You want some type of upmixing for that. I prefer Auro3D, but Dolby Surround w/center channel spread is also well liked.
They restructured, they're not gone afaik. At least, new products are still including support for Auro3D and its upmixing, which is what I really care about.
Well, sure, stereo just sounds bad, full stop, end of story. It cannot capture spatial information, it's physically impossible. Most studio mixing just stopped trying to pretend you can. That's why you need to do things that aren't in the recording to make it sound any good. Or just go to multi-channel, as Toole spends more than half of his book advocating.
So dolby surround. It just takes the L-R signal and sends it to the back.
I used to play with wires as a kid to send these signals to different speakers. It’s very interesting.
So I could just use a program on PC to derive L-R and send it to a center channel.
I will be getting my 8361s next week so I can use a 8341 as a center to test.
Now I have heard your assertions before and you have quoted O’ toole before.
So I would make the effort to audition this perhaps in Natick, MA after the weather warms up perhaps next spring.
No doubt stereo gives you that front focused image that perhaps after trying multichannel sounds boring. But that front image does have a sense of space. It may not envelope you but that’s what it does.
Alternatively I could put 2 8341s behind me and send them L-R.
That’s pretty much all we do given everything is recorded in stereo. I have a few multichannel SACDs. I would test them one day or take them to Natick.
I have heard the Sony SACD demos at Best Buy back in those days. It was cool. But not an ideal setup. But should be good enough to have 5 speakers in the ideal ITU positions.
It didn’t make me feel like spending 5x was a wise decision especially given the dearth of material and even more so for well produced material. Some of them are using multichannel like the early Beatles guys used stereo. Some might be well mixed.
Right now i’m working on perfecting stereo first and then I will work on multichannel. I have the monitors to play with so it can’t hurt.
However the way you trash stereo so hard tells me you are very emotionally invested in your readings/beliefs. The rest of us plebs must be listening to shit.
You maybe coming from a position of wanting us all to hear and enjoy what you are hearing. Many others have multichannel systems. Nobody else talks so strongly about it.
No doubt I trust your reading of O’Toole. But he speaks in theory and of what could have been. We could have had a 3 channel format back in the 50s. They tried but couldn’t sell it.
Right now practically it’s all going to be some kludge derived from stereo let’s face it. I know there is an Auro 3d cult out there along with all the other audio cults.
I would always try for myself. Where is it I can try?
I would rather wait for Atmos music to mature and get the best of what available in hardware at that time. Meanwhile earn interest on my funds. No point jumping the on hardware now to prepare for a format that isn’t fully baked yet.
Just how I handle my affairs having many experiences with buying into early adopter tech.
The receivers are still half baked with regard to even HDMI 2.1. Dirac live bass control still is not available on common hardware.
I am waiting.