2-channel vs. home theater

I am getting close to publishing my memoir! It's called 99% True and it is chock full of adventures, debauchery, struggles, heartwarming stories, triumphs and failures, great belly laughs, and a peek inside the high-end audio industry you've never known before.

[bargainboondocker]

That's exactly what I'm planning for my next room. A theater based around a good quality 2 channel system. Cool.

[sudd]

you get much better sound quality for your money with 2 channel audio, and its works in more types of room, easier to set up, takes less space, and you still can use it for movies or for my office connected to my pc as i do.

[johnmclaughlin]

I had a 4 speaker system in the late 60s. It was just stereo with 4 speakers but I enjoyed the spaciousness of the sound. When quadraphonic came around I jumped on it and then when DVDs came on the scene with 5.1 channels and DSP I was right on it. Not just for movies but for concert videos, it was awesome. AV components that simulate different venues through DSP really enhance the listening experience to me. Rear speakers adding ambience to the music is a bonus when it's a two channel recording. When it's multichannel it's so much better than just stereo. There seems to be information hidden in some 2 channel recordings that shows up in a surround sound system that you wouldn't even know was there. When you hear these recordings in surround sound you just go "WOW" that's an amazing surprise.

[David-djkb]

It’s actually very easy to get both. Most home theater receivers can be used as processors or pre-amps for the left and right channels. This means you can hook up an external amplifier to the receiver. Also you can use two speakers for the fronts. More sharp detailed speakers for movies and another pair for music. And for the screen you can get a cloth that drops down and blocks the screen.

[markfreedman]

I'm an old time audiophile. I have only one living room. After watching this video it occurred to me that I am setting up your mythical 2 Channel hybrid system that can convert to 5.1. The front pair of speakers are high end and are acoustically voiced for the room. The home theater set up is also premium however not quite in the same league as the front pair. Got a pull down screen with a video projector. So the room environment can be changed at will. I have a nice collection of 5.1 SACD's So I can have the best of both worlds. It is a continuous work in progress. However when I sit down to enjoy music, it transforms me into another world. Love your videos. Thanks!

[winstonoreggae]

This youtube channel is one of the most remarkable discoveries I have ever made. Really. I have learned a lot. Thank you thank you thank you. Greetings from the distant country of Chile 🙂✌

[andydelle]

Well I would not call the setup Paul describes a compromise at all. It looks to me like an ideal setup barring the idea of a seperate listening room from the theater room - and some well off people do just that. And you can take this idea even further. There are very high end home theater processors on the market, Theta for example, that are also excellent two channel preamps. Still want a high end two channel preamp for stereo use? No problem, you can get switches that will swap the preamp with the HT processor. You could even take that further and have different power amps for the left & right and switch between the high end amps and an HT AV receiver. All kinds of options here. If you don't like a big screen in your listening room, have a drop down wall or mural. Same for windows. As for acoustics, accurate, calibrated, surround sound is even more critical than stereo when it comes to acoustic control. So get that right for the HT and you also have an ideal listening room acoustically. There is absolutely no reason you can't have a theater and high end listening room in the same space. The only limit is your funding.

[mgdmong]

Mr McGowan, to be honest, sometimes I just tune into your channel for to get a dose of the soothing and calm way that you speak. While your products are out of reach for me, I thoroughly enjoy listening to your insights, advice and opinions.

[AlexReusch]

I try to combine both disciplines in one room, simply because I don't have the space to have a separate room for music only. But Paul is right: If you want to do it good, you have to separate the devices for each function. This means separate electronics and speakers for 2-channel and home theater usage. However, if you want to use the same front speakers for both use cases (because you don't have enough space or for aesthetic reasons), then try to separate the electronic devices as follow: Use a high quality network streamer/DAC (such as DirectStream) and connect it via XLR to a high quality AV preamp (for example: Marantz 8805 or Emotiva RMC-1/XMC-2). Then use proper power amps for each channel. The Marantz or Emotiva preamps do support a Stereo Reference mode, where 2-channel XLR signals will not be modified or processed in any way. Analog input signals remain analog. This should result in an acceptable stereo quality and also give you all the advantages of a home theater. For the speakers, it is clear that all the speakers should work fine together. This might not be a cheap solution at all...

