What mode do you use when you listen to stereo music?

 

Silver Member
Username: Sinkdrain

Post Number: 102
Registered: Aug-04
I have been experimenting with the various modes on my new receiver. When people say they like plain stereo for music do they mean 2 speaker stereo or 5 speaker stereo?
 

Gold Member
Username: Elitefan1

Post Number: 1058
Registered: Dec-03
2 channel in direct mode is what I listen to all music and non surround sources in. On my Elite 45 and my old Denon 2802 direct mode is far superior to stereo and should be on any receiver.
 

Silver Member
Username: Landroval

Post Number: 982
Registered: Feb-04
Stereo on NAD T743. No way I'm going to use EARS or PLII for music.
 

Bronze Member
Username: Topher

Post Number: 19
Registered: Dec-03
On my HK325, 7 channel stereo in the rec room & stereo in zone 2. I'm mainly heavy metal, if that matters.
 

J. Vigne
Unregistered guest


https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/56709.html



 

J. Vigne
Unregistered guest


https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/56709.html



 

ABC
Unregistered guest
Always 2 channel,sometimes with sub. sometimes without
 

Silver Member
Username: Sinkdrain

Post Number: 103
Registered: Aug-04
I tried to digest that thread J.Vigne. I understand that the posters were saying that stereo is better for stereo music. My receiver has "5 channel stereo." Will that be just as good as 2 channel stereo or were they saying that the sound is optimal when you only have two speakers sounding.
 

Silver Member
Username: Sem

New York USA

Post Number: 399
Registered: Mar-04
What exactly is "5 channel stereo"? I have a NAD receiver also and I'm with Landroval on the EARS, PLII, etc. I've tried them and came away very unimpressed. If this is what you're talking about, I'll stick with 2 channel stereo, (of course I do like the "real" 5.1 on SACD and DVD-A's - sorry Jan). :-)

 

Silver Member
Username: Kano

Post Number: 241
Registered: Oct-04
Use those direct inputs to get 2 channel stereo direct from your DVD player's DACs. Otherwise you're using your receivers DSPs to convert the signal to analog and while this can sound quite pleasing, the best mix will come straight from the source.

Which begs the question, should you let the DVD player's DACs handle the conversion or should are you better off sending the signal in digital to the receiver to let it convert it. This really should depend on what equipment you're using. I'm debating spending $1000 (CAN) on a Denon DVD 2910. The Burr Brown DACs will outperform the ones in my HK AVR430, and I will use direct mode whenever available. Currently I run a Panasonic F65 which only has an optical or 2 ch analog connection. I prefer HK's Logic 7 mode for analog over anything else including 2 channel modes.
 

Silver Member
Username: Sinkdrain

Post Number: 104
Registered: Aug-04
"what exactly is 5 channel stereo?"

My H/K receiver has "5CH stereo. It puts the same signal through the front left and rear left speaker and the same signal through the front right and rear right speaker. The center is a combination of both.

Lately I have been using this mode for music but a turn the center down.
 

Gold Member
Username: Project6

Post Number: 2330
Registered: Dec-03
sinkdraiN,
You seem to have experimented a lot with the various listening modes. And you already seem to have a preferred listening mode. I seem to prefer the 5 channel myself.
Then there's the DVD-A and SACD. I certainly like the surround mode.
 

Silver Member
Username: Sem

New York USA

Post Number: 400
Registered: Mar-04
Kano said:

quote:

Use those direct inputs to get 2 channel stereo direct from your DVD player's DACs. Otherwise you're using your receivers DSPs to convert the signal to analog and while this can sound quite pleasing, the best mix will come straight from the source.


And sinkdraiN said:

quote:

My H/K receiver has "5CH stereo. It puts the same signal through the front left and rear left speaker and the same signal through the front right and rear right speaker. The center is a combination of both.


I understand what you're both saying, though what you're saying is two different things.
For my setup I do let the Pioneer DVD player decode everything. In fact on my DVD player's menu I have the "digital out" turned off all the time. When it was turned on I would get a somewhat loud, distracting noise coming from the tweeters on my main speakers. This is why I choose to have my DVD player do all the decoding.

As far as 5-channel stereo goes, I don't think I have that option on my NAD receiver. But I can't help but think that would be somewhat distracting to hear this pseudo-surround, much the same way EARS is distracting (to me) on my NAD.
To each his own I guess.


 

edster922
Unregistered guest
I only have 3 fronts and 1 sub, and switch between "Stereo" (L/R/sub) and "Neo6 Music" (L/C/R/sub). Sometimes do DPLII Music too.

My receiver does have a "Direct" mode but I like to have the sub fill out the low end since my mains are small and more efficiently do mids/highs only.
 

Silver Member
Username: Smitty

Canada

Post Number: 157
Registered: Dec-03
Sem,

quote:

As far as 5-channel stereo goes, I don't think I have that option on my NAD receiver.



This is equivalent to Enhanced Stereo on the NADs.

Smitty
 

Silver Member
Username: Sem

New York USA

Post Number: 402
Registered: Mar-04
Smitty,

quote:

This is equivalent to Enhanced Stereo on the NADs.


Ok, thanks, I didn't realize that. Like I said though, I tried all the options such as that a while ago and came away somewhat unimpressed. Couple that with the noise issue I have, and you can see why I do all my listening through only the analog connections.

 

Bronze Member
Username: Riches1

Atlanta, GA US

Post Number: 81
Registered: Apr-04
Pure direct mode on the Denon 3805. This outputs signal to the fronts and sub.
 

Silver Member
Username: Smitty

Canada

Post Number: 159
Registered: Dec-03
Sem,

I'm not overly impressed with the non-stereo DSP modes either and usually listen in stereo. However, I find the Enhanced Stereo nice for background music, it just fills up the room more [my setup is in part of a 25' x 20' basement area].

I'm assuming you have the analog cables plugged into the receiver via the 5.1 ext inputs. If you're not already aware of this, you could also add cables to the L/R CD inputs if you did want to have these DSP modes and/or bass management available.

Smitty
 

ramplg
Unregistered guest
definitely 7 channel stereo on the Pioneer 1014
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