Surround sound for music is a dumb idea

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rugene

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I have discovered this new channel from Steve Guttenberg who says that surround sound is not interesting when you don't have pictures or videos to go along like videos or music concerts. I can't agree with him here. I know it must require more patience or imagination but I doubt he has listened to the best surround releases from the best engineers. Secondly, if you listen to only video concerts in surround you limit yourself to plenty of good music in surround with audio format. I guess he must listen to stereo audio only. Here's the link to that video ;

Steve Guttenberg
 
I have discovered this new channel from Steve Guttenberg who says that surround sound is not interesting when you don't have pictures or videos to go along like videos or music concerts. I can't agree with him here. I know it must require more patience or imagination but I doubt he has listened to the best surround releases from the best engineers. Secondly, if you listen to only video concerts in surround you limit yourself to plenty of good music in surround with audio format. I guess he must listen to stereo audio only. Here's the link to that video ;

Steve Guttenberg
Ohh Steve again :rolleyes:

I feel exactly the opposite; video distracts me from the music (which is typically far more interesting than most videos. live concert shows are a little different; though the surround usually sucks anyway.)
 
I have discovered this new channel from Steve Guttenberg who says that surround sound is not interesting when you don't have pictures or videos to go along like videos or music concerts.
A general sense of discretion and a long acquaintance with Steve prevents me from commenting (or listening to the whole thing through).
 
I have discovered this new channel from Steve Guttenberg who says that surround sound is not interesting when you don't have pictures or videos to go along like videos or music concerts. I can't agree with him here. I know it must require more patience or imagination but I doubt he has listened to the best surround releases from the best engineers. Secondly, if you listen to only video concerts in surround you limit yourself to plenty of good music in surround with audio format. I guess he must listen to stereo audio only. Here's the link to that video ;

Steve Guttenberg
I normally like Steve's stuff, since he focuses on good sounding gear that is affordable to real-world budgets. While I obviously don't agree with him here, he is certainly entitled to his opinion and at least he doesn't try to jam it down your throat. His viewpoint seems to be, it is too confusing / not cohesive, and there is no consensus on how to mix in surround. Fortunately for us, there is enough of it being produced to keep me happy.
 
Perhaps what he really means is he prefers to watch movies rather than listen to music? It's OK. Music isn't for everyone.

I think surround sound is really only for music. I rarely listen to the surround for movies.

Are these album names or something?
Surround Sound Fro
Music Is A Dump
 
Perhaps what he really means is he prefers to watch movies rather than listen to music? It's OK. Music isn't for everyone.

I think surround sound is really only for music. I rarely listen to the surround for movies.

Are these album names or something?
Surround Sound Fro
Music Is A Dump

If anything, motion pictures projected on a large screen are the perfect conduit for SURROUND! May seem like 'overkill' for home theater, but I do find the experience eminently enjoyable. IMO, it's a fine way to expand the front centric visuals.

As for surround music ...... how many times a GREAT REMIX can elucidate hidden inner detail absent from a stereo mix ... especially when remixed from 16~32~48 multi track recordings?

As for the Guttenberg BABBLE .... I'm sure Steve has a fortune sunk into his state of the art stereo system and if he's perfectly fine with it...SO BE IT!
 
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When I "returned to the audio hobby" after a long absence I watched a few of his videos until I realized he was mostly a purveyor of snake oil.
This is consistent with the fact that he used to be a New York City Audio Salon Salesman.
I also find his backgrounds very distracting. They give the impression that he is a single or divorced dude.
 
When I "returned to the audio hobby" after a long absence I watched a few of his videos until I realized he was mostly a purveyor of snake oil.
This is consistent with the fact that he used to be a New York City Audio Salon Salesman.
I also find his backgrounds very distracting. They give the impression that he is a single or divorced dude.

