Poll: How do you primarily listen to audio at home?

[Martin]

Multiple systems...

1. Primary stereo audio system* through stereo speakers.
2. Primary stereo audio system* through headphones.
3. Home theater system through 7.2 speakers.
4. Office system through powered monitors.
5. iPhone through Apple Airpods Max Bluetooth headphones.

* Both analog (turntable) and digital (Pi4) sources.

Martin

 

[Spkrdctr]

I have figured out that there are no soundbar users because no one has tried out a really good sound bar. Everyone probably tried them 7 to 10 years ago and thought "why bother". It is too bad there is no where to go where a good sound bar (over $1000) that has been set up properly. Also, the options of how you want to listen in 2 channel or surround is available. I would suggest if someone has a room that is acoustically crap, they try a good soundbar. But again it is hard to do. Trying to repack a soundbar system with the included subwoofer and surrounds is almost mission impossible if you want to return it. So tying one becomes impossible.

 

[prathyks]

I recently have a new setup thanks to this forum where I researched lot of information to make my purchase.

My new setup
- Wiim pro
- SMSL D6s balanced dac
- VTV Hypex NC252MP amp balanced
- REL T/7i
- KEF LS50 Meta

 

[Sal1950]

Main and only system
4x JBL HDI3600
1x JBL HDI4500
4x SVS Prime Elevation
2x SVS SB2000 Subwoofers.
See link in signature for the rest.

 

[Descartes]

I have figured out that there are no soundbar users because no one has tried out a really good sound bar. Everyone probably tried them 7 to 10 years ago and thought "why bother". It is too bad there is no where to go where a good sound bar (over $1000) that has been set up properly. Also, the options of how you want to listen in 2 channel or surround is available. I would suggest if someone has a room that is acoustically crap, they try a good soundbar. But again it is hard to do. Trying to repack a soundbar system with the included subwoofer and surrounds is almost mission impossible if you want to return it. So tying one becomes impossible.

Nakamichi Dragon is supposed to be outstanding!

 

[Narnian]

99% Arcam SA20 amp using an Arcam ST60 streamer and an Arcam CDS50 SACD player. Revel Performa3 M105 speakers with dual SVS SB1000Pro subs.

Never found headphones comfortable. Also have a Denon X3800H AVR with Revel surround Concerta2 M8 speakers and the same subs in an 5.2.4 setup for the other 1% of listening.

 

[TheBatsEar]

I have figured out that there are no soundbar users because no one has tried out a really good sound bar.

A bold statement.

The way i see it soundbars can't be put up in a stereo triangle and that is that. They can't do proper stereo with speakers that are less than a meter apart.
They make a sound field, but it's not stereo or surround or anything the creative process intended.

Do you have a specific soundbar in mind one should test?

 

[BostonJack]

Well... It depends...

If I am listening to stereo music, I tend to listen on a 2.0 system in my home office, although I sometimes listen in 2.2 in the media room and sometimes 2.0 in the media room.

If I am watching video content, I mostly listen on a 7.2.2 system in the media room.

Of course, then there is the living room, which has video and 2.0.

How should I answer?


Office:
View attachment 339699





Media Room
View attachment 339700

OMG, I love your diagram so, so much. Is this done by hand or by some clever app that simulates being done by hand? I don't want to have your baby, but I am willing to worship you on alternate Thursdays.

 

[Steve Dallas]

OMG, I love your diagram so, so much. Is this done by hand or by some clever app that simulates being done by hand? I don't want to have your baby, but I am willing to worship you on alternate Thursdays.

Excalidraw — Collaborative whiteboarding made easy

Excalidraw is a virtual collaborative whiteboard tool that lets you easily sketch diagrams that have a hand-drawn feel to them.

excalidraw.com

 

[Esprit]

I have figured out that there are no soundbar users because no one has tried out a really good sound bar.

Do you think this is a good soundbar?
I bought it, used it for a month, returned it.

Samsung HW-Q990C Review

The Samsung HW-Q990C is the manufacturer's flagship soundbar released in 2023. It replaces last year's Samsung HW-Q990B and comes with many of the same features ...

www.rtings.com

 

[Esprit]

Nakamichi Dragon is supposed to be outstanding!

3.900$

 

[Chagall]

3.900$

Yep and apparently no room control.

 

[Burning Sounds]

Two stereo systems in the music room and a stereo system for the TV/movies/music videos in the living room which turns on and off with a single switch. And an Ikea Symfonisk in the kitchen.

