What sparked your intrest in 2-channel?

[treitz3]

What was it that made you pull the trigger for a good 2-channel rig? Hearing it at a friends house, spending too much for HT and having to keep upgrading to keep up with the formats, vinyl, a killer set of speakers, it's all you could afford and have never left, you simply didn't like HT effects, room constraints, WAF, your Uncle Joe's rig when you were young...........?

When did it dawn on you 2-channel freaks that this was the direction you wanted to go?

For me it was hearing my Uncle Tommy's rig way back when I was 8 or 9 years old and then after trying HT and blowing boookoo bucks to get it up and running, only to find out the sound wasn't up to par and add to the fact that every time I turned around, I had to buy something else to be compatible....that right there made me sell all my HT gear and go 2-channel and I've been hooked ever since.

For what it's worth, I'm not looking back either. ;)

[danger boy]

I never even really considered a 2 ch music only rig till i was offered up a pair of SDA SRS's. then I was hooked. Damn them. ;)

They are gone now, but I am pretty happy where the 2 ch rig has come, to reach this point now. Still SDA's, but much smaller 2B's instead now. :)

[ben62670]

You bastards did it to me! I want my money, and my life back!!!

[BottomFeeder]

Always loved music since I was a kid, but either couldn't afford my own rig or was focused on raising my kids. Now that they're getting closer to being grown and I actually have a tiny bit of listening time, the trigger's been pulled!

Lovin' it!

[F1nut]

'Cause it gets my groove on.

[cmy330go]

For me it was the late 90's when I bought my first set of what I call "real speakers". I started shopping with the intention of putting together a really good HT system. I ended up at a local shop that carried Marantz, Yamaha, B&W, Energy, etc... I decided to select a receiver and 2 fronts to start. Once I auditioned the fronts (Energy e:XL-28p) with the receiver (Marantz SR-5000) I was hooked. I did eventually end up completing the multi-channel setup, but I never lost the love for 2ch.

[engtaz]

You bastards did it to me! I want my money, and my life back!!!

Amen to that statement. Ain't that the truth.

engtaz

[Libertyc]

I was always into 2 channel. That is what stereo is...2 channel.

I guess it was my first rig back when I was 11 years old. An elerto-brand 8-track AM/FM with a pair of 2-way full range speakers. Man I loved 8-tracks.

[george daniel]

Always have been,always will be,, for me it started when I was in Viet Nam,the "heads" seemed to have some pretty sweet setups in their "hootch's" at the base. Since audio was on the cheap from Japan, I had a reel to reel,, a Sansui 5000x receiver and a pair of AR 4's or 4X's IIRc in my "hootch". Music was either traded/copied and sent to you from across the pond. So there you have it. Maybe that was why I felt so at home in the "woodshed" at Ted's,,small,full of gear,,great tunes,great folks,, what else could you ask for? :)

[Early B.]

My foray into 2-channel was via HT and buying Polk speakers (Rti28s and 38s). That's when I stumbled upon this forum.

I hate you guys.

[skipf]

It was the new thing when I got into music. They were still producing albums in mono when I started my lifelong obsession with music. Then they came out with this new fangled stereo stuff. I had a Marantz / AR rig for years when the first quadraphonic stuff hit the market. HT wasn't even thought of, so it wasn't an option.

[reeltrouble1]

'Cause it gets my groove on.

your bad, over the border bad.

[WilliamM2]

2 channel was all their was when I got into audio. I find the term "2 channel" kind of strange, we just called it "stereo".

[janmike]

It's I grew up with. You try other configurations and then back to 2CH. For me there is no other.

[Sami]

Like some other people here, I am old enough (36) to be from a time when stereo was all there was. For music I still listen in stereo only, none of this surround BS modes. A good home theatre rig can double as a stereo rig, it's just an extension of a stereo rig. I only have 2.1ch rigs because of multiple rooms to have music in, my HT rig is still the major stereo rig.

[tonyb]

Just wasn't happy with a full blown SRT system for music.Great on HT,but felt something missing in the music dept.I started wanting the best HT system and figured it had to be good for music.In retro,should be the other way around,build a system around music first.
Some of us have different needs and our systems reflect that.Sure,I would die for a 2 channel all on it's own,with some cary tube action,maybe some SP Tech speaks and so on,but my needs are a combined system.The Music that flows out of my 2 fronts was better than all 7 speakers I had before.So basically it comes down to sound quality in a 2 channel that trumps a HT rig for music.Some will disagree on that statement.