But Gene, owning an audio salon is probably the BEST way to differentiate whether a 'tweak' is snake oil ... or a genuine improvement. Swapping different players, interconnects, speakers and trying out the latest 'snake oil' product was a great way to either IMPROVE or DIMINISH the efficacy of a system. I am SO tired of people referencing a product as SNAKE OIL when THEY'VE NEVER EVEN TRIED IT. Reading about something versus experiencing it FIRSTHAND is SO TIRESOME.

How many average joes cannot hear the difference between 16 and 24 bit .... or visually, 2K from 4K ......Let Me Count the Ways!
 
I often listen to music with eyes closed, or lights off. The lack of visual distractions lets you focus on the audio more, and your brain picks out lots of details you'd otherwise overlook. Overhear? Over here!

Yes I'm with you here. It requires more from us to open our brains to the audio even if I enjoy watching concert videos, but how many music concerts are great for surround if it's not S.Wilson who did the mix?
 
I don't think he was the owner.

I spent years in the seventies working in audio and electronics and the great , overwhelming majority of the folks I worked with, had learned nothing at all. Whatever they thought they knew came from product introduction meetings conducted by manufacturer's, usually with pseudo science presentations, and mentions of the sales spiffs, to be provided. Even back then, the industry was starting to smell so bad to me, that I went elsewhere.

Interconnects and cables are basically snake oil. ( I have a very large roll of 12 gauge copper stranded speaker wire , a VERY expensive STAKON branded crimping tool [as used in medical and aeronautical applications] and the matching Stakon (or 3M)connectors and several varieties of silver circuit board paint. There is nothing that can audibly improve a speaker cable made with these materials.) We shall have to agree to disagree on this subject. Your ears are a totally unreliable measrement tool. However if you think there is a difference and you LIKE this or that piece of gear (or Shakti stones or trestles for your speaker wires , or you want to spend $1000 on an RCA cable) knock yourself out.
I do not feel the need to try out every piece of bullshit that the very creative audio marketing machine spits out.

Audio Science Review has lots of reviews, showing no improvement, of many things, including cables and interconnects.

When I was at Axpona in 2019 this guy actually grabbed me and pulled me into his booth. (I am glad he didn't actually have a hook!) Since it APPEARED INITIALLY to be some sort of technical thing I gave it about 20 seconds. https://add-powr.com/ I never listened to it, and I don't need to, and wouldn't waste my time. Furthermore, I would never ever do business, with a store that sells a product like this.

Painting the connections with silver circuit board paint is something that I do, but I have no belief that it improves the sound. But it is easy to do and I just do it. It's "better". But it is probably snake oil too.

This isn't:
https://www.amazon.com/Ratchet-Insu...eywords=Thomas+&+Betts&qid=1641242518&sr=8-15
Often when there is a great deal of audible difference, there may be some or other incompatibility or incorrect operation or even the source material is poor. More often the it is because the test is not blinded, and levels have not been matched or someone is attempting to do an A B test where it takes too long to switch. There are a lot of scientifically established facts that really are a waste of time to argue about. There is absolutely positively no need for interconnects using precious metals of any kind. There is no need whatsoever at any audio or even ultrasonic frequency (ie 30kHz) to use Litz wire for anything. Not even phono cables. It is a fact that vacuum tube amps have higher noise distortion than solid state amps. That is great for guitar amps. For stereo amps not so much. ( I have heard that it is possible to have very low distortion tube amps , especially if you use solid state voltage amplification but have not ever seen a test of an amp like that) Of course the folks that bought McIntosh will be happy to sell you a tube stereo amp for $5000. On ASR somebody just posted a teardown of a Carver 275 tube amp and it wasn't pretty. Go look at it.
 
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Remember a time when people actually listened to music?

And it didn't need to be accompanied by syncronized dancers, wardrobe malfunctions, superbowl half-time budget videos, and viral facebook feeds?

Was it really so bad, before this multimedia onslaught we are so accustomed to? Some of the greatest music of all time was created without any of this stuff.
 
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