It's sad when really good ideas get lost because something supposedly "better" comes along. It's not a question of how could it be used, but how was it used, and why did everyone give up on it? In the '70s and '80s some small companies made available ambiance or "time delay" units which took the main stereo input signal, delayed it and rolled it off, and fed it, either by means of a small built in amp or by use of a small external amp, to smaller, less expensive speakers made by the same manufacturer as the front speakers, or at least of a similar nature to the front speakers. The rear speaker systems were supposed to be set to play just loud enough so that they were not separately audible, and the millisecond delay and rolloff ensured there was no discernible directional sound coming from the rear. The effect was remarkably like sitting in a concert hall, and while it was subtle, it was very significant. The real key was that these units did not require the front channels to go through them, only the rear, fed from the preamp's auxiliary out. The last and best of these units, so far as I know, was a very quiet digital unit, the SONY 505ES, available in the mid-80s, which incorporated the best features of earlier analog units, and which, tweaked and rebuilt, I still use. (From time to time I see one advertised used.) The next year's SONY unit was much more ambitious in delay settings, and did require the front channels to pass through it. Then along came Lexicon, with major programming of delay parameters required, and then home theater, all of which required passing a megabuck front channel signal through a dubious black box. Any number of golden-eared friends and acquaintances have marvelled at how much is lost when I turn off the front channels, even though those consist of megabuck speakers, amps, and signal sources, and the rear channels cost less than 3% of the total system. And as to leaving multichannel sound to the recording engineers, they screwed it up with quad, and does anyone seriously believe they won't again? The choice has become purist audio or ham-fisted multichannel, but it never had to be that way.
How could surround sound be used in an audiophile system?
I am an audiophile with a dilemma. I do not like two channel stereo, because the speakers are only 45 degrees apart. This gives me a bad case of tunnel sound. I realize that high end systems have excellent sound dispersal, but only within 45 degrees. That is not enough spread if one is listening to orchestral music. Separation of the speakers gives better sound dispersal, but it leaves a hole in the center. I could place an equally sized speaker in the center powered by an amplifier of equal quality. The problem is that there is no such animal as a three channel preamp with a mono center channel. Next, I would like to use back speakers to smooth out the sound of the front outside speakers. While the three channel stereo has better dispersal, the sound ends too abruptly at the corners of the room. This now would require a five channel preamp (two left signals, two right signals, and mono center).
I know, I know, this sounds like home theater. However, home theater processors are notorious for distorting sound as they "interpret" where different parts of the two channel signals are positioned. Even more distortion is added as the processor adds reverberation.
My goal is to have a pure sounding system that fills the whole room with the undistorted sound of an orchestra. I would like to be able to pin point every instrument in the orchestra from one side of the room to the other. What I need is a five channel preamp with a mono center channel. The problem is that this preamp does not exist, and never will. The artificial sound of five channel home theater is here to stay. This is really depressing. This is a real dilemma. Does anyone have any ideas how to solve this problem?
I know, I know, this sounds like home theater. However, home theater processors are notorious for distorting sound as they "interpret" where different parts of the two channel signals are positioned. Even more distortion is added as the processor adds reverberation.
My goal is to have a pure sounding system that fills the whole room with the undistorted sound of an orchestra. I would like to be able to pin point every instrument in the orchestra from one side of the room to the other. What I need is a five channel preamp with a mono center channel. The problem is that this preamp does not exist, and never will. The artificial sound of five channel home theater is here to stay. This is really depressing. This is a real dilemma. Does anyone have any ideas how to solve this problem?