any regrets??

jayman_1975

Is there any ex-HT buffs that went solely 2 channel here that regret doing so? I am so on the fence about taking the plunge into 2 channel world. I am worried that i'll regret my decision though. I do not have room for a second set-up so that's out of the question. I enjoy my surround sound am am not sure i could completely do without it. I do love my gear right now and honestly am still floored by the stereo performance of it but i do long to reach that two channel bliss that everyone keeps talking about. I find that lately when i plan upgrades, I am only concerned with upgrading my 2 channel experience. I am currently contemplating selling my Arcam AVR300 or trading it for an integrated of equal value.

Face

It's possible to have the best of both worlds, build your HT around a 2ch rig.

tcrossma

Face wrote: »

It's possible to have the best of both worlds, build your HT around a 2ch rig.

+1 to this. The key for me was getting a good 2-channel pre with an HT-bypass.

TroyD

No.

I actually could do without TV completely. I've resurrected HT but I just, honestly, don't have the interest in it. I purchased some surround separates (again) and have come to regret doing it, really.

If I regret anything it's not being smart enough to build ONE really good rig than try and do two and half **** it.

BDT

jm1

tcrossma wrote: »

+1 to this. The key for me was getting a good 2-channel pre with an HT-bypass.

Bingo! I have both and have optimized the system for two channel listening. HT is a distanct secondary consideration I now wish wasn't in the same room. I might reconsider this opinion once the RPTV is replaced with a flat panel monitor mounted directly against the wall.

avguytx

I have both but spend 10X more time listening to music than watching movies, etc. I have a budget 7.1 system with all in-wall/in-ceiling speakers, Onkyo receiver, HD & BD players, Sunfire sub, 50" plasma, etc, but it's more for just being there for when friends come over for ballgames, boxing, other sports, etc. I'll sometimes have the TV on but the volume on the HT system down while listening to music.

reeltrouble1

I think your question tells the story, you like HT and are concerned you will miss it. As suggested the by-pass is your ticket, yes, you will make some compromises, but still very simple to make a musically satisfying rig that can do HT.

RT1

Gaara

Try it on for size. Use your current rig in only 2ch mode for 2 weeks. I did it and really was impressed, but did miss the surrounds.

dorokusai

Regrets are for amateurs.....serious mistakes with drastic consequences are for audiophiles.

jayman_1975

Thanx for all the feedback....i have thought about adding a pre with ht bypass as well. But i'm not sure that my amp is as good as i could get by adding an integrated instead of just the pre. Actually...truth be told...i know that my speaks are the weakest link right now but i'm workin on replacing them. I have a fella that's gonna buy my monitor series. This time around i wont make the mistake of having to buy all my speaks at the same time....i want LSI 15's. I'll wait for the center and surrounds to match.

steveinaz

dorokusai wrote: »

Regrets are for amateurs.....serious mistakes with drastic consequences are for audiophiles.

That sir, is a notable quote. I'd use it in my sig, but I'd feel ****.

dragon1952

Movies sound fantastic on a nice 2-channel system. Plus you don't need as much crap all over the place. I don't think you'd be too disappointed.

bluzrip

I've seen many 2-channel people that are perfectly happy adding a nice display and watching the occasional movie or concert in STEREO. I've yet to see an HT fan go to 2-channel only and be satisfied.

ben62670

I went from a complete HT to 2 channel. My L/R are huge, and before I ran an HK AVR for all the channels but L/R. I just set all the speakers to small except the mains, and adjusted the front levels to match the rest. I had a little over 1000wpc on the fronts, and around 45wpc on the HK. No problems. I did end up amping big speakers for the rears, but am seriously considering just using smaller speakers, and lower power amp for the C/SL/SR. I use an Outlaw 990 for a PrePro. This is one of the better deals in Pre's that see dual duty setups. My HK did very well for the same, and was much less. The Outlaw has a phono in stage.

venomclan

tcrossma wrote: »

+1 to this. The key for me was getting a good 2-channel pre with an HT-bypass.

Me too, this is the best option.
Venom

cfrizz

I am quite content with having 1 system for both & don't allow myself to get swayed by anyone on here that you HAVE to have 2 separate systems.

You said yourself that you like how your system handles 2 channel so why go looking for something else? Because others are raving about it on here?

