'working on its own', and that happens largely because it's not integrating properly [seamlessly] with the rest of the speakers in the system, as it's not been set up correctly.
For me, the idea is to try, as best as possible, to 'superimpose' voices onto the screen, so that when people are speaking, it appears as if the sound is emanating directly from their lips (in mono), not somewhere else, artificially mixed in 'stereo', through a pair of front speakers...
If you can do that, and separate out the information properly, on a multi-channel recording, so that voices and effects 'come at you' from the correct places in your seating position, then for me, the whole home-movie experience is rendered much more convincingly. After all, that's what happens at a proper cinema.
Yes, the Yamaha subs are surprisingly effective, given that they are budget designs. It took me a while to get the placement and levels right, but largely it's all to do with how well they integrate with the rest of the speakers. Don't forget that the centre and fronts all have 8" ABRs, which will also be doing their bit, low down;)
Anyway, glad you enjoyed it :cool:
Marco.
Any thoughts on this mate [the centre speaker thing, if done well], or are we largely in agreement? :)
Marco.
Not really. I don't like the centre speaker and I don't see the point of it. The best it can do is not draw attention to itself. The way I see it, if you don't need a centre speaker for music, you don't need it for a film soundtrack. Stereo imaging gives you a centre image already.
There's a potential argument for its necessity in spreading the centre image so there is no sweet-spot if you have multiple people viewing (hence the horizontal woofer/tweeter/woofer layout of most centres) and I can understand that in principle. except that I've found doesn't really work in practice.
In a multi channel system, its fine, if integrated properly, as are subs and rears.
I find some mixes tend to emphasise it too much, so you are actually listening just to the centre speaker. Added to which even a rubbish centre speaker is stupidly expensive for what it is. Okay, Marco gets round that by using the same speaker as he does for his fronts, but then you have the issue with the lateral dispersion not being right.
Not that it really matters, the only question is can you actually hear any difference? And the answer is usually 'no'. So much bollocks talked about home cinema, it's worse than digital for that.
Sorry, I'm late to this, as the weather has been too nice recently for sitting inside typing on a computer....
I know where you're coming from, but they are different things, and so in order to reproduce the relevant content as faithfully as possible, requires different approaches.
The best 5.1 Blu-rays I've got, of live music performances, sound more realistic, in terms of how the sound would 'surround you' at a concert in real life, than any stereo music recordings I own of such.
Note that I'm not talking about sound quality, per se, but realistically how the sound would reach your ears, if you were sitting in the middle of an audience listening to the music. And a good centre speaker plays its part in that.
It's the same with films - and for me, a high-quality centre speaker, set up right and doing its job properly, with a film soundtrack designed to highlight its efficacy, will make that soundtrack more convincing (particularly the voices), than when heard simply on a pair of stereo speakers.
You're right, when the soundtrack has been poorly balanced/produced, so that it makes the centre channel sound 'artificially forced' or unnatural in some way, then you're better off just using a pair of stereo speakers, to reproduce the necessary information, as that will help hide the imbalance.
In that respect, much depends on the shape of the room in question, the speaker positioning of the setup concerned, and your seating position.Quote:
There's a potential argument for its necessity in spreading the centre image so there is no sweet-spot if you have multiple people viewing (hence the horizontal woofer/tweeter/woofer layout of most centres) and I can understand that in principle. except that I've found doesn't really work in practice.
Marco.
I know where you're coming from, but in practice (when done well), on a good movie soundtrack, I don't find that's the case. I wonder why then that any high-end home-cinema set up you see always contains a top-notch (and usually a very large) centre speaker [plus rears and subs];)
I've never seen a serious home-cinema set up without a quality centre speaker.
Marco.