Surround music ?

That's why I listen to music, including SACD, in two-channel. For me, surround is only for movies. I like to hear the singer's voice "imaged" between my two front speakers -- I don't want to hear it coming from
a center speaker -- ruins the effect. And, lord help me -- I don't want
to feel like I am sitting IN the band, I want them on a soundstage in front of me. But -- hey -- that's just me. I used pro-logic2 for music a few times when I bought my surround processor and haven't used it for music again since.

A little research on your part before you buy will go a long way. Many multichannel disc's are recorded with just the right amount of signal in the surround channels..If I were you, these are the ones I would buy.

Dave

Sogood51...Right on.

I would only add that the "right amount" of signal depends on the music in question, and the intended perspective of the listener. People who actually play in a musical groop may very logically prefer to be in the midst of the sound, not at a distance. I am told that some DVD-A discs actually permit you to select the "perspective" that you prefer.

There is a category of music, "Antiphonal" which REQUIRES that sound come from all directions. That is the way the muscians are located in a live performance.

Finally, IMHO, a solo singer is the best reason to have a center speaker. The soloist is a single sound source, and should logically be reproduced by a single sound source. The ability of a good set of stereo speakers to image a mono signal in space between them is amazing. But it is an illusion, easily broken by moving away from the "sweet spot".

When listening to a solo instrument, eg: a piano, I sometimes do the playback mono through one speaker. This replaces the recorded hall ambience with the character of my own room, as if my piano were being played.

Rsbeck: knee-jerk reaction. Sogood and Eldartford: right on. I score it 1-2 for mc. Adding my voice, that is a 1-3. Where does it say that reproduced music should come from two speakers, playing two channels at the front of the room? That record producers don't have a deft touch is another issue.

Pbb -- LOL. I only gave MY preference. I didn't know MY preference could be voted down. In fact, look -- it is still my preference, so I guess
you'll need a bigger majority. LOL.

>>Where does it say that reproduced music should come from two speakers, playing two channels at the front of the room?<<

It says it right here in "Rsbeck's Guide to How Rsbeck Likes to Listen to Music." It was a best seller at my place. I keep it right next to the Bible.

Also -- I have been in bands -- and that experience confirms *FOR ME* -- that the listening position ON THE STAGE is absolutely inferior. So, having been in a band would certainly not convince ME to try to recreate that position in MY listening room. And, I've known a lot of performers,
but I have yet to meet one who has a surround music system. So -- though it is not an exhaustive study -- it is enough to cause me to doubt that people choose two channel because they have never had the pleasure of performing music on stage. So, I think there must be some OTHER explanation for why some people like surround and others like two channel. I'm going to guess it is just a personal preference -- like most other things. What *I* like about two channel is that I am *NOT* at the mercy of some engineer's idea of surround and, while I do have to do some reasearch, I *DON'T* have to do as much research as those seeking to find pleasing surround mixes. I run into far fewer of those types of problems with two channel. And that's how *I* solve the problem that was raised by the orginal poster. And, heh-heh-heh...in MY listening room, MY vote is the only one that counts. Says so....RIGHT HERE. LOL.

Rsbeck...Your best response would be the quote "One man right is a majority of one".

But you are wrong (IMHO) :)