I don't listen to STEREO anymore, do you???

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sq10

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Hello there Quadfellows...

Ever since I got my (HUGE) Pioneer receiver I have not listened to anything in "real" Stereo anymore...why use 2 speakers when you have at least 4???

I either go for :

7Ch Stereo (all L info in the the L speakers-ditto with R, no decoding , just the wall o'sound)

or

DPL Movie or Music(better with the former)

AND, have followed the suggestions from this forum(Jimi in Quad is really something).

I also have discovered that MOST nonQuad stuff decodes quite well in DPL...obviously you can forget about MONO in DPL...

Having said that...Can't wait to pump my mono LP pressing of good ole' SPLHCBand into the 7CH Stereo mode... "¡La BOLA!"

So... do YOU still listen to...ugh...stere-OH?

;););)
 
I will admit that with most 'general' stereo recordings, I do tend to play it synthed in some way--DPLII, for instance)UNLESS that is a detriment to the recording(which happens), so then it's just plain 'ol stereo. And although mono recordings could be sent to the central speaker only, I've found that leaving the music L/R--or, for that matter, in all five speakers--makes more sense.

Conversely, I don't make a habit of downsampling MC for stereo, which some listeners(usually by necessity)do. I have a friend who's not into MC but likes the alternate mixes, who makes CD-R stereo downsamples for his car. I've heard some of them, and they are interesting listening, but...why bother when you can have the full 5.1 mixes?

ED :)
 
I still listen to stereo and even mono quite a bit, actually, with no processing applied. This is especially true of classic jazz recordings. Many of 'em just sound plain bad or wonky in any kind of synthesized surround mode.
 
Jazz is a great example, Cai; especially those '60s Impulse! and Verve titles. In many cases, the soundstages tend to strict L/R, with(sometimes)vocals in the middle, but these would sound ridiculous if you attempted to process them in any way(of course if 3-track tapes still existed, a front L/C/R mix could probably be created, as with KOB or TIME OUT. Unfortunately, a lot of multis are almost certainly MIA).

ED :)
 
I have to admit using my processors to enhance stereo. I have not found any negatives for this approach, even on 1960's and earlier jazz records.

MTGC (Michael)
 
With some Stereo material with a strong presence on the front stage, I use the SuperStereo mode in my Ambisonic decoder. It enhances the stereo image without any loss of focus in the soundstage.
 
It depends. If I'm listening to music while moving around the room (getting dressed, cleaning up, etc.), I'll listen in stereo. If I have the luxury to sit and listen to something, I'll grab something in surround.

J. D.
 
It depends. If I'm listening to music while moving around the room (getting dressed, cleaning up, etc.), I'll listen in stereo. If I have the luxury to sit and listen to something, I'll grab something in surround.

J. D.

Yea this was true for me as well
but now I put all my stereo discs on a hard drive and use my playstation (which upsamples) to play it. I am listening to more stereo than before and I procces it about half the time. I had an amp with CS II that was more fun than DPL II.
 
I still listen in stereo when I really want to zero in on the nuances of the mix, to hear it the way the producer intended. Also when I'm just sort of "half-listening" while doing other things. I enjoy listening to expanded stereo when I'm sitting in the sweet spot and just listening, but even then sometimes the solidity of the stereo mix is more appealing to me. As a musician and occasional producer that stereo mix is the baseline that puts me closest to the mixing chair and there's always something to learn there.
 
There's only one stereo disc that I have that I can get any enjoyment out of: Get Yer Ya Ya's Out (Rolling Stones). Love listening to Richard's awesome chording. But that's it and it's not very often. I'm totally hooked on 5.1. Stereo just seems so lacking by comparison.
 
I listen to Mono in Mono, Stereo in Stereo, and Surround in Surround.

The only time I'll use surround from stereo processing is if I'm watching a movie or TV, but I almost never use it to listen to music.
 
I've just started in the last 2-3 years to give a quick preview in surround to see how anything stereo decodes. Sometimes I stick with stereo, sometimes I'll go with pro-logic or the like. It's probably 50/50 for me; obviously, some decode great, other not so much.

Bottom line, I've found that I can stumble on some great new listening experiences that way. Just last night I listened to Strawbs 'Halcyon Days' in DPLII for the first time. Very nice. (y)
 
Many mono classic jazz recordings just sound plain bad or wonky in any kind of synthesized surround mode.

Unless you pop them into the computer and do your own upmixes like I do for my dad's old late 40's and early 50's Columbia Jazz Club records.

No they do not come out all spinny and wander around. All I do is kick the top end a little bit to modernize it, stretch the bass out a little and add a little clarity to the lead (if I can EQ it out---sometimes you can't and you have to live with it).

Then I leave the original, save a copy of the EQ'd track (i. e. with JUST the equalizations, none of the main track) and then add the EQ track in SPARINGLY til it sounds nice and full, back it off some and mix down.

Saving that, I now clone that mixdown and go through the same process with the reverbs, taking a little more reverb than I need of whatever flavor of reverb serves the track well, (some I hate, but they are the best that serves the track) and then save the reverb track only.

Swap the left reverb track out plus-90-degrees and the right reverb track out minus-90-degrees and save. This will kill a certain amount of reverb when mixed back in with the mains, and may or may not be enough to mix back in as it is.

Either way, once you have the EQ'd mono track and the reverb track in your multitrack mixdown, slide around with the percentages of main vs reverb til you almost can't hear any difference when you solo the main vs playing the full mix. Then once you find that, slide up your percentage of reverb track mix-in a little bit to give it some space.

The trick here is not to damage the delicateness and robustness of the original performance, just to modernize it VERY SPARINGLY with the EQ and give it a LITTLE air with the reverb. As they say, you don't want monaural classics and classic jazz swimming in EQ and reverb (like the 60's electronic stereo of Kostalanetz's Grand Cyn. Ste.)

Look at what Readers Digest did in the 60's before computers. Find a mono copy of `The Great Band Era' or `Hear Them Again' both from the late 60's, pick any track and listen. Then find the stereo copy of the same set and repeat. You almost can't tell, which is what you want. Just a little space.
 
"I either go for :

7Ch Stereo (all L info in the the L speakers-ditto with R, no decoding , just the wall o'sound)"


SQ10, Isn't that stereo?
 
"I either go for :

7Ch Stereo (all L info in the the L speakers-ditto with R, no decoding , just the wall o'sound)"


SQ10, Isn't that stereo?


OOps, I just got caught!!!:D
-MONKEYBONE!!!
-EEK! :eek:
(btw...GREAT movie!)

Like the French say..."¡Mais Oui!"

The thing is that, when listening in that mode, your ears catch different frequencies from each speaker because of the psychoacoustics involved, so it's a "quasi fake surround", which is the closest thing to Surround/Stereo without the DPL processing...
And furthermore, with Mono stuff- I've been listening to my mono Beatles MMT 45 EP and the White Album...dang! :smokin
 
There are few pieces of music I enjoy in mono, usually at least listen to stereo whenever possible. Surround/PL II I use watching TV and movies, besides all of my Quad conversions, DVD-As, etc. Once exception of a mono preference for me is "I Can't Explain" by the Who. I have the Shel Talmy stereo remix of the first album with this song's remix in stereo, no comparison. I was shocked I didnt like the stereo version better. Anyways, Mostly stereo or multichannel for me, depending on the source.
 
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