At a member's request, here is a new topic for those that listen to 2-channel music in different surround modes. Have fun!

I never liked listening to music with artificial processing. occasionally I'd switch to the stadium mode for a TV broadcast of a football game perhaps which seemed appropriate , but music never. I do have to admit that there has been a world of improvement . My go to these days with my Anthem AVM 60 is the Anthem music setting which does not use the center speaker, does not alter the front L&R, but adds slight ambient sounds to the rear and atmos. It has a beautiful full sound that I enjoy. Then there are the surround modes which alter the music much more but occasionally can be fun. The surprise is when I choose the ALL speakers setting. It looses everything I like about 2 channel music as far as soundstage and imaging and yet it is addictive. It is like listening to headphones which can create a holographic bubble of sound that becomes immersive in an entirely different way than stereo. It can be trippy with the right song and always seems to bring a smile to my face and makes music fun.

Hi, nevetts77

I played multi channel for years (that's what Marantz calls Anthem's all channel I guess, sending 2.0 to the fronts, center and surrounds, but not up mixed to the height channels). Also like the headphone like effect, but tended to dial back the surrounds some to give a front sound stage effect also.

Now I'm into Dolby Surround, which comes with ATmos firmware, and uses all nine channels, and love how it seems to create a concert hall sound. The effect may be closer to the music setting in your Anthem, in that it also blends in ambient sounds to the other channels and keeps the sound stage in front. I don't know what logic it uses to do this, but it varies some with the 2.0 recording. Really older CD material tends to be less well distributed, even some stuff plays on fronts or center only. The more recent recordings play best.

Do you have/play 5.0 or 5.1 music?

Happy listening!

Rick

I have a small collection of DVD AUDIO and SACD's that I can finally enjoy the way they are intended. My old Parasound C2 didn't have an HDMI input and the multi channel analog never sounded as good as it does now. The ALL CHANNELL setting in some cases has made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Sounds cut thru the room like a light sabre . I have found myself looking at places in the air, above ,behind, or right next to me where a sound , voice , or instrument is coming from simply in awe of the imaging. The I decide to change back to a stereo setting for comparisons and sometimes find it to sound flat.

Over the years, I have experimented with a number of approaches to listening to music. I have reported my impressions in various threads in this forum.

Currently, I am listening in basically a 2.0 environment, but with a twist. I have a two-channel "wall of sound" approach, achieved with a pair of Triton Ones far left and right and a pair of Triton Sevens nearer left and right and in between the Triton Ones. The total spread is about 22 feet. I am enjoying this new approach. I sit across the room midway between the four speakers and about 10 feet from the "wall of sound". The sound stage is wide, but has no "hole" in the middle. Rather than simulating being in the middle of the hall, it is more like being in the center but much close to the stage.

I am familiar with hearing live music from this position because it is similar to what I have experienced when I have sung in large choruses during the presentation of major choral or choral/orchestral works. Being a second tenor, I would frequently be standing in the center of the chorus looking directly at the conductor. In this position, sounds would come at me from the far left, the near left, center, near right and far right.

There are many ways to experience the joys of listening to music. And, this is an interesting topic.

Happy listening,

Art