Home Theatre - Not here thanks.

J.N.

A few of my threads about home theatre/home cinema/audio-visual have lasted a bit longer than 3 posts.

And quite a few threads about hifi topics have had ZERO response.

Now, I enjoy my two-channel hifi. But I also enjoy watching the TV/dvds/videos and home-made movies and photos. And I am pleased that we seem to be getting better, and less costly products for HT in the market place.

The two genres are not mutually exclusive. They can exist side-by-side.

I happen to think that a separate section in the Forum for AV would be a good idea. Then pure hifi anoraks wouldn't be confused by the wider aspects of home theatre......and could continue to ignore this passing phase with distain...

Cheers

Don

Well you are bound to get a positive response from me Don, as the original DVD-A / SACD fanatic with H. T. as a secondary interest.

I occasionally put forth a post in support of the high res stereo available in these formats which really is very very good (would give an LP12 a run for it's money) but even that falls on deaf ears.

I do agree they can co-exist with pure stereo and hope at least one of these formats survive (preferably SACD)

I still listen to my CDX2 90% of the time though

regards
GEOFF

Don't get me wrong - HT is OK; but it doesn't engender the passion and the tweakery of wringing the last ounce out of two channel stereo.

I think that's because two channel sound is inspiring and emotive in a way that visuals never can be. It stimulates the brain in a different way.

I have a £90 amp on my widescreen TV and a pair of £200 floorstanding speakers, with no desire for anything better.

Now my Hi-Fi; that's another matter entirely.

And I reckon that holds true for a high percentage of contributors here.

You're right Don; there should be a separate section on the forum for AV. Does the fact that there isn't, prove my point?

[This message was edited by J.N. on Sun 28 March 2004 at 23:34.]

J.N.

A request to Naim for a seperate AV or HT section on the forum has been made quite a few times over the last year or so. I hope Naim will consider it soon.

Yours in Music

Syd

J N I mirror your thoughts to a tee, HT is just that ok, in my opinion it is tv with speakers and that is fine, it takes that medium to another level..like color did for basic tv( I am old enough to remember black and white). Music reproduction in the home is NOT home theatre. To me the ideal set up is a room devoted to your music system and a family room for HT, realizing this would be a luxury, but I would never mix my audio system with ht, I would get a seperate set up...you know some 26"-40" screen...a center channel, and some modest speakers with a modest amp...that would do it for me. The stores over here do alot of "custom installation" all these people do is spend lots of money on backround music with keypads and a big screen tv, quite frankly 10-15 yrs from now these houses with 8prs of now old in wall speakers might be harder to sell, because I am sure wireless backround music systems will be avaialable for the masses,truly to each his own, but music has been around since the beginning of time, and will be around till the end of time......PS to demise 2 channel audio is like saying people wont go to concerts or the opera because there is no video with it....double PS as far as the other formats sacd etc....simple rule of economics no standard NO future...it doesn't matter if it is better (remember beta) there has to be a standard,sacd I think is dead in the water, the average person could care less....so for now I see cd and lps as THE music medium and I plan on building my MUSIC system around them

The post I started was an effort to help a guy I work with. Ironically I was able to get some terrific advice from my dealer about the subject, in addition to suggestions made here.

I would note that in reading the comments about home theater here it seems almost remeniscent of the comments other people make about our stereo's when they have an idea how much they cost.

To each his own.


tw

true it is all relative no doubt, most people would be shocked at the price of our stereos. Again Ithink the concensus here is that we are not against HT, its just that I hope it doesn't replace 2 channel audio, for that is the standard to listen to music in the home. And I for one want to listen to music in my home....and I dont need video to do that, the same way I dont need video to appreciate live music....Ben r

Two-channel audio is, to a certain extent , already dead. ( except for iPods listening ), imho.