[Face]

Like some other people here, I am old enough (36) to be from a time when stereo was all there was. For music I still listen in stereo only, none of this surround BS modes. A good home theatre rig can double as a stereo rig, it's just an extension of a stereo rig.
+1. Multi-channel stereo sounds like a cacophony IMO.

[Zero]

It started with a nifty graduation gift (Polk RT2000P's).
It was written in stone after a demo of the Polk LSi-9's.

[AndyGwis]

I remember hooking up my Pioneer VSX-1015 to my Polk monitor speakers back in Dec 2005. I had received a bonus at work and after doing some research, purchased the entire HT system within a week. Put in a CD my bro had made for me and listened to Black Crows "she talks to angels." Put it on CD with fronts to Large and was floored by how good it sounded, goose bumps and everything. The euphoria eventually dissipated so I added some amps to the mix.

After getting the B&K ST-202 integrated and playing Hotel California, the sensation was back and I decided to create a music only 2-channel system with better gear.

[SolidSqual]

Lack of Cash. I could achieve better sound by focusing on 2 channel.

[Sami]

My first real system was a JVC integrated with JVC tuner and JVC *single* deck cassette player. Added a Sony CDP and Pioneer 3 way speakers, I was set, almost. Scored a higher end turntable on flee market to complete the system. My first adventure to home theater added a mono VHS player and 22" tube TV. Adding a stereo VHS player made movie watching a whole new experience... :D

Before that I had some integrated boxes that combined preamp, amp, cassette, tuner and turntable. The JVC was high end compared to those, and for a high school kid it was a really nice system.

[ShinAce]

I've always been a headphone/2 channel buff.

I am building a 7.1(my first)- for my sister and her new home, but the mains will double as a 2 channel rig because of my own music experiences.

[Gadabout]

HT has always been my focus since the early 90's. While I have always listened to music, it was always just and after thought or background.

Since I decided to upgrade the HT, late last year, I acquired a Marantz 8260 from the recommendation of a few friends. I figured I would appreciate having a better source for music. The 8260 sounds fine thru the HT system, but realized that while I was happy with my HT setup, I would never realize the potential of listening with that set-up.

I decided that I would quit trying to make the HT system do double duty and start a 2 ch rig, so I could get back to the days in the 80's when it was stereo and I just used to sit and listen for hours. That decision was made after hearing that same Marantz in a 2ch office system and reading these boards with the other audio obsessed.

Sometimes, I cringe at the dollars spent. In reality I wouldn't have it any other way as I search for synergy in the 2ch rig.

Scott

[sucks2beme]

I never left the 2 channel world. All I needed was for a bit of money to free up.
My stuff was frozen in time for 20 years. Now, it seems, the old stuff
is back in style.

[Danny Tse]

It was one of those no-name cassette players, a la Walkman.

[zingo]

I used to be all about HT. I thought it was the coolest thing having friends and family blown away by how good a well made HT sounded. That was my first good audio set-up. Then I found myself always upstairs sitting in front of the TV, just listening to music. I actually started to move my activities to the couch so I could listen to good tunes. It was then that it dawned on me that I listen music 95% of the time I engage in audio. (I like that term :D) Thinking logically, it made sense to me to tailor my system to what I most listen to. Let me say that I have never regretted the switch. To me, a good HT was nice for the once a month movie, but listening to music everyday on an awesome system has really pleased me. Plus, it's fun having a system that the modern media buff really doesn't consider. "Hey, what's that for? Surround sound? No, listening to music. Just music? Yup. Wow... Do you want to listen? Of course!" The look on someones face who hasn't heard REAL music in a while is priceless. And the s-eating grin on my face every night hasn't let me down either.

[Bass_Pedal]

I think it was my interest in hearing music as per the original vision of the artist. When I was in my teens I thought surround sound music was great. Being enveloped in my favorite CD's was fun. As I learned more about HIFI technology and the recording of music I realized that I was listening to bastardized versions of the original artists creations. I started to listen to music in stereo only, and after I got my first half decent pair of speakers there was no turning back. An argument can be made for multi channel SACD as it is engineered with the original artists input (hopefully). But when it comes to artificially matrixed stereo recordings into multi channel, I'll pass.

