OK, I have a few minutes, I will throw something out there for you guys' comments and suggestions.
I LOVE my sound for music, concerts, etc. I am talking 5.1 to 7.1 here, not a thought about POS.
I cannot say it is the best in the world, I am sure you guys with Triton Ones are better off, Rick with T 1s in front and T 2 in the rear and Effiel with T 2+ in the rear, others I cannot remember, I am sure have a superior sound. BUT I am HAPPY as a pig in pucky with my system!!!!
FOR MUSIC/CONCERTS!!!!
And MOST times for movies too!!!
I could always use more bass, but will not go there now. My mids are just super wonderful, my highs are sweet, clear, articulate, musical (not etched at all) and airy.
And I have always said, if it is right for music, it should be right for movies.
BUT I have noticed for a long time that explosions, glass breaking/buildings falling apart in "San Andreas", train wreck in the film "Super 8", etc. these sounds are harsh, etched and not sweet sounding. I do not believe that these are natural sounds, most likely added in the foley studio later. Not good sounds.
Does anybody know what I mean? Has anybody else noticed this?
I can control this with DIRAC or my EQ in my XMC-1, but that rolls-off the highs taking away sound that is actually there IMHO. It may be more pleasant to listen to, but is it accurate? I don't think so.
Let me know if you want me to give specific examples from blu-ray movies we all have?
Any suggestions or comments? Am I alone here?
God Bless, Wayne

WayneWilmeth wrote: BUT I have noticed for a long time that explosions, glass breaking/buildings falling apart in "San Andreas", train wreck in the film "Super 8", etc. these sounds are harsh, etched and not sweet sounding. I do not believe that these are natural sounds, most likely added in the foley studio later. Not good sounds.
Does anybody know what I mean? Has anybody else noticed this?
Let me know if you want me to give specific examples from blu-ray movies we all have?
Any suggestions or comments? Am I alone here?
God Bless, Wayne

Hey, good buddy

Of the two movies you mentioned, the only one I have heard on my HT system is San Andreas, and the buildings falling/ground shaking stuff just sounded deep, clean, chest thumping and REAL to me. Maybe I missed something? Do you have the Fury Blu-ray, which has LOTS of tank cannons firing, shells pinging off tank armor, bombs exploding, buildings falling, tank shells whizzing by, propeller planes roaring right overhead, etc.? Again, all I remember is the realism of the SQ. If you have that Blu-ray, how did IT sound to you? Or how about Mission Impossible? Can you give a few more examples?

Thanks!

Rick

Wayne,

I agree with you on all points. If it sounds great on music, it should sound great for movies and the variety in sound quality for movies is quite diverse. I suppose having a great audio mix and sound effects is a difficult job and you can certainly tell when it's done well or bad. It's probably less noticeable for the vast number of people that either listen through their television speakers or a cheap sound bar.

My current shift in focus has gone from tuning my 2-channel components to my surround sound. The next upgrade will be another power cord followed by interconnects. I'm hoping I will hear the same improvement in my surround setup that I heard in my stereo setup. The addition of power cables and interconnects improved things a great deal.

I'm very picky about dialogue and center channel performance and I'm still not quite where I want to be on the SCXL. I think I scrutinize dialogue more than any other component of sound for home theater. I can forgive some harsh sound effects and a few poor sounding passages here and there, but dialogue is critical. I have found that broadcast television is far less reliable than movies.

Cheers,

T Cobe

Good observations, T Cobe

A good HT system will play EVERYTHING just as recorded, the good, the bad and the ugly. I can get turned off by poor SQ on some music, especially compressed stuff. Wayne, is it possible that because you listen to mostly SACD or Blu-ray high quality music on your system, that the flaws in movie sound tracks would be more noticeable to you on that same system than with the well recorded music you choose?

Happy listening!

Rick

Rick:

I'm wondering, just wondering, what would happen if Wayne put an Anti-Cable Reference 3 powercord on his Oppo and one on the Emotiva Xmc -1...just wondering.

Well Boys and girls,
My question comes from the days setting up my home theater with new equipment, the XMC-1 in particular. I used the Movie Super 8 with a train wreck scene that sounded pretty dreadful to try and set up Auydyssey before, then DIRAC with the Emotiva. I just always found it sounded pretty terrible unless rolled off. But rolling it off messed up music.
I guess I have assumed that glass breaking and such NOISE in movies still sounded terrible. Honestly, I get involved, engrossed in a movie and I cannot say I really listen critically at all. Before I recommend a movie to you guys, I have to go back and check it out again and LISTEN better. So I got out FURY and WOW, it sounded great (those tank shells!!!!)!!!! I got out MI Rogue Nation again and WOW, it sounded great (the scene where there is opera in the background is amazing sounding!!!). Mad Max, yes. I admit I did not find much glass breaking in those movies. So I put San Andreas on again and intentionally avoided scenes with
Miss Daddario in them soes I could concentrate. And there is glass breaking, things falling all over the place and Doggone it, it sounds REALLY realistic. So far as I know, I am not used to hearing much of that kind of noise.
So I guess the fault is just in my choice of calibration material. Does anybody else have "Super 8"? Can you listen to the train wreck scene?
Yes, T Cobe, I will always use music to be the ultimate in calibration for my home theater.
As to your dialogue and the SC XL, man I wonder what you (and Anthem too) are having trouble with???? I only have the SC X and it is perfect, just right on!!! I know you have a BIG screen T Cobe, how far are you sitting from the center channel?
I am only sitting 8 feet away. I only have a 64 inch TV, and it is 9 feet away, the SC X is a little closer in the front. Any further away is too far from the screen. But dialogue is crystal clear.
Tooobes, T Cobe. My front 3 channels all have tubes. And I suspect any roughness watching movies is from the Triton 3s in surround, perhaps the T 7s too, both sets do not have the advantage of the greatest amps, no tubes and not the best speaker cables either as they are longer runs.
Anthem, as you know I am NOT a believer, but you send them over here and I will try those power cables. (IF my system did not sound GREAT, I would consider anything to fix it. IF I did not have a power conditioner and IF I was only using cheap little manf. supplied power cords, then I would go to the considerable trouble to try the Anticables.) But neither is the case. Thanks.
God Bless, Wayne