Mallette Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 I expect plenty of skepticism here, but my ears remain my judge. I've really cracked practical surround stereo for acoustic sources. A few are still around who recall my going into recording largely to find out why digital didn't appear to match analog even though the science said it should. Some of those heard the results when I posted some stuff hear and hosted some A/B events at my home a decade or so ago. What I found then was that the issue was mostly transcoding and too much crap in source to final path. No great leap...just apply K.I.S.S. Having lived through the great quadrophonic debacle of the 70s, I remained philosophically of the opinion the issue wasn't that surround wasn't clearly a more realistic system, an even greater move beyond 2 channel than stereo was from mono, but something wasn't being done right. In the case of the 70s, not only was the technology only there in reel to reel, not in most homes even then, but the understanding of how to use it was in the hands of only a few. Total loss, and did for surround what the "Hindenburg" did for another good idea. Killed it. But, with HT sound, surround made a comeback. Awesome in some movies, still uniformly awful in most music situations. Yes, needn't tell me there are a few decent ones, even good ones, out there, but mostly uniformly awful. So, for the past 15 years I've been working on this in fits and starts. My current recording setup is practical and no harder to set up than a basic two mike stereo recording. The reason is that it IS a two mike recording set up...but doubled with one pair covering the rest of the area. This goes direct to ADAC and to disk. The files remain discrete and are sent to 4 speakers discretely. Turns out my basic assumption was correct. Provide the brain with the localization information it would get in the real world and it will handle the rest nicely without processing. But wait, there is more. Something I didn't mention in my paper a decade ago, but had rattled around in my brain, is a fact. Room treatment can be eliminated by this system except for the most fastidious. When you sit in a sound field that provides your brain with the acoustic image of another space, the room disappears. What I heard was a space MANY times the size of the little room in the image. Eyes closed, and I was in that space. Not really a great space, mind you. High school cafeteria much in common with a gym with a lower roof. But it was real...and to an audiophile that is satisfaction. It also passed the "Mallette's Cat" test. My cat sat in my lap, and turned immediately in the correct direction of a clattering sound from behind during the concert. Soon I'll update that paper to reflect my newer work. Now, I've got to get this tested on the main Heritage system at the RMHC building instead of this tiny room in my ancestral home. Why would I declare success with utterly mismatched amps and speakers? Because IT WORKED ANYWAY! And I look forward to hearing it on a properly balanced system of matched components. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtmudd Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted May 4, 2017 Author Share Posted May 4, 2017 I like it, @dirtmudd. "There's hornheads in Atlanta, and sound in Texarkana, we'll bring it back no matter what it takes!" Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtmudd Posted May 4, 2017 Share Posted May 4, 2017 55 minutes ago, Mallette said: I like it, @dirtmudd. "There's hornheads in Atlanta, and sound in Texarkana, we'll bring it back no matter what it takes!" Dave I'm glad you enjoyed it... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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