[Stew]

My interest in audio was sparked in college when I heard SDA SRS's and Maggies with Carver Sonic Holography in high end audio stores. Remember those? As others have said, stereo was it at the time. I never got used to surround sound. It sounds disconnected to me - for music and movies. I prefer my SDA's for both.

[dorokusai]

Polk Audio in 1985 @ Sunrise Electronics(Hagerstown, MD). The rest is various bullshit and not that interesting.

[fatchowmein]

My mother. She would always have the stereo on (Pioneer stereo, speaker, and record player from the 70's). Later on, she would always have MTV on back during the Martha/Nina days, then switched to VH1, then back to the stereo.

She hates the new stereos, "new" MTV, and fancy remotes. The woman likes dials. I'm a music and book lover because of my mother.

Hmmm... I think it's time I got her another 1970's stereo.

[candyliquor35m]

A buddy in high school had a 8-track system that we rocked out to. Then jobs and house parties came along and had to have music for the parties. Moved to houston and because I liked the polk speakers in a car I used to have, stumbled across some 2b's a few miles away and the rest is history.

[Fongolio]

Many years ago I was right into 2 channel and had a pretty good setup but financial situation forced me let it go and I never really got back into good hi-fi. More recently I caught the HT bug and and from that found multi-channel high resolution which I love very much. However the vast majority of music is still stereo and my HT rig sounded good this way but not great. Then, very recently I scored a Carver HR-772 at a pawn shop for $80.00 and paired it with an old classic turntable (Dual CS 606) I bought on epay plugged in the RTiA7's and holy friggn' sh#t!!! Analog bliss. And this is not high end stuff but it just sounded sooooo good. Like back in the old days (before mullets were called mullets). Now I'm checking yard sales and junk shops for good vinyl and scoring some great stuff for cheap. Now I understand why the true audiophiles never let vinyl die.

[shack]

Back in 1968 it was time to upgrade to stereo from mono.

[steveinaz]

Been 2-channel from day 1. I always liked music, but what got me started in "hi-fi" was a friend of mine. Around 1974 John moved into the neighborhood. His family was pretty well-to-do and he had his own stereo system in his room. It featured a Harmon/Kardon receiver, Pioneer flat-lay type cassette deck, Dual turntable, and Quadraphonic (brand) speakers. I had never seen nor heard anything like it. I was hooked after the first song...

[cubdog]

I've always had one. Never thought it was unusual.

cubdog

[MillerLiteScott]

Back in high school and through college I had a respectable little 2 channel system. I used to listen to music a lot. Then I was in a band and played music a lot more than I sat down and listened to it. Then I bought HTIB for my first house and was never happy with the way it played music. I then bought some RTi10's for the mains in my HT and again was not happy with the way music sounded especial using an AVR. I then discovered CP and vintage Polks and now I almost exclusively listen to 2 channel. I am quite happy with my combination HT/2 channel system that works well for movies ( I rarely watch movies now ) and my 2 channel works fairly well also. I need to get rid on my entertainment center and get better speaker wire and I should be set for a while.

Scott

[zingo]

I actually had a friend ask me about my set-up last night. He said, "You don't listen to music on your surround sound; Just those two speakers?" I responded, "Yes, that's the way it was recorded and meant to be heard. That's the way it sounds best" He responded, "Wow, a purist." Maybe that response still shouldn't surprise me in a time of box HTs and iPod "mini Hifi". However, he did end with, "That sounds REALLY clear; sounds good!" I guess that's the plight of the audiophile...

[bluzrip]

Back in 1968 it was time to upgrade to stereo from mono.

Bingo! :D

My first gear experience that really moved me was a pair of Klipschorns and an Eico tube amp. I'm still not certain how they got those things into the room.

[madmax]

Back in 1968 it was time to upgrade to stereo from mono.

And to think I just finished building my mono rig last year... :p
madmax

[bluzrip]

And to think I just finished building my mono rig last year

I finally disposed of my vinyl a few years ago (hear the groans!). My collection included a MONO copy of the first Doors LP. And so it goes.