Sorry but that is not enough motivation for me. Focus on upgading your speakers which is probably the most important component of the entire system.

jayman_1975

cfrizz wrote: »

I am quite content with having 1 system for both & don't allow myself to get swayed by anyone on here that you HAVE to have 2 separate systems.

You said yourself that you like how your system handles 2 channel so why go looking for something else? Because others are raving about it on here?

Sorry but that is not enough motivation for me. Focus on upgading your speakers which is probably the most important component of the entire system.

I did say i like my rig as is...but not as much as i liked the simaudio moon integrated and cd player pushing a set of $4000 B&W speaks that i heard at my dealer awhile back.

Hey Tcross.....have you put your BK amp up against a good two channel amp or integrated? Just wondering how others feel about how well their multichannel amps are doing at 2 channel.

I'm using mine bi-amped ....4 channels pushing the fronts...one pushing the center. My reciever is doing surround speakers.

cfrizz

LOL, well I would love to have an all LSI setup, but that ain't happening either!:D

So bottom line is you are one of those who just wants to get new toys cause he's curious about what's on the other side of the fence.

Very well, good luck with the gear & the money it costs & have fun.:)

jayman_1975 wrote: »

I did say i like my rig as is...but not as much as i liked the simaudio moon integrated and cd player pushing a set of $4000 B&W speaks that i heard at my dealer awhile back.

tcrossma

jayman_1975 wrote: »

Hey Tcross.....have you put your BK amp up against a good two channel amp or integrated? Just wondering how others feel about how well their multichannel amps are doing at 2 channel.

No, I jumped right into a 5-channel 200w @ 8ohm amp so that I would (hopefully) not have to add more power in the forseable future. I'm very happy with the performance of my B&K amp, but I do not know if a good 2-channel would be better or not.

treitz3

jayman_1975 wrote: »

Is there any ex-HT buffs that went solely 2 channel here that regret doing so?

Well, in my case no. I had blown probably 25K on different multi-channel rigs over the course of 20 years or so and with every purchase it improved but it was always lacking something. It seemed over time that every time I looked around the corner that there was another upgrade I had to make just to keep up with the formats or the # of channels and the amount of power and capability of the speakers. That was a big turnoff for me, so I lost the surround channels and went to a 2 channel HT rig for a number of years.

Last year, I finally made the decision to lose the video part of the setup completely and took everything that anything to do with video out of the rig [including the rack] and concentrated on a strictly 2-channel setup. After all of these months without video I thought that I would regret my decision, however the complete opposite happened. It turns out that it was one of the best decisions that I had made.

Music has come alive and goose bumps are frequent. My interest in music variety has expanded and I'm actually breaking out music that I haven't played in years because I didn't like it and enjoying it with absolute pleasure now. Music now moves me again and just plain out puts me in a good mood again, even after a hard day.

It may not be the same for you as this was just my experience, but to answer your question? No regrets whatsoever.

shack

Watching movies on a big screen in 2 channel SUCKS IMO.

jayman_1975

treitz3 wrote: »

Well, in my case no. I had blown probably 25K on different multi-channel rigs over the course of 20 years or so and with every purchase it improved but it was always lacking something. It seemed over time that every time I looked around the corner that there was another upgrade I had to make just to keep up with the formats or the # of channels and the amount of power and capability of the speakers. That was a big turnoff for me, so I lost the surround channels and went to a 2 channel HT rig for a number of years.

Last year, I finally made the decision to lose the video part of the setup completely and took everything that anything to do with video out of the rig [including the rack] and concentrated on a strictly 2-channel setup. After all of these months without video I thought that I would regret my decision, however the complete opposite happened. It turns out that it was one of the best decisions that I had made.

Music has come alive and goose bumps are frequent. My interest in music variety has expanded and I'm actually breaking out music that I haven't played in years because I didn't like it and enjoying it with absolute pleasure now. Music now moves me again and just plain out puts me in a good mood again, even after a hard day.

It may not be the same for you as this was just my experience, but to answer your question? No regrets whatsoever.

Lately i seem to be feeling alot like you described. I find that when i get some uninterupted time by myself, 90% of the time i put a cd in and shut off everything in the house that makes noise(2 air purifiers in the living room) and just get my listen on....and yeah...i get some goosebumps as well. I find that music sooths my nerves and calms me down after a day at work too.

