Playing 4 speakers at once

I just got a quad album yesterday-Barbra Streisand's Stoney End. I do not have a quad system, but I do have a fair amount of quad records because of the remixes. I played it on my system which has the four main speakers, and a center. I typically do not use the center except for movies or when playing one of the only 5.1 music dvds I have. I thoroughly enjoy all four speakers working at once. It works for me.

 

The only point that matters, I'd say.

 

Sounds fine, but I often have my center channel off. For stereo, it is just going to be putting a mono chan in the center, and will not help with stereo separation field I enjoy really.

 

I tend not to tinker so much unless I'm recording (live or dubbing); if the sub-woofer and a specific recordings aren't a good match, for example, I'm more likely to turn down the over all volume than to adjust the sub from one recording to the next recording. The spot where I most often sit is mid-way in the V that the center speaker is the point of, so there's plenty of L/R separation, though I tend to sit for long periods only if I'm reading or using the computer.

 

this is so true. when in doubt go have a listen to the set up Ray Kimber does when audio shows are back up and running. usually he uses two pairs of Sony SSAR-1 speakers and with his recordings he does it is one of of the most realistic playbacks i have heard ... especially with classical music.

 

Enjoying specifically surround sound recordings is fine, but with stereo and four (of more) speakers, you come close to four channels.

While you will never achieve the effect offered by four discrete channels, you don't have to have quad source materials. You are just enhancing the sound experience using the normal recordings that you are already listening to.

If you have a surround sound HT processor, which many do, then most will be able to take advantage of this and play 5.1 (or more) surround audio by itself.

Unless you have a specific surround sound recording where the center channel is used for vocals, then it doesn't serve much of a purpose.

I have some decent size center channels for HT but they are very limited in scope, as compared to the other main speakers in the room.

The only time that I would use a mono center channel in a stereo setting, is when the mains are positioned far apart and it is used to fill in the hole between them.

 

I should spend more time with this. Still trying to get 2 channels sorted the way I like it (seemingly a never-ending pursuit), and relying on Audyssey to balance the sound for 5.1. My center and surround channels are in-ceiling speakers. Pretty decent speakers, but the placement has always kind of shied me away from it. It definitely fills the room with all of them firing on a stereo recording, though.

 

I have seen HT's with all in-ceiling speakers and mostly those with rear and surround channel speakers in the ceiling but have not see one like yours with the surrounds and the center channel in the ceiling.

There is only so much that you can do with fixed ceiling speakers. You do the best you can and call it s day.

Curious, where do you have your center speaker mounted, in relation to your seating?

Why did you decide to forgo a conventional center speaker? I get that most who install the surrounds in the ceiling, do so due to a lack of space in the rear.

 

Center ceiling speaker?

 

Sorry. I didn't see your post before I posted...

 

Short answer, I bought the house that way. You can get an idea of how the speakers are positioned in these pictures.



The rectangular panel above the fireplace in the first picture is a retractable projector screen. When it's movie time, the screen comes down and I run the HT amp in 5.1. There's a separate stereo system for music. The last guy put similar ceiling speakers throughout the house with a switched whole home audio system, so I can't complain. You can see one of those switches on the wall above the light switch in the second picture. I just don't care enough about movies to do anything different. It sounds good enough for TV after tweaking Audyssey.

 

I can understand with a retractable front projection screen in front of a fireplace, there isn't really an option for speakers either below or behind the screen.

 

I'm sitting here watching an amp review. When the reviewer gets to the speaker A+B switch, he warns against EVER playing four speakers at once and warns against doing damage to the amp.



Anyway, the video made me think of THIS thread.

The reviewer seems quite knowledgable about electronics....and, I........well, I know NOTHING AT ALL about electronics. BUT, I find it funny that a company would introduce a feature that is self-destructive to the product.

I spent about a year playing four speakers at once through a $150 Onkyo receiver. That receiver is still going strong!