HiFi+ goes digital and multichannel!

In the recent thread about HiFi mags I mentioned that my only gripe with HiFi+ was that it was too vinyl-centric....well I'll have to eat my words as the current issue not only has a very enlightened article about multichannel music (by Alvin Gold) but also reviews more digital kit than I've ever seen in a single magazine - Metronome Kallista transport, Wadia 302, and various universal players and even an AV receiver

I particularly like the article about multichannel. Whilst I myself am concentrating on stereo (having only a cheapo multichannel setup for movies) I would agree that the future of HiFi (meaning an as accurate as possible recreation of a live musical event) has to be multichannel.

He (Alvin Gold) also dispels the commonly believed myth that multichannel is in any way about being "in the middle of the band" but he also mentions that recording engineers have a lot to learn about making quality multichannel mixes.

When there's a standard digital interface for multichannel and when I have enough money to buy the extra top quality speakers and amplification that are required I will definitely be going the multichannel route

Michael.

 

Absolutely correct but until the engineers learn how to mix, there's little point in going down this route. Fairly recently I was given a demo of a high end multi-channel system; the demo disc was The Eagles - Live and was mixed so that I felt I was sitting next to Don Henley on stage - no a nice experience. The engineers are still playing with their toys and not delivering a good product.

 

Michael,

What did they say about the Wadia 802?

Robbo

 

Now I'm sure you know that Neil Suffive to say, it wasn't a very impressive review for 4K's worth of CD player, hardly set the world alight.

But then, as WM would agree, the 830, 301/2 range are really the Porsche 924 of the hifi world.

 

recording engineers have a lot to learn about making quality multichannel mixes

Nail, head, hit.

 

I didnt know, honest! dont forget I am in the market for a 1 box player atm

 

Robbo, hopefully the 302 will be better than the 301 however with just a transport & servo drive change, will it be enough to rescue it from obsucrity, the 301 would not grace Wm towers, far too laid back and almost un Wadia like for me.

 

I bother WM about this from time to time with PMs!! ... As far as Im aware (speak out WM!) its the 301 which you dont like, but the 830 is decent?

Chris

 

I don't feel multi-channel music is mixed right either. I do not like being inside the music. It should be in front.

My dad has a Yamaha DSP1000 (I think) and this seems to me the better way to go for multi-channel music. It just takes a stereo signal and then places it into any room on its list of 48. They made acoustic models of these famous real places and then the amp can recreate the place as if it is having the music played there via the surround speakers.

To me the room acoustics are the only thing a surround setup should do if you are playing music. You shouldn't have a violinist behind you! (As one of my DVD-A had :S)

They should not really have to mix it at all, just record it like they do classical music with a near coincident pair and then do the same for what is behind that pair of mic's to pick up the room reflections and so on.

Like..
-------------------
? Band ?
-------------------



mic1- /\ -mic2
mic3 - \/ -mic4


~~Room Acoustics~~

 

I've never understood multi-channel in a serious audio system at all. To me it makes no sense whatsoever to spread a audio budget thinly enough to buy 5 speakers and two amps instead of one pair of seriously good speakers and one seriously good amp. At any price point I would go for a better standard of stereo reproduction. Add to this the fact (and yes I believe it to be a fact as I have proved it to myself!) that additional speakers in the room degrade the sound from the main speakers then the idea really is a non starter.

Tony.

(no speakers in TV, TV sound through Densen / Harbeths in glorious stereo).

 

TonyL, I couldn't have put it better myself

Surround sound is fine for having fun with movie sound effects if that turns you on but when it comes to music, quality matters and at any price point stereo is and always will be best.

I simply could not imagine swapping my Castles for what, a Mission 77 surround package? That would be a huge backward step

 

I agree. Just seen England win the World Cup!!!!!!!

Glorious stereo from the mosfett-y ATCs. Nice to be able to hear what the ref was saying to the players.

 

Ooooh! That must have been painful North of the Border

 

The Scots who don't support England are:

a) A small (if vocal) minority.

b) Not worth knowing anyway.



Those who matter don't mind [where you come from]

Those who mind don't matter.

IMO

 

Yes Hifi+ going all 1's & 0's most odd have they had a change of image?, is the pink fishyiness of 'old hooky' slurping bearded fisherman types, with Lp12's a thing of the past?,but secertly hankering after a Meridian 507/588? or just merely a commerical relapse ?, answers on a postcard please. Wm

 

I also agree, but all you have to do is adjust surround level to fix it, also, DPLII or equivalent, will do surround very nicely from stereo sources, when DVDs have a PCM track, thats what I do instead of listening to the multi-channel tracks... :MILD:

Sorry, that doesn't make any sense, of course it is more expensive, but it is to each his own...

You can keep your beloved Castles and add matching center and surrounds... :baby:

Even better with 5 ATCs, right in the middle of the crowd... :argue:

 

This was just another proof that North beats South. But a very tight and watchable game. Well done England.

I used AV Centre (Gallo A'Diva) which did well too! - fewer mistakes than either Catt or Tindall.

 

Re: Re: HiFi+ goes digital and multichannel!

Agree on the Eagles front - you even get rimshots coming from the rear speakers! It's a shame because quality wise it's pretty good.

A great example of how it can/should be done is Roger Water's Live In The Flesh - ambience and crowd noise is all you get from the rears. Listen to this one if you get a chance - it puts the band in front of you where it should be. It's also very good quality in DD so I would imagine the SACD version is superb.

Also, I just don't buy this "you get more for your money sticking to stereo" - of course you do but by that token you could argue that you would get more for your money by going for a mono set up - you could spend twice as much on the amp and speaker!

It's a bit like buying a nice car for £10K and then someone saying to you "that was daft you could have got a much faster motorbike for that money" - well, yeah, but I wanted a car!

Matt.

 

I think a bigger question is whether the huge take-up on AV systems in the USA is going to be the death-knell of 2 channel audio...?

Or perhaps, its just people getting the most from their DVD video players and tellys, leaving the recording of music a 2 channel affair as its been for decades...?


Personally, fingers crossed for the latter.
I dread further format changes, and none more than a format change that means I have to get !!5!!! speakers.

 

what Tony said