AudioBanter.com - View Single Post - Hi-fi, High-end and Multi-channel reproduction

wrote:
And further, while one can manipulate a number of parameters to
simulate rear/surround effects, the fact remains that normal,
well-produced stereo recordings do not convey any rear/surround
information that is not mixed irretrievably with the front signals.
Just listen to all the sound decay forward as an example.

And why would you expect the sound decay NOT to sound like it was
coming from forward? I've never heard an unamplified live concert
where anything sounded like it was coming from anywhere other than
right where the musicians are. Not even in a giant and very "live"
church, where the room ambiance was almost louder than the musicians -
it still sounded like everything was coming from right where they were
playing. So I don't understand why people would want systems where
the room ambiance comes from somewhere other than the front.
To me, if it ever sounded like it wasn't at the front, I would
consider it very unrealistic.

Because an average-sized listening room isn't going
to have anything like the ambience characteristics of a concert
hall?

Do other people hear reverberations sounding as though they're
coming from the walls? If so, that would explain the interest in
multi-channel. To me, it just seems like inviting trouble for no
good reason.

When I'm listening to surround sound wher ether surround carry only
ambience information, I don't 'hear' the reverb per se
and I certainly don't localize it as coming from 'behind' or from the
walls; I perceive an increased sense of 'largeness' to the presentation
coming from in front of me...whihc I suppose means the room 'sounds'
larger to me.

--
-S.