Alot of it has to do with the fact that new gear makes me feel like a kid on christmas morning. lol. That feeling is addictive...just about as much so as a drug. Looks like i'm gonna be main-lining a pre-amp. lol.

lanion

I love both too much. Love H/T but I have more WAF concern for my living room than my wife. No TV, no ugly anything in the living room. Maybe I'll wall hang a small flatpanel, but nothing flashy.

the H/T I've thrown the size issue out the window. still like attractive things speakers and stuff, but they are supposed to draw attention in a h/t... not in the living room.

jayman_1975

lanion wrote: »

I love both too much. Love H/T but I have more WAF concern for my living room than my wife. No TV, no ugly anything in the living room. Maybe I'll wall hang a small flatpanel, but nothing flashy.

the H/T I've thrown the size issue out the window. still like attractive things speakers and stuff, but they are supposed to draw attention in a h/t... not in the living room.

That's cool...if you have two rooms. ts the moment...i have just one. Living room. And i like the way speakers and gear makes it look. One just needs to do decent wire management and it doesn't need to look gawdy.

john22614

I love both HT and music.....but I invested the big bucks in the front sound stage and got a modest stereo amp and set of monitor cubes for surround speaks. For me this works out great since most of the HT and TV sports sounds from the surrounds are discreet.
And I listen to music in stereo taking full advantage of my 9's and electronics. I don't like the clutter of too many big speakers in my living room, so with the sub tucked in the corner and the little surrounds high on the walls I'm very happy.

fatchowmein

john22614 wrote: »

...most of the HT and TV sports sounds from the surrounds are discreet.

One day, and I'm not saying that day will ever come, you may want to experiment with a pair of LSi7's or LSiFX's in the back. You may change your mind.


Enjoy!

pearsall001

Once you have a separate 2 channel amp & a preamp w/ HT bypass along with your avr...you have two completely separate systems. What a bunch of hooey from these guys that think you have to have 2 separate rooms. What a crock. And there is no way in the world that a 2 channel system can pull off HT. I have to laugh when guys say they don't even need a center channel, that their mains handle that also. Yeah right.

zingo

I bought my new Lexicon just so I could have an integrated 2 channel and HT. It has a great 2 channel setting, as well as bypass. The best of both worlds, but you will pay to get it...

reeltrouble1

I found sufficient gear to make the compromises of having one system do both reasonable, the problem I just could not overcome were the room nodes for what I wanted to do. So, I built a room for HT only. A collateral benefit I found was that having a seperate space for each rig made the time spent with each rig more enjoyable for me, I go into the Shed for one thing music, 2-channel music, amazing stuff, I could not agree more with Tom about the way Artists' music can raise the hair on the back of your neck and bring those goose bumps.

When I feel the need for a video concert or a movie or a ball game the RTT is there waiting, nothing like sharing Shrek or Terminator with family in a space designed for it.

RT1

john22614

Pearsall.....I agree completely.....HT in stereo doesn't begin to compare in my opinion to 5.1 or more....a good quality center makes all the difference in the world in localizing dialogue etc.......not to mention the enveloping affect of properly placed surrounds. So many good tv broadcasts are done in 5.1 HD now too.....24 is unreal as are many sports broadcasts. Having said that, high quality stereo for music is a thing of beauty. With today's high quality pre's and AVR's, having both in one quality system is a no brainer......even to somewhat of a novice like me.

Gaara

pearsall001 wrote: »

Once you have a separate 2 channel amp & a preamp w/ HT bypass along with your avr...you have two completely separate systems. What a bunch of hooey from these guys that think you have to have 2 separate rooms. What a crock.

First the post on how floorstanders are crap and can't image and now this, are you for real?

Just because you have a 2ch pre and amp doesn't mean you have separate systems. You are still using the same speakers which is a compromise as they have to pull double duty. The amp is a compromise as the requirements for HT and music are different, so again you are compromising. Another compromise is speaker positioning and room treatments. Having 2 separate systems you can optimize each for their purpose without all the compromises, so saying that "you have two completely separate systems" just because you have a 2ch pre + amp is just foolish.

pearsall001 wrote: »

And there is no way in the world that a 2 channel system can pull off HT. I have to laugh when guys say they don't even need a center channel, that their mains handle that also. Yeah right.

Another foolish comment. I think you do lose a lot when doing 2ch only but just because you don't have 5+ speakers doesn't mean it can't be a real HT. As for phantom center, I personally think centers are a waste of money and would never use one as again you are compromising. As long as you only have a few people watching a phantom center can easily outperform a true center in most instances.