[gerhardwestphalen]

How do you differentiate 2-channel from a home theater? If you take your 2-channel and add more speakers, it doesn't degrade from the 2-channel experience. If you then add a screen like one of those that can roll up and be moved away, is it now not a home theater as well? With the exact same 2-channel sound?

[miltoncrosbie]

Doing a combo room can be done with very good results. As you said, starting with a pair of really good main speakers...properly setup for stereo. For playback of both LPs, digital the screen does not need to be on. As long as the JRiver MC24 is open on the Mac, I can access it with the screen off, using the MC24 app on my iPad.
And to further remove the screen from the presence of the stereo playback, I cover it with a large thick open weave padding.

[sibbsnibbs]

Hi Paul ... I very much get your views on having a dedicated 2 Channel Audio set-up vs trying to mix and match this with a Home Theatre set-up ... In my case, like many others I don't have room for both so have used the resources that I have to come up with a solution that works for me ... My A/V Receiver has a "Source Direct" mode that negates all of the room correction processing in the amplifier and it just plays as a straight 2 channel amplifier ... The dual subwoofers that I have in my set-up, that are normally driven by the "LFE" output are in the case of pure stereo listening, using the "Source Direct" mode, driven by a separate feed from the Left & Right pre-amp outputs of my Receiver as they both have dual RCA inputs ... My speakers are high quality Monitor Audio floor stander's which are fine for both 2-channel as well as Home Theatre use and, with the aid of some mood lighting courtesy of my Phillips Hue System and a nice glass of wine I find that this set-up is the best of both worlds for me ... Thank you for all of your informative and interesting videos ... Best Wishes ... Siobhan .

[Crokto]

I think part of this question is...could you have a 2 channel set of loudspeakers and subwoofers set up for audio listening, and then set up some satellites and a center channel and a TV or projector. Hook everying up to a dolby certified receiver, but have the ability to switch inputs from your towers and subs to a proper audiophile source system (which would mean turning the screen off of course). would this be a viable and practical strategy?

[wiredsound]

My system is a multi channel home theater with a heavy emphasis on stereo reproduction. Monoblocks and very good speakers placed properly with sound panels. Multi channel processor for ht, stereo tube pre for stereo

[toddwright]

I think given to whom this question is asked, we could all predict the answer given. Paul is a two channel guy; the products his company makes are geared specifically toward music. If he was passionate about home theater to any significant degree, his company would reflect that because he would likely look at what was out there and say "I can do THAT better" and use the resources and brain power of his company to "do THAT better". I'm in the 2 channel camp as well if you make me choose just one, but it is possible to build a two channel system that allows for later expansion by adding more speakers and amplifiers and replacing the preamp with a good pre/pro down the road.
Start with a good stereo amp or mono blocks from a company that has some longevity that will hopefully be around in the future, and a good pair of speakers that has a matching center channel and matching surround speakers, and at least one sub (preferably two) that compliments your speaker choice well. This will serve you well as is, and if you DO ever want to add the surround aspect at some point down the road, add the amplification channels and the matching center/surround speakers, and buy a proper pre/pro with a direct bypass for your two channel listening.

[fatboy]

Listening in 2 channel Stereo right now.

[gatorcellman]

The best way to achieve this is to use and integrated two channel amp with a bypass input combined with a decent home theater receiver with a left/right preamp output and of course center, mid, rear channel speakers and subwoofer(s). Essentially this turns your two channel into an amplifier that powers your fronts when the HT is engaged for movies. When you want to listen to music, turn off the bypass and use it as initally configured with left/right speakers. There are quite a few integrated amps that have this feature. Mine happens to be the Perreaux 150i.

[EcchiBANZAII-desu]

Having home theater 5.1/7.1 doesn't mean it sounds worse.

It just means you have more positions audio can come from, the more the better.

If you had a money limit and buy 2 speakers for $2000 vs 7 for $2000, sure then the 2 speakers will be of a more expensive class.

But that's IF it's money limited.

I bought good fronts, then bought additional speakers to fill out so I could use good stereo experience and good movie experience.

I wouldn't listen to stereo music that is encoded out into all my speakers, nor would I want to listen to a 7.1 DolbyDigital TrueHD or DTS-HD movie with only two speakers.

[genkifd]

currently in my lounge audio setup is how you have described - home theatre setup but focused on 2 channel audio.

[richbike]

That's handy...I was going to ask that very question!