[dragon1952]

Back in high school everyone had a stereo. This was back in the 60's. Some of the guy's fathers had killer systems. After high school some guys joined the Navy and came back from Japan with some flashy Sansui receivers and stuff. I've had a stereo of some sort since I was 15. I joined the Air Force in 73 and went to Germany. Audio/Video city! You wouldn't believe the on-base A/V stores. They had everything, and I mean everything. And at about half of what it was going for in the States. And when you bought your system you got one of everything too. Receiver, speakers, turntable, reel to reel, cassette player, equalizer.....sorry...no CD players yet :cool:

[dcmeigs]

Some of us are so old that 2 ch is all we know.:rolleyes: What is this HT thing you are talking about? Something to do with turntables?

[janmike]

Sometimes it's good to be old. :)

[ShinAce]

The best system I've ever heard is in a town of 20,000 peeps. 90% of my fam lives there. It's called Ville de la Baie, Québec(near Chicoutimi) and has one big show called La fabuleuse histoire d'un royaume. There's obviously mics going and at one point, a bell. I literally had to turn my head around before I realized the bell wasn't a point source.

If I wasn't already into audio reproduction, that would have sparked it.

Any audio junkies in Quebec city need to hear that show at least once.

[Yashu]

When I was younger and I listened to Earth Wind and Fire's All 'n All on my parents hifi. Not sure what it was about that record, but I loved it and played it to death. My father gave me the gear and I fixed it all up, later refoamed the speakers, and then the rest is history. I was the last person I knew to have owned a CD player out of all my friends. I was also the first person to figure out that the computer could be used for music playback and recording. (when 1gb was a huge HD size, I would record uncompressed .wav files from the radio, so I could easily shift them onto tape in whatever order I wanted) I still have the TT, the last thing to go before that was the tape deck, but only because it broke beyond what could reasonably be fixed (friction clutch mechanism).

I never got into HT. I don't know why. When Stereo Review turned into Sound and Vision, I dropped my subscription.

[thebluemonkey]

A buddy had a simple bose 301 and sony reciever setup with a nak cd player and from there i was off!

[BaggedLancer]

Buying 2 speakers instead of 5 sparked my interest.

[Mike Reeter]

Back in the day when I was growing up in the 60's-70's Rock and Roll was coming of age...I could never afford anything more than a cheap t/t,a receiver and a pair of poor speakers...But we ROCKED:D

Made a visit to the Polk Audio Forum and learned of the vintage Polk sound.

I've always loved music,and now that I can afford to indulge a little,I'm enjoying 2-channel once again.

[StevieB]

A hit of acid and Led Zeppelin's first album. :)

[nspindel]

A hit of acid and Led Zeppelin's first album. :)

Only one hit? ;)

Interesting, the subject of this thread really shows that the OP is on the young side. Nothing ever "sparked my interest" in 2-channel, it's what I've always known. I grew up on Zep, Beatles, Doors, Floyd, Stones, Who, etc. And God said "Let there be stereo." And God saw the stereo was good....

For me, it's more like "What sparked your interest in 7.1 HT?" It's great for watching a dvd, but cd's are mixed on 2-channel, and that's how they're meant to be heard (and I'm not talking about the trash that's produced today...). All the digital effects, IMO, that turn 2 channel recordings into 7.1 are really just meant to compensate for crappy amplifiers and speakers that don't sound good without a subwoofer. I love my home theater setup when I get home from Blockbuster. But when I'm ready to listen to music, I head down to the basement to my STEREO.

[Keiko]

It was my old system from the early 80's. A Sansui AU-D5 integrated 65wpc amp w/T-7 Tuner and RG-7 Reverb/EQ. A Pioneer PL100 Turntable and an Akai GX-F35 cassette. Series 1 Bose 301 speakers and my Yammie NS10M's (still in use).

[ben62670]

Only one hit? ;)



You beat me to it:D

Nobody talks to much of the bad trips:eek:
Off topic.
I was in a head shop today. My friend smoke some weird ciggaretts. Some clove Bail-Hali, or something. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the prices they get for bowls, and bongs. I quit the dumbstuff years ago. Bowls where like $10 for something decent, and bongs where like $30. Same stuff today is off the chain. These kids are paying $60 for a bowl, and bongs basically start at $130:eek:

[nspindel]

You beat me to it:D

Nobody talks to much of the bad trips:eek:
Off topic.
I was in a head shop today. My friend smoke some weird ciggaretts. Some clove Bail-Hali, or something. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the prices they get for bowls, and bongs. I quit the dumbstuff years ago. Bowls where like $10 for something decent, and bongs where like $30. Same stuff today is off the chain. These kids are paying $60 for a bowl, and bongs basically start at $130:eek:

Kids today....

