SQLGuy
Member
Like, I think, a lot of people here, I don't have a dedicated quad listening setup. Instead, my home theater setup gets to do double duty.
I've seen the Wendy Carlos recommendations before. I also have a disc that was made by IsoMike. IsoMike's setup at the RMAF was definitely 4 speakers pretty much in a square with the listener in the middle (one year it was with some pretty unbelievable electrostatics. I think they were the big SoundLabs, but I'm digressing a bit). Anyway, the reproduction inserts that came with my recent Santana Quad SACD releases also had rears that were behind the listener, so I wanted to be able to try some different options.
My setup is 6.1 (phantom center, a VMPS New Larger Sub, Magnepan T-IV fronts, Elac Debut 6.2s for the sides, and Q 3020s for the rears). The A/V pre is a Marantz AV7701, and, usually, the source is an Oppo BDP-83SE. Playing either 4.0 Quad SACDs or Blu Rays, or the IsoMike disc, all play the "rear" channels from the side speakers, with the rears being quiet.
What I decided to try was adding a switch box so I could swap sides for rears with a single press. The sensitivity of the Elacs and the Qs are similar, and the crossover point in the A/V pre is the same (I think - need to double check), but, at the least this means that I'm getting too much delay from the rears, which are about 9' further back than the Elacs. The other easy alternative would have been to swap inputs from the 7.1 analog outputs of the BDP-83SE at the A/V pre... but that means no bass management, level controls, or delay at all (IIUC)... at least, that's how the AV7005 I used to have worked, and the two are not very different.
So, first, wondering if anyone has tried something like this, and also what you think about the compromises involved in either of the options. I just set it up a few minutes ago, and haven't yet done any A/B comparisons, but my initial reaction was that I think I preferred sides as rears.
I've seen the Wendy Carlos recommendations before. I also have a disc that was made by IsoMike. IsoMike's setup at the RMAF was definitely 4 speakers pretty much in a square with the listener in the middle (one year it was with some pretty unbelievable electrostatics. I think they were the big SoundLabs, but I'm digressing a bit). Anyway, the reproduction inserts that came with my recent Santana Quad SACD releases also had rears that were behind the listener, so I wanted to be able to try some different options.
My setup is 6.1 (phantom center, a VMPS New Larger Sub, Magnepan T-IV fronts, Elac Debut 6.2s for the sides, and Q 3020s for the rears). The A/V pre is a Marantz AV7701, and, usually, the source is an Oppo BDP-83SE. Playing either 4.0 Quad SACDs or Blu Rays, or the IsoMike disc, all play the "rear" channels from the side speakers, with the rears being quiet.
What I decided to try was adding a switch box so I could swap sides for rears with a single press. The sensitivity of the Elacs and the Qs are similar, and the crossover point in the A/V pre is the same (I think - need to double check), but, at the least this means that I'm getting too much delay from the rears, which are about 9' further back than the Elacs. The other easy alternative would have been to swap inputs from the 7.1 analog outputs of the BDP-83SE at the A/V pre... but that means no bass management, level controls, or delay at all (IIUC)... at least, that's how the AV7005 I used to have worked, and the two are not very different.
So, first, wondering if anyone has tried something like this, and also what you think about the compromises involved in either of the options. I just set it up a few minutes ago, and haven't yet done any A/B comparisons, but my initial reaction was that I think I preferred sides as rears.
