Anyone else just not bothered by home theatre?

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

Don't own a TV. Broke that habit years ago.

WQHD AMOLED tablet with Dolby Atmos and Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro BT earbuds is my ticket. The quad speakers on the tablet don't sound like a typical smartphone either. Very compact and inobtrusive, portable and mobile. You can watch anywhere in the house and outside the house. You should try the quality available these days on mobile.

wow. different generation

 

[March Audio]

I've always been fussy about sound quality for music, but when it comes to watching television or movies, as long as I can see what's going on and hear the dialogue, I'm quite happy. I've never felt that a giant screen or surround sound adds much to the experience.

Friends have tried to impress me with their movie set ups, which has on occassion made me wish I'd taken some ear plugs; I don't want to deafened by gun shots and explosions, nor do I want dialogue at the volume of a drill seargent shouting in my face. At home, with some movies I prefer to watch them with small speakers that will naturally cut off above all the bass rumble.

Is it just me?

Nope, its not just you, however I disagree and love home theatre and good sound to go with it.

The sound is extremely important for immersing you in the film

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

Although I enjoy some action movies, I like a story that makes at least a bit of sense, characters with depth and quirks, unexpected but rational twists and turns, rising and falling tension, at least a bit of gritty reality, a world that isn't perfect, etc, etc. I watch a lot of foreign-language films, and enjoy seeing the environments in which other peoples live. I do not like action films based on action only with no good story and hammy acting. And that included Chinese action films which can be as bad as some of the terrible U.S. action films. However, I do occasionally watch some pretty bad films that are campy and don't take themselves seriously. I plan to watch a couple of the "Tremors" films tomorrow evening.

I have not traveled much, and enjoy settings around the globe and the occasional documentary. I remember the first episode of Nature on PBS - The Flight of the Condor, and enjoy nature, science and some outdoor sports films, especially skiing and big-wave surfing.

I am happy with my 40" Samsung LED TV and my 2-channel music system for the sound. But I am considering replacing my current smallish "bookshelf" loudspeakers with bigger ones - and adding a center channel to add clarity to dialog, because I am old and my hearing is not what it used to be. I just started thread here at ASR (LINK) about the difficulty of simply adding a proper center channel to a very good simple stereo music system. Ultimately, I think with my plan, I will be able to simply flip an input switch for the two main channels and turn on the new center channel amplifier. I do not intend to use the center channel for music listening.

Do it. Infinity R263 is a 3 way. $500 but often on sale. I am a senior. I can now hear voices without cranking. You really need a 3 way for center. The mid-range delivers dialogue. I have used many 2 way centers and they all sucked. Of course, the Revel 3 way is what I covet. It is expensive.

 

[JeffS7444]

I've used Playstation VR for watching 3D movies and as a virtual really-big-screen, it works pretty good though if you're one to fixate on it's "screen-door effect" it'll drive you nuts.

 

[Alice of Old Vincennes]

And I was really burned out on on surround until Anthem Room Correction.

 

[Doodski]

especially skiing and big-wave surfing.

I've been a mountain skier since age 3, yes 3. Surfers find me amazing and I find the equally so difficult surfing to be a funny symbiotic relationship.

I do not like action films based on action only with no good story and hammy acting. And that included Chinese action films which can be as bad as some of the terrible U.S. action films.

Same for me. The unbelievable dancing and sword fighting on bamboo is at best bothersome but I imagine we have some pretty weird myths too.

 

[Putter]

I guess the problem I have with the Thread is that it's mistitled.

Anyone else just not bothered by home theatre?

It should be Anyone else just not bothering with home theatre?

Aside from misspelling theater (just because you guys invented the language doesn't mean you can spell), I would have skipped the thread because as already noted, I've never heard a home theater buff say everybody needs their own home theater, but can't count the number of times I've seen self righteous exclamations that they would never listen to a multichannel system with more than 2 speakers usually followed by the "Why do we need more than 2 speakers when we only have 2 ears.

If you're not bothering with home theater, that's fine with me. I have many recordings in addition to movies that did benefit from multichannel, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Chrispy]

Suum cuique. Four of my five setups are multich and combined with video but I enjoy multich music as well as movies (and my collection includes a large amount of movies), but they all do quite well with just 2ch used if that's the best way to play it. My old analog 2ch only setup is my least used as it is the least useful. Enjoy what you prefer....

