I heard a rumor of a new hifi magazine coming out in '06. This is a real
'zine, not an e-zine. They may publish editions in North America,
Europe, and Asia/Australia simultaneously. Editorially, they're going to
advocate the viewpoint that music can sound great in stereo.

Have you heard anything about this venture? Not that you'd be able to
contribute. I'm just wondering how likely it is to come to pass.

"George M. Middius" wrote:

I heard a rumor of a new hifi magazine coming out in '06. This is a real
'zine, not an e-zine. They may publish editions in North America,
Europe, and Asia/Australia simultaneously. Editorially, they're going to
advocate the viewpoint that music can sound great in stereo.

Have you heard anything about this venture? Not that you'd be able to
contribute. I'm just wondering how likely it is to come to pass.

If it initially flies it will probably publish a few issues
and then fold.

You are right about me not being able to contribute, or
wanting to, either, for that matter.

Note that music can sound great in two-channel stereo. It
just sounds better in surround-sound stereo.

Howard Ferstler

Brother Horace the Perpetually Pecunious whined:

I heard a rumor of a new hifi magazine coming out in '06. This is a real
'zine, not an e-zine. They may publish editions in North America,
Europe, and Asia/Australia simultaneously. Editorially, they're going to
advocate the viewpoint that music can sound great in stereo.

Have you heard anything about this venture? Not that you'd be able to
contribute. I'm just wondering how likely it is to come to pass.

If it initially flies it will probably publish a few issues
and then fold.

On the contrary, Your Cheapness, the hype I've heard said initial
funding will run for 2 years regardless of sales.

You are right about me not being able to contribute, or
wanting to, either, for that matter.

Oh, you'd want to. Too bad for you.

Note that music can sound great in two-channel stereo. It
just sounds better in surround-sound stereo.

Did you some kind of "science" to come to that conclusion, or did you
just read it in the library?

For aliens with 5.1 ears, it probably does.

Just for fun I hooked one of my stock, phenolic-horn LaScalas up as a
center phantom channel with my K-Horns. I think this is a pleasing
arrangement for some material and blows on other material. But, with a
DPST switch, I can turn it off or on....pretty good idea, eh?

"George M. Middius" wrote:

Brother Horace the Perpetually Pecunious whined:

George initially said:

I heard a rumor of a new hifi magazine coming out in '06. This is a real
'zine, not an e-zine. They may publish editions in North America,
Europe, and Asia/Australia simultaneously. Editorially, they're going to
advocate the viewpoint that music can sound great in stereo.

Have you heard anything about this venture? Not that you'd be able to
contribute. I'm just wondering how likely it is to come to pass.

If it initially flies it will probably publish a few issues
and then fold.

On the contrary, Your Cheapness, the hype I've heard said initial
funding will run for 2 years regardless of sales.

Now, that is a really smart business move on the part of the
sponsors.

You are right about me not being able to contribute, or
wanting to, either, for that matter.

Oh, you'd want to. Too bad for you.

Not a chance. Trust me on this.

Note that music can sound great in two-channel stereo. It
just sounds better in surround-sound stereo.

Did you some kind of "science" to come to that conclusion, or did you
just read it in the library?

Regarding the superiority of surround sound, there is more
than one goofball on RAO who would disagree with me, and
with you, too, I assume.

Howard Ferstler

wrote:

For aliens with 5.1 ears, it probably does.

Just for fun I hooked one of my stock, phenolic-horn LaScalas up as a
center phantom channel with my K-Horns. I think this is a pleasing
arrangement for some material and blows on other material. But, with a
DPST switch, I can turn it off or on....pretty good idea, eh?

How can you have a center phantom channel that uses a
speaker? By definition, a phantom center has no center
speaker.

In any case, for a true center speaker to work at its best
with standard, two-channel material some kind of derived
steering (one that takes the L+R part of the mix and sends
it to the center speaker, while at the same time subtracting
it from the left and right speakers) is required. Note that
Dolby Pro Logic II can be configured to do only a partial
derivation from the L+R mix, thereby having a phantom and
discrete center simultaneously. The execution can be user
adjusted with more advanced versions of DPL II.

Howard Ferstler

Howard Ferstler wrote:
wrote:

For aliens with 5.1 ears, it probably does.

Just for fun I hooked one of my stock, phenolic-horn LaScalas up as a
center phantom channel with my K-Horns. I think this is a pleasing
arrangement for some material and blows on other material. But, with a
DPST switch, I can turn it off or on....pretty good idea, eh?

How can you have a center phantom channel that uses a
speaker? By definition, a phantom center has no center
speaker.

In any case, for a true center speaker to work at its best
with standard, two-channel material some kind of derived
steering (one that takes the L+R part of the mix and sends
it to the center speaker, while at the same time subtracting
it from the left and right speakers) is required. Note that
Dolby Pro Logic II can be configured to do only a partial
derivation from the L+R mix, thereby having a phantom and
discrete center simultaneously. The execution can be user
adjusted with more advanced versions of DPL II.

The term "phantom channel" as used by PWK and others for decades
before consumer 5.1, derives from telephony (and before that
telegraphy) where two tip and ring pairs terminated in "load coils"
(audio transformers) were center tapped on each load coil pair to give
a third "phantom" pair. We would call it "virtual" today I suppose.

Paul Klipsch (hereinafter PWK) wrote a paper on this and indeed is
said to have designed the Heresy and Belle Klipsch with the application
in mind. If two stereo amplifier channels have a common terminal (most
common tube and many solid state output-transformerless power amps) a
third speaker is simply hooked between the two hot sides. In the case
of tube amps (or I presume SS autoformer Macs) the added refinement of
using a "lower" tap than used for the main channels may be used to
provide lower drive volume. (PWK, working with very efficient speakers
and not thinking in terms of loud hard rock in big rooms, didn't figure
the phantom speaker would present a danger to the amp thusly. And
indeed it usually isn't.)

It was routinely done in custom car radio installations in the 70's,
before today's huge power was even thought of. No additional circuitry
whatever is needed.

I have borrowed a largish (and not terrible sounding) 80s Crown 300
watt stereo power amp to experiment with this concept, so as I can put
L-pads in the phantom and main speaker paths to mess with for relative
volume levels. Also, there is a valid question as to the best placement
of the phantom speaker, its polarity, and a few other things. I'm
having fun and playing with a simple idea that has been dormant for too
long in my opinion. The Crown run "straight" is actually a pretty good
sounding amp, although quiet passages are not as well defined
dynamically as with a _good_ tube amp (and probably not as well as with
a good solid state one for audiophile purposes) with these speakers.
I'm sure playing Black Sabbath full blast through monkey coffins it
does very well indeed.