Thinking about giving up on Home Theater

[brubacca]

Same here.

At the age of 23 I scraped together a $3,500 HT Pre-amp and amp. Added another $2,000 worth of 5.1 speakers.

I wish desperately that I had spent the same on a really good 2channel as it would still be relevant today. Not so much for the old HT gear.

Currently I am using 3.1 for my TV. I use a receiver that a very generous Lounger donated to my cause and am quite happy.

[sheetmetalworker]

same here im currently 2.0

[DYohn]

Our living room television/HT is set up in a 5.2.3 arrangement - standard 5-channel surround plus 2 in ceiling height speakers and two separate subwoofer systems, a stereo set that is "on" any time the system is in use plus a large mono in-ceiling IB that I only turn on for movies. We use this for everything from the nightly news to watching BRD. I set up a spare bedroom as a small dedicated 2-channel space for when we feel like kicking back with a wee dram for a dedicated music session, plus in my office I have my headphone rig and a set of speakers on the wall for 2-channel. Oh and I also have a 5.1 setup with a projector outside on the patio although I haven't turned that on in at least a year. Is it overkill? Probably. Am I happy? So far.

[ottaone]

2-channel and multi-channel/HT are our bundle of goods along our indifference curve and we're equally happy at any point on that curve. When I demo HT material in a good set up like in one of the local audio-video company's room (good room plus good equipment), I really like the HT there compared to my HT in my family room. So I think I can enjoy a HT setup for movies under certain conditions. YMMV.

[Deleted]

I have mixed feelings on surround systems. I have enjoyed them since 1999, but a pain in the a** (where the wallet is) to continually upgrade, upgrade. Enough, I'm done with any more upgrading. I wish my first surround receiver with all the extra stuff would have been a 2 channel Mac, Krell, etc. I do love my music in stereo.
When I heard the XMC-1 at an Emo show in Dallas, I was sold. It was the clarity I liked. I concluded music would be reproduced the same. I luv what Dirac has done for better acoustics (lack there of) I'm still on the fence whether there will be a XMC in my system, when I can buy miniDSP Dirac instead- nothing negative directed at Emotiva... actually thank them for bring Dirac to my attention. Marketing gurus will always have something better tomorrow for us to want. I get very perturbed at the processing errors & lock-ups etc of the surround world.
So being a music 75% / movies 25%, I have to get real with my expenses and look at bang for the buck.

[localnet]

I think many of us are getting older and just appreciate good content and sound. The wiz bang is for the kids. I have been living with 5.1 for years, and quite honestly, I do not feel like I have missed anything. What I have done is upgrade the AVR to the latest wiz bang for the buck, now I can tell Alexa to turn the sh** on or off and am quite happy. And added two more subs... Really cool. The rest, I cannot honestly say I am missing anything. I'm 53 or there about, I forget. ;-)

[DYohn]

I'm 64 and I want my whiz bang.

[socketman]

Many years ago i started out with my vcr hooked to my 2 channel and oh man what a difference watching a movie was, my speakers imaged so well the phantom center effect was spot on. As the years went by i added and added and added and nothing has made as much improvement as that first move to my integrated amp and large home speakers. If you have the space a separate theater is nice and i know plenty of guys dont have that luxury or the perfect woman thats accepting of your hobby and equipment. In my childhood home the stereo was the center piece of the living room ,and plenty of music was played when guests were over so my home is also stereo centric and always will be. My theater could do double duty and i could also get by with just 2 large front speakers and be happy. There is no right or wrong answer for everyone ,just be happy with what you have and not concerned with what others are doing.

[Gary Cook]

Feb 18, 2018 12:03:24 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Our living room television/HT is set up in a 5.2.3 arrangement - standard 5-channel surround plus 2 in ceiling height speakers and two separate subwoofer systems, a stereo set that is "on" any time the system is in use plus a large mono in-ceiling IB that I only turn on for movies. We use this for everything from the nightly news to watching BRD.

Pretty much the same, 5.1 with .2 on way. I upgraded the TV to 4K a few months ago and realised that I had never even listened to the speakers in the old TV (10 years maybe), not even once. It's now in the family room and the speakers are getting used for the first time.

HT bypass in the XSP-1 facilitates easy switching between 2.1 music and HT.

Cheers
Gary

[Soup]

I feel NO need to go beyond 5.1 at this time..............
I love both 2 channel & surround sound!