Re: Reviewing Multichannel Discs
From my long-distant days of selling and installing hi-fi systems, I'd guess that the average listener has no better idea of setting up a 5.x or 7.x system than he or she would a stereo rig. The majority of client homes I visited had speaker placements that in no way could present either good imaging or just plain good sound - and by and large they didn't want to change! Additional channels unfortunately add to the sonic chaos. There's also the matter of the 'sweet spot' that at least for a properly aligned stereo system occupies a short length of the centre line between the speakers, but for multi-channel systems becomes more a single point in space - 'hi-fi for one'. I have a multi-channel system and, yes, I find it addictive, and friends and family seem impressed as I cycle them through the sweet spot, but ultimately they walk away, interested (or not) in only one thing - the music!
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