I should point out, coming from a short stint in actual motion picture auditoriums, I always felt the dipole satellites were a scam. I’ve been very happy with normal speakers as surrounds, especially with the addition of 2 rears.
I have a feeling though that some of this has to do with a desire to do more with less. A typical surround auditorium usually had 2 speakers per side, and sometimes in the rear depending on the size of the room. There’s also some disagreement by the recording engineers about what they want surround sound to DO. Is it strictly spectacle? Is it immersive? Should I locate a bullet that just wizzed by or should the sound be more diffused?
Fortunately audio keeps progressing into giving the movie makers more control over these choices, and they are less dependent on built in obstacles in the surround technology itself.
I have a feeling though that some of this has to do with a desire to do more with less. A typical surround auditorium usually had 2 speakers per side, and sometimes in the rear depending on the size of the room. There’s also some disagreement by the recording engineers about what they want surround sound to DO. Is it strictly spectacle? Is it immersive? Should I locate a bullet that just wizzed by or should the sound be more diffused?
Fortunately audio keeps progressing into giving the movie makers more control over these choices, and they are less dependent on built in obstacles in the surround technology itself.