Be prepare to see an increase in the AV post count when the DVD5 will be released. It has so many options, and people are so mis-informed about the AV stuff, there will be a lot of questions.
I think very few dealers can afford not to be in the AV business. Home Theater helps you keep your stereo dealer. Stereo is not dead, but it is H-T who keeps it alive.
It is the same thing as for turntables, if we can still offer them, it's because we sell CD players.

Emmanuel
Euphonie

All opinions are my own, and reflect those of the organisation i work for, even if not stipulated.

Emmanuel said;

quote:

---

Be prepare to see an increase in the AV post count when the DVD5 will be released. It has so many options, and people are so mis-informed about the AV stuff, there will be a lot of questions.
I think very few dealers can afford not to be in the AV business. Home Theater helps you keep your stereo dealer. Stereo is not dead, but it is H-T who keeps it alive.
It is the same thing as for turntables, if we can still offer them, it's because we sell CD players.

---

I agree completely. All companies with a business model have to move with technology, customer demand, and er, the times in general.

My Naim dealer a few years back, left his small, homely 2 channel showroom, and merged his business with another HiFi dealer, residing now in a large warehouse complex, featuring HT and home installation of AV as the bread and butter of their business. They still carry Naim, Arcam, and have also added Rotel, NAD, and some lifestyle systems such as Nakamichi.

However one gets the impression that due to commercial neccesity, the 2 channel arena takes a definite back seat to HT.

No doubt with the arrival of the DVD5, some otherwise 2 channel afficiandos might start taking the medium seriously, but HT is here to stay, no doubt about that IMHO.

This weekend I visited two different HiFi dealers, both stocking a large range up to the high end, and in their various mezzanine floor areas, and side rooms set up, it was all HT from cheapish to very expensive. In a room out the back was all the 2 channel stuff, very expensive, but no one was listening, or even looking!

Personally, I like being entertained, and both music and movies can do that for me, however, I think it's a mistake to compare the two, or try to dismiss one as being 'inferior' to the other; they are very different, and engage the senses in different way.

I most definitely think we need an HT area here to discuss the setup and tweaking of HT equipment - there are as many or more 'tweakers' of HT out there these days as there were 2 channel enthusiasts in the past, and not a market that can be ignored.

Cheers

John...

Populist thinking exalts the simplistic and the ordinary

Dear All,

I think everyone knows me as an AV nut or mybe just a nutter. I was at my dealers the other day. We were chatting and he said three years ago his sales were 70-30 in favor of stereo he says it has swung the other way. he does more Av kit than any thing else. To add further fuel to this though. This is mainly on new customers to the hobby or people adding on to stereo systems.
What he does say is that hi-end owners of two channel systems still only buy two channel kit. I think to be honest and just my opion the next few years will show exactly were things will end up. look at most of the mags they all do an Av section or have just changed there name.

Neill

Quite recently I "upgraded" my HT from multichannel, all strange formats, Denon receiver and B&W speakers to a Niat 2 and my old and venerable LS3/5a:s. Result?

Music programs is now enjoyable, the Denon was REALY bad here, and so far I haven't missed any strange sounds coming from the rear when watching movies.

Of course, all gadget oriented young males in my vincinity are obsessed with HT. This reminds of when I was young in the 1970:s, when all gadget oriented young males where into stereo. Today they have a micro stereo and nearly never listens to music. This will probably happen to HT too, right now it's an "in" thing one should have, the bigger the better, tomorrow it will be taken for granted and only some crazy fanatics will put up serious money to have "the best". Like two channel HiFi today...

JohanR

I think two-channel and home theatre systems are both fine and enjoyable. A nice home theatre gets you more interested in seeing films and concerts and you spend more time with it, just as a good 2 channel system does for listening to music. The conflict arrives when you try to mix the two, this to me compromises both systems. Best to have two separate distinct systems.

I'm not a big CD collector, so when I bought my HT setup I ran a long interconnect from my DVD player to my 2 channel system to play the occassional cd. This is about as close as I would want to get to mixing the two. It also allows you to stretch your budget a bit on your choice of DVD player which makes sense from a source first approach to building the HT system.

John