 

[MattHooper]

Suum cuique. Four of my five setups are multich and combined with video but I enjoy multich music as well as movies (and my collection includes a large amount of movies), but they all do quite well with just 2ch used if that's the best way to play it. My old analog 2ch only setup is my least used as it is the least useful. Enjoy what you prefer....

Sometimes I listen to music on my home theater surround system (I'm a big fan of soundtracks, and also electronic music). It's really wonderful. Different from my 2 channel set up and can be nice as a change.

 

[andreasmaaan]

I wouldn't say I prefer small screens and tinny sound for movies and TV, but whereas I can't stand listening to music over a system that doesn't get the basics right, I can comfortably tolerate just-intelligible sound when watching stuff.

When it comes to screen size, I'm generally pretty happy with my laptop when watching alone. Watching with my partner in our living room, our 32" screen can seem a bit small 3+ metres away on the other side of the room, TBH.

 

[MattHooper]

I find the idea of watching a movie, especially one I may care about, on a laptop, phone or tablet, to be just torture. Goes against every movie-buff instinct I've grown up with. The bigger the screen the better, for me.

(And just working in the industry, being aware of just how much effort goes in to the detail not only on set, but in post production, it can just feel tragic to think of these being watched on phones, or on laptops through laptop speakers etc, let alone on a crappy LCD on the back of an airplane chair, as many people experience movies).

 

[andreasmaaan]

I find the idea of watching a movie, especially one I may care about, on a laptop, phone or tablet, to be just torture. Goes against every movie-buff instinct I've grown up with. The bigger the screen the better, for me.

(And just working in the industry, being aware of just how much effort goes in to the detail not only on set, but in post production, it can just feel tragic to think of these being watched on phones, or on laptops through laptop speakers etc, let alone on a crappy LCD on the back of an airplane chair, as many people experience movies).

My partner, a photographer, feels exactly the same way as you, and has been making noises about getting a bigger screen in the living room.

FWIW, I feel exactly the same way about people who can be perfectly happy listening to music on any old crappy system.

 

[Phorize]

Yes, I can’t get interested in anything tv related to be honest. Probably not rational, but I get excited by good scripts and acting, not cgi and dubbly. 99% of what gets churned out on streaming services is complete shite anyway. Thinking about it, Hendrix played through my 1980s Panasonic midi system smokes Coldplay played through the latest state of the art 1 million bit acme thingamebob.

I've always been fussy about sound quality for music, but when it comes to watching television or movies, as long as I can see what's going on and hear the dialogue, I'm quite happy. I've never felt that a giant screen or surround sound adds much to the experience.

Friends have tried to impress me with their movie set ups, which has on occassion made me wish I'd taken some ear plugs; I don't want to deafened by gun shots and explosions, nor do I want dialogue at the volume of a drill seargent shouting in my face. At home, with some movies I prefer to watch them with small speakers that will naturally cut off above all the bass rumble.

Is it just me?

 

[Xulonn]

Do it. Infinity R263 is a 3 way. $500 but often on sale. I am a senior. I can now hear voices without cranking. You really need a 3 way for center. The mid-range delivers dialogue. I have used many 2 way centers and they all sucked. Of course, the Revel 3 way is what I covet. It is expensive.

Edit - as you will see in my more recent threads, I decided against these larger Wharfedales which I really like, but they are really a bit too big and expensive for my room and budget. Instead, a purchased the Wharfedale D300 series L/R/C, which are smaller and less expensive - and they are on their way to me this week.

I've decided to - NOT - get the Wharfedale Evo 4.2 3-way bookshelves with AMT tweeters and the matching Evo 4.c center with the L/R on 23" stands close to the TV to get the mid/tweeter line at ear level. I will also probably raise the LED TV up a bit and place the center within an inch of the bottom of the TV. (The stands in the picture below are ridiculously tall.) My last speakers before retiring to Panama in 2012 were similar large bookshelve models - Apogee Centaurus Monitors with a 6.5" low/mid and 4" ribbon tweeter, driven by a Bryston BR60 inegrated amp. That was a combo I really liked, and enjoyed listening to for more than 12 years. And those speakers sat on either side of my Philips 27" CRT TV with a Laserdisc player in the cabinet under it that was replaced by a 32" LED TV for the last few years that I lived in Northern California.

