Yep, this is pretty much the problem in a nutshell. See, I very rarely want to tape what I’m watching - if I’m watching it, I’ve already seen it, so why tape it? The last time I can remember doing that was years ago when the Indians were in the World Series and my husband wanted to tape the games for posterity (which didn’t really work out the way he hoped anyway, seeing as how they lost and all). What we typically want to do is either tape something else that is on at the same time as something we are watching, or do a timer recording. And that’s what we can’t do with things being the way the are now. So TiVo it is for us.
And currently I am in love with this stereo system, so if it’s still available in a few months, I think I’ll get it:
1 - most systems are a bunch of tiny little speakers and a subwoofer. The tiny speakers don’t reproduce the mid-ranges well at all and the subwoofer’s don’t reproduce the upper end of the lower frequencies well.
2 - I have yet to hear a surround sound used successfully in daily TV viewing. Having the laugh track suddenly pop on behind you is stupid and annoying.
3 - I can’t think of too many situations where you need sound BEHIND you. Certainly not at the expense of GOOD sound.
4 - Most surround sound encoding will be picked up by your regular stereo and will give you greater image “depth”.
5 - Most TV’s do an excellent job of reproducing the human voice so you already have a built in center channel. This is vital to good viewing. If the voices don’t emanate from the viewing area it’s like watching a dubbed movie.
Before you invest in a new surround sound receiver try playing your favorite music through it first. If it doesn’t sound as good as similarly priced stereo systems then take a step back in the process and think about what you are getting: crappy sound and the privilege of hearing canned laughter behind you.
I have a decent stereo system and I use it in conjunction with my TV. I set the volume of the TV so that is acts naturally as a center channel. Or more accurately, I set the volume of the stereo to match the TV. That way the TV can be turned up or down and it changes the stereo accordingly (the TV is wired into the stereo). I get the surround sound effect to the point where I hear noises directly to the left or right me.
Ah. Yep, you’re screwed. I was thinking more of the “tape stuff while I’m not able to watch TV” which is what most of my VCR usage is. For what it’s worth, digital cable has the same problem once you get into the digital channels.
And Magiver has a point about home theater when it comes to normal sitcom type TV viewing. But DVDs and High Definition usually include Dolby Digital 5.1, and there a home theater setup with surround is unbelievable. The day I setup my home theater, I had a movie on where a character was in his apartment. The door to his apt was off screen to the left. I have a door in my house to the left of the TV. In the movie, someone started pounding on the apartment door. I jumped out of my socks - I was totally convinced someone was pounding on the door in my house!
Macgiver, I have a 20-year-old rack system that is starting to fail. I intend to replace it with this new system. You can imagine the changes that have taken place in 20 years. I think Dolby was brand-spanking-new technology back then, so anything is going to be an improvement at this point. We need little speakers because we don’t have room for big ones anymore. I do intend on listening to a few systems first, of course - I think Sears has the Kenwood if I remember right. We also have the components from my husband’s old system too, which are all high-end stuff - we can use that receiver if want to, but it presents some issues of its own (that system has a separate receiver, tuner and preamp, which brings up the space issues again, and the amp has tubes, which are hard to find and replace and the heat is a problem too). We do have a couple of nice small speakers that we can use if we want though.
Thanks for the tip about the canned laughter. I hadn’t thought about anything like that and just the thought is funny! Anyway, I don’t intend to put any of the speakers behind us, just being able to spread them out (our room is long and narrow) will be nice.
Oh, and we still have the technology problem - no DTS decoding, etc. and the current DVD/VCR would still need to be hooked up to this mess too. So something’s gotta give.
I’m not specifically familiar with DD5.1 but I’ve played with a number of home theater systems that my friends own. One of the interesting aspects of surround sound encoding is that most of it occurs (from what I’ve experienced) within the 2 front speakers. I’ve had the same experience from my stereo that you describe. I perceived a sound to my immediate right that actually scared me. It was a subtle sound within the movie that jumped right out of the stereo. I kept replaying the passage in the movie because of my disbelief. This was done WITHOUT a decoder. I know one of the spacial techniques used is to delay a channel to give the overal effect of speakers set much farther apart. You see this on some boom boxes. If a multi-track recording is made and they manually stagger a single track then whatever is on that track “jumps out”. I’m not sure how DD5.1 enhances that unless it recognizes individual tracts and continues to stagger the signal even more. It may be mixed and decoded as 5 or more tracks but the effect will be the same. The amplifier will receive a delayed signal whether it is 2 channel or 6 channel. To the extent that sound is mixed with REAR speakers is what true surround sound is capable of. Since all home theater is viewed on a single screen this limits the effect it can have on the viewer.
Having seen the movie “How the West Was Won” in true Cinerama (3 projectors aimed at 3 connected screens along with 7 channels of sound) I have to say the prospect of surround sound is always hovering on my toy list. To see high resolution on 3 screens with the appropriate sound was quite an experience. You weren’t just looking straight ahead, you could actually take in the view across the horizon. I also remember the circular theater Disney used to have on display. You stood up in a completely round room and watched the movie all around you. Imaging being in the middle of a parade and looking at the people in front of you, behind you, to the left, and to the right. Pretty neat experience.
So to summarize, if a surround sound system is sought then I would recommend a couple of things. The subwoofer should have at least an 8" speaker. Bose pioneered the accoustimass system but they really screwed up when they went to a 6" subwoofer. It is simply too small. Their 10.2 series towers were great but they are too big for this application (and no longer sold). I would also stay away from tiny satellite speakers. If all you want to listen to are crickets then they’re great but you need a 4" to 6" midrange to capture the full range of sound. I’ve already given my opinion on center channel speakers. If you have a 26" or bigger stereo TV then you have already really nice center channel speakers. They are designed to reproduce the human voice which is exactly what a center channel is supposed to do. If you don’t mind fiddling with the volume to get them matched up then you can avoid the expense of center channel speakers. I found very few that I liked and they were never with the system I wanted. Tweeters should have the widest angle of dispersion possible. If they are not designed that way then you want multiple tweeters that can be aimed.
Good luck with your purchase and take your time. Let the chase be fun and not a chore. Be a snob. The extra effort will make your purchase all the more satisfying. If you test a wide range of music on the systems you are interested in you will know what they are capable of. If they can’t reproduce music then they can’t do justice to surround sound, particularly if it is a concert.
'Fraid not - 19" mono. Another TV will come along when prices come down a bit.
Thanks Magiver. Seeing as how I don’t have the money in hand at the moment, all I can do is look anyway, so time is something I’ve got plenty of. I plan on looking at some systems while doing my Christmas shopping - I could use a little present for myself :).