Originally posted by JKalman
Nah, according to scientific validation, it isn't all that important if you are the only person watching (assuming you aren't a schmuck who likes to watch movies off center just to argue the point).
All this section and its quote did was prove me right, i.e. - you can use two speakers instead of three in the front and Dolby is jumping on that bandwagon to produce their own proprietary methods of implementing it. A lot of processors already allow you to run virtual surround, like my SP1.7. Dolby is just trying to make more money by developing their own version and mass-selling it to manufacturers of audio equipment.
Dolby® Virtual Speaker technology is a practical new alternative to multispeaker systems. Using a new-generation technique, it provides virtual multichannel surround sound with just two stereo speakers. It transforms such activities as watching TV and movies, or listening to music, into an accurate, natural, and realistic surround sound experience, without the added expense and complexity of a traditional surround system."
The Dolby Virtual Speaker Technology system and others like it are intended to simulate the effects of real discrete speakers. As I previously stated and highlighted above, the technology is intended for a specific demographic. People that have limited choices are more apt to take some form of surround like the Dolby virtual surround than to have no surround at all.
Actually, for every speaker you add you raise the dB a little (around 2-3 dB I believe). At the level of most speakers' sensitivities, that is negligible, since most are around 85-93 dB. You would need at least 10 times the current dB level in order to achieve what would be a doubling of sound level to the human ear, meanwhile you only gain 3 dB every time you double the power. The sound gain is nominal in consideration of how high the sensitivity places the dB level to begin with. "Less demands" though, not true. You are forgetting that more power in one box means more heat, which is probably one of the most dangerous things for an amplifier. If using a multi-channel amp you will run hotter or sacrifice overall WPC. If using separate amps, you spend more money. As far as "additional detail and realism" that is subjective bologna.
Lets assume a three channel amplifier is delivering 50 wpc into three speakers. The 23dBW (17dBW +3 +3) would equate to a total of 150 watts consumed by all three speakers. If one of the three channels was disabled the other two channels would need to deliver 100 wpc each in order to deliver the same 23dBW (20dBW +3) of power equating to a total of 200 watts consumed. As you can see, in this over simplified example, that three channels driven is potentially less taxing than two.
Furthermore, I said that any practical measurements would probably be negligible. It also goes to show that we hear differently. I suppose the perfect score I received on my recent hearing test was just bolona too. By the way, a 10dB increase would deliver a doubling of perceived sound not 10 times the current dB level.
While I am amused by your sarcasm, it doesn't help your arguments. You have yet to prove anything of substance. And, for the record, I have demoed 800 series speakers with an equivalent center, at the store where I bought my speakers. It isn't much of a difference unless you sit off center, just have to turn it up a little more to achieve the same SPL. Fallacies don't win arguments either way. Even if I had never heard 800's with a well matched center (which I have), it doesn't diminish my arguments.
I'll end with a quote from a text used at Columbia University for one of their Music Signal Processing classes (Total Recording, David Moulton) and my response to it:
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Unless your head is bigger than 16 inches, I think you should be fine without a center channel if you are watching movies alone 99% of the time. This has been my point all along, and it has yet to be proven incorrect, and it is validated by esteemed sources.
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Unless your head is bigger than 16 inches, I think you should be fine without a center channel if you are watching movies alone 99% of the time. This has been my point all along, and it has yet to be proven incorrect, and it is validated by esteemed sources.
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