At 18" tall, the Evo 4.2s are pretty big for "bookshelf" speakers, and way overkill for my small room. But I feel a sense of ease with a larger set of speakers driven by a good, powerful amp that is loafing along. I will probably never reach the 105dB rated maximum of the Evos, so I will have plenty of headroom. Plus, the Wharfedale Evo's are said to sound good at lower volumes. If I pull it off, enjoying the Wharfedale Evos will be a nice way to approach the end of a lifetime of listening to music on a good system, and the Evo 4 L/C/R combo will for videos could add joy to my life as I vicariously experience things that I can no longer do in person. With a bit of nerve degeneration setting into or my legs and arms, my outdoor activity is now limited to car travel and short walks, but my little office/AV room (the former second bedroom of a rented casita) will be my window to the world of sight and sound. And it will be nice to hear dialog more clearly without cupping my hands behind my ears.

Good audio systems and a lifetime of wonderful musical experiences have been a big part of my life. Sharing my last audio journeys with new online friends in the hobby from around the world adds to the joy I have in living in a cool mountain rainforest paradise with wonderful friends and neighbors. ¡La vida es buena!

 

[Chrispy]

Sometimes I listen to music on my home theater surround system (I'm a big fan of soundtracks, and also electronic music). It's really wonderful. Different from my 2 channel set up and can be nice as a change.

I think each of my setups sound a bit different but naturally with different speakers and rooms....and one that seems like it would be least (my workshop with the most difference in speakers) sounds very nice indeed but it's also not similar to the other rooms at all. Go figure.

 

[Chrispy]

Yes, I can’t get interested in anything tv related to be honest. Probably not rational, but I get excited by good scripts and acting, not cgi and dubbly. 99% of what gets churned out on streaming services is complete shite anyway. Thinking about it, Hendrix played through my 1980s Panasonic midi system smokes Coldplay played through the latest state of the art 1 million bit acme thingamebob.

Well Hendrix would always smoke Coldplay, come on. Not even comparable to begin with.

I like good scripts and acting...and those films need the least help from audio. I find quite often the poorest films in terms of everything but audio can indeed have some great audio. YMMV

 

[Doodski]

by a Bryston BR60 inegrated amp.

You have a thing for Canadian amps.

Northern California.

Sigh... Been there multiple times and it was great.

 

[thewas]

Wish I had the space and money to build a good quality multichannel system both in my living and listening room, like Toole I find it sounding superior, even with high quality upmixing of stereo content. This way you can even make your room acoustics "dryer" as you don't need to rely on "random" reflections for some sense of envelopment. For movies I even prefer the immersive audio of sound beaming soundbars that use steering of their wave fronts and room reflections like the bigger Yamaha YSP models and Sennheiser AMBEO compared to the high quality stereo loudspeakers (JBL and T&A) in my living room TV setup.

 

[bluefuzz]

If you ask me, all the good movies were originally mono or stereo.

This.

90% of the movies I watch were probably recorded on a rented Nagra III in glorious mono, so my 2.1 hifi system is more than adequate for the task. Not that I don't take my 'home theatre' experience seriously – I spend more than I care to admit on blu-rays – not only due to the fact than none of the streaming services have anything actually worth watching. But my house is small and I have a lot of um ... stuff, so I simply don't have room for 5 or 7 or more speakers anywhere.

And while I have nothing philosophically against multichannel audio I've never actually heard a movie soundtrack where the surround effects added anything to the experience other than mild annoyance. The amount of worthwhile music available in multichannel is so vanishingly small that it's not worth bothering with either. I find it all a bit childish really – somewhat akin to the 3D craze that seems to reappear every decade or so and thankfully disappears just as fast.

Incedentally, I live in the well-to-do end of one of the richest countries in the world yet I have honestly never met anyone with what I would call a 'home theatre'. Sure there are plenty of 50, 60 or even 70+ inch TVs about but I am not acquainted with anyone or even heard of anyone who has even a subwoofer, let alone a multichannel 'HT' setup or dedicated room. The most advanced I've seen is a soundbar under the 65' TV. I do have a colleague who's former husband had a 5.1 setup in the cellar a decade or so ago, but he was an industry professional so that really doesn't count.

 

[Count Arthur]

Do you mind my asking: How old are you?

Over a half century old, but only just.