I tried a 5.1 system together with a Playstation in a separate room for a while, but it was rarely used. The rest of the family want something simple.

 

[AdamG]

Almost 1400 votes. Incredible turnout for the ASR community.

 

[Spkrdctr]

A bold statement.

The way i see it soundbars can't be put up in a stereo triangle and that is that. They can't do proper stereo with speakers that are less than a meter apart.
They make a sound field, but it's not stereo or surround or anything the creative process intended.

Do you have a specific soundbar in mind one should test?

Well, you can't try to recreate a stereo system. You can try, but a dedicated stereo system will (maybe) sound better. But for TV use and a lot of music, they can work very well. It is what are you trying to do? You get easy set up, easy use, easy to fiddle with the surround parameters etc. As I said, in a crappy acoustical room, it can sound much better than a stereo set up.
There a a few areas where people can screw it all up. #1 is having the surrounds and/or Sub to hot. They will then call attention to themselves with stereo music. Also, as everyone has talked about on this site for a few years, streaming movies means many times that you have to adjust the sound (increase surround, increase sub or lower them) to make the movie sound right. Generally many movies are at different volumes. For stereo music it drops the surrounds either to zero volume or near zero but retains the subwoofer. Finally at the end of the day, it can make a bad room sound pretty good. Now I'm NOT saying that anyone's $5000-$10,000 stereo or surround set up is going to be blown away by a sound bar. But for many , many use cases they can fill the need quite well. The best bar system I have heard is my Vizio Elevate system. The reason I bought that one over other brands is the reviews said the sub was too powerful. Of course that was music to my ears. All you have to do is turn it down a bit and it sounds fantastic. I'm sure there are a few other high dollar soundbar systems (sub and surrounds) that sound as good as the Vizio. But again, there is no where to listen to them properly set up and then if it doesn't work for you, trying to return it is near impossible as they package them so that in unwrapping the items the box gets destroyed. So now you are returning everything without the box and I don't even know if anyone would take a return like that. I just wanted to say about all this is that many people will pass off sound bars as all junk. They have really come a long way over the last decade with DSP. I hope this post fleshes out what I was trying to say better than a short quick post.

 

[Spkrdctr]

Do you think this is a good soundbar?
I bought it, used it for a month, returned it.

Samsung HW-Q990C Review

The Samsung HW-Q990C is the manufacturer's flagship soundbar released in 2023. It replaces last year's Samsung HW-Q990B and comes with many of the same features ...

www.rtings.com

Can you say why you returned it? Was it hard to get dialed in? Too much sub, too little sub? Too much or too little surrounds? Glitchy controls? What were you comparing it too? Did you want surround sound or just really stereo in an easy to use package? I'd like to know as you had use of it for a month. Also, if needed we can take this to direct messages as this is off track for this thread. The old rabbit hole.......

 

[Esprit]

Can you say why you returned it? Was it hard to get dialed in? Too much sub, too little sub? Too much or too little surrounds? Glitchy controls? What were you comparing it too? Did you want surround sound or just really stereo in an easy to use package? I'd like to know as you had use of it for a month. Also, if needed we can take this to direct messages as this is off track for this thread. The old rabbit hole.......

My Adam Audio monitors, even if only in stereo, are something else entirely.
I expected to have fun with the Atmos, but my ceilings are over 10 feet high, plus my screen is 120", so the soundbar remains small.
I would add that for these soundbars to work the walls must be free to exploit the reflection but I have curtains, even velvet ones, to improve the acoustics of my room.

 

[Rick Sykora]

Almost 1400 votes. Incredible turnout for the ASR community.

Yes, quite impressive.

Thinking will close it later tomorrow.

 

[fpitas]

So, a few days (and 10 pages of banter) in to this interesting poll, I am thinking the current results are either quite surprising or that they are indicative of a fair amount of bias in the population that's responding. I suspect that the latter interpretation is fairly likely, but I am wondering why a poll like this would attract stereophiles ( sorry... sorry!) and not, umm... multichannelites? Home theatricaists? Whatever?!

Thoughts?

View attachment 340080

Another way to interpret it is, there aren't nearly as many multichannelites as we might think. They're just more vociferous than the stereo sorts

 

[mhardy6647]

Another way to interpret it is, there aren't nearly as many multichannelites as we might think. They're just more vociferous than the stereo sorts

Yup. Good point. We don't have enough data to query that in a statistically meaningful way. Further study, of course, is required.
Jeepers, maybe we should write a grant proposal or something...