Describe the "new HiFi sound"?

@dave_b

Do you remember the title of this thread? Atmos is new, your "rails" are intact. Dude, if you are so enamored with "old" I got no beef with that. Bitter after tossing all that cash into something so lifeless that the only thing they seem to play at audio shows on those $$$$$ systems is female vocals and acoustic instruments, I get it. The poor engineer doing the mix was forced to shoe horn it in to the two channels, hence you have an army of zombies, butt glued in the MLP, head in a vice with two sound cannons pointed at their head, yay for the old, I get it. Here is a link to a plethora of award winning engineers extolling how much they love having a broader palate to mix with in atmos then stereo. Does atmos have a complex setup? Yes, but the dolby standards are clear, it is backward compatible with whatever you have, and you can even use headphones:

https://www.soundonsound.com/series/mixing-atmos-top-engineers-producers-provide-insights-immersive-audio

@invalid 

My point is I wouldn't make a visits to my friends anything a reference. As for stereo as you can see mine works great. I have a very nice Sony Signature dac/headphone amp/pre that I can use as a dedicated two channel pre with my active speakers or simply use the DAC with my processor. It sounds excellent and a few mixes sound better in stereo than immersive, I can always pivot. I seem to prefer stereo with my morning coffee:

I did try to be congenial, but your incessant cheerleading for something that gets you off is rude…because you are forcing the issue.  It’s annoying and it’s obvious you never owned a truly great 2 channel system.  That’s ok, but you also know very little about a lot of things audio.  Most of the music I listen to has never been played at any audio show, much is unavailable in 2023 and all of it requires a bit more of the listener than most have to offer.  Don’t even assume you know anything about me or my music…my vintage and proof is far above your pay grade.  

too bad decooney's thread has been 'jacked'

well, there were some pretty useful and interesting comments early on...

@dave_b

It’s annoying and it’s obvious you never owned a truly great 2 channel system.

In a thread about "new hifi" you wanna diss me about old hifi? What makes you think that my current setup for two channel is not "truly great"? It measures great, it sounds great, the room is setup great, and this is the best you can do to defend two channel is go to the playground of "mine is better than yours"?

OK, here is the "secret sauce" to great two channel. It ain’t the speakers, the electronics, or the cables, it’s the room. When you are "limited" to only two channels it is like crutches. Stereo was designed for three speakers, not two. Not having a center channel is what cripples the room forcing you to sit in a "sweet spot", while the other spots are mediocre or just plain suck. Spending $$$ on gear can’t fix that BUT room treatments can make it a whole lot better. The "secret sauce" is in treating the room and especially treating the ceiling. See the pics in my virtual system to "see" what I mean.
So in a nutshell, if you are crippling your system and being forced to sit in a "sweet spot" good room treatments can give you astonishing results, more than any amp, dac, or cable can and for a lot less $$$.