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(Robert Lang) wrote in message ...

My own multichannel experience comes from a different angle and a
different time.
I'll try to improve on my previous , rather inept explanation. I have
the extinct JVC1000XP which attempts not only to convey ambience but
do it in 20 different, digitally synthesised venues; from a cathedral
to an open air rock concert, through a large movie house. I understand
that they modelled themselves on the actual, existing concert halls.
Eg. the first is a digital recreation of the Asterdam Concertgebouw.
To the best of my knowledge the only other similar project was a
Yamaha's DSP unit which I had had and thought was not as successful. I
would not be without it. Even the solo recordings such as Horowitz in
Carnegie Hall and Belafonte ditto sound truer with early and late
reverb boost. The pianio and voice midrange fill-up. Personal
impressions- please don't ask for "evidence".
Yamaha produced a few successors, each one less ambitious than its
predecessor, and the I think gave up in favour of the home-theatre
kind of multichannel sound like just like everyone else.
Mr.Sommerwerck whose original review in The Stereophile got me
interested in
the digital sound processors to begin with me told me (personal
communication) that such units are no longer available. They never
reached the usual audiophile stores and the music store crowd
obviously were not interested. Perhaps this will catch some
manufacturer's eye.
When my JVC packed up I bought an old Lexicon DSP1+. Not a patch. My
JVC was repaired after all and the Lexicon sits in the loft waiting
for a buyer. At one time I had Carver's Holograph and sold it. I was
not impressed.
I'll now shed the fear of ridicule, and hesitantly, pick-up someone's
posting re shielding earlobes when listening. As chance has it I
noticed the strong, positive effect just before I saw the posting,
when casually putting my hands on top of my head. I now wear regularly
a beach hat with a big brim when listening. The image loses the
blurring on the edges and becomes focused to the front stage. The
effect is even stronger when my surround is on- perhaps not
surprisingly because I use Lexicon configuration with two of the
channels on my right and left side.
I'm passing it on as I experience it- anyone can have a good laugh.
The explanation that occurs to me is this: I have a terrible listening
room with lots of undesirable, conflicting reflexions. The brim may
be helping to keep some of them from my ears. Since I know very little
about acoustics I'm offering this only as my musings not science.
Disclaimer: I don't sell JVC DSPs. I don't sell or am related to a
seller of wide brimmed hats.
Ludovic Mirabel

"Harry Lavo" wrote in message ...
There are quite a few participants in this newsgroup who have professed
either indifference or outright dislike to the idea of surround sound. The
reason often cited is "I don't want to have instruments all around me".

If you have a chance to hear a decent surround system and have access to
all/some of these disks, give a listen. Share with the group what *YOU*
think. And if you already have multichannel, well, agree? or disagree?

I am a recent convert to surround. But at the same time I fully
understand why many listeners profess their dislike for the new kid
(multi-channel) on the block. When stereo first challenged mono many
listeners hated it much like many listeners hate multi channel today.
Some of those early stereo recordings clearly disfigured the music.

I went to CES this year specifically to check out SACD Multi-Channel.
As much as practical I tried to listen to multi-channel recordings
that I was very familiar with as two channel recordings, such as those
from Telarc. In short, I was very much sold on multi-channel based on
my listening experiences.

I found that multi-channel is *not* the proverbial "quantum leap
forward" that I had naively initially expected compared to what I can
already achieve in my existing two-channel system. Instead, I found
multi-channel to be very pleasingly like an ideal extension of
two-channel; like vastly improved two channel, not like the
“speaker everywhere” experience I had expected.
Nevertheless, I am very much an enthusiastic convert to multi-channel.

In most of the recordings I listened to, the soundstage was wider,
deeper, and taller, without any hint (in most cases) that you were
listening to more than two speakers. In fact, it more like listening
to no specific speaker at all. In other words, well done multi-channel
sounded like what stereo has been trying to accomplish all these
years.

This is why when an audiophile states "I don't like multi-channel", I
no longer understand what they are talking about. Multi-channel, done
correctly (my interpretation), is like the ultimate two-channel
experience. Only when the rear and center channels were removed from
the equation did the sound stage collapse before your eyes to the
familiar two channel experience that you come to the realization that
you were listening to "multi-channel".

The improvement that multi-channel offers, while certainly a lot more
than subtle, is still a clear extension of the two-channel experience.
If you like good two-channel, you will love good multi-channel.

Robert C. Lang