Gasoline was 79 cents a gallon back then, too...

[NJPOLKER]

Back in the late 70's when my father bought my brothers and I a pair of Bose 901's, a Rotel receiver,Bi-amp equalizer and a Dual TT I must say that did it. We cranked tunes beyond belief. Thinking back on those days had me wondering if I could ever have it soooo good again. Oh well it was great being young and am feeling kinda young again cranking tunes like a kid again.
Drew

[riglehart]

Boston
Van Halen
Queen
Journey

[tonyb]

2 of anything......is all a man can handle.

[jerrymb]

2 ears 2 channels

[riker1384]

What is this place, a bunch of kids? I'm a young man and surround-sound didn't get big until well into my lifetime. I'd get a high-end surround sound system if I could.

[dragon1952]

What's 2-channel got to do with kids? I would think just the opposite. BTW, what the hell does surround sound got to do with this thread? :rolleyes:

[AudioFilet]

This is an amusing thread, at least for me. The question seems to invite the reader to reminisce about 2-channel audio as though it was no longer the dominant method of reproducing music. As far as I know, there has never really been any serious threat to the use of 2-channel for music, unless I missed something. I remember quadraphonic hanging around for a while, but it really was kind of lousy, and it never really took off. Is there something else? What am I missing here??

[dragon1952]

I respectfully disagree. I feel 2-channel definitely has been supplanted in the majority (as in over 50%) of US homes since the inception of surround sound. Many of us here got sucked in for awhile and went back. I would question whether or not 2-channel is still the dominant method of reproducing music in the home today.

[AudioFilet]

Yes. And listening to 2-channel CD's. Even most of the surround sound audio discs were mastered from 2-channel ones. On most of the surround sound systems I have seen, mine included, are so lousy at 2-channel, you just about have to listen to it in "surround", or 5-channel stereo, as mine calls it. I have 2 surround systems, one in the living room (7.1 channel), and one in my bedroom (5.1 channel). I never use either one of them for music. They suck at music. At least compared to my 2-channel systems (of which I have 3).

[steveinaz]

I'll go surround right after I grow 3 more ears...:D

[Yashu]

These kids are paying $60 for a bowl, and bongs basically start at $130

I still don't think it should be illegal... it is a f'ing plant, regardless of whether I care to use it or not, my tax dollars being spent to jail those that do, it's, frankly, disgusting.

----

2 Channel music is more than just a hobby, it is a metaphor for the times, a forgotten truth, once the right of passage for many has become something of a joke to most of the younger generation, or, just something to take for granted. It is easy to do that, with 80gb iPods holding entire record collections in one's pocket, it is not hard to see why eyebrows are raised when they hear the interest we have in this hobby... *only* 2 channels, only music, but to me, it is music, it is the common thread from my youth to my adulthood. I know what we all know here, that music touches the soul in a linear fashion, and there was a time when our drug of choice was not an illegal plant or chemical compound, but finely tuned compression waves. It takes patience, it takes, I think, a mature attitude to sit down and just listen, to just enjoy. How many people use music has furniture vs. the centerpiece of our attention.

I have heard people say, that the goal with any mind altering experience is to escape reality, but to me, that is a paradoxical statement, as the true journey is becoming closer to reality, rather than trying to keep away from it, for whatever beauty that the eye can see, or the ear can hear, is rooted within a logical universe, with a chaotic underpinning, and that weed and LSD don't remove you from any of this, but only give the illusion, for it is not something seen every day. Neither is a finely tuned stereo something most people hear every day. The government can wage war on words, on plants, on musical data, but all they are doing is breeding ignorance, and causing harm to any ends that are touched by such absurdities.

"Don't let it be forgot / That once there was a spot / For one brief shining moment / That was known as Camelot!"

I am glad some of the younger set have discovered 2 channel. I don't mind that they did not grow up with it in their lives. All I read, is that they love the music, for whatever reason, and to me, it's a good thing, no matter what got them there.

[AudioFilet]

I've never seen a multi-channel iPod. I thought they were mostly 2-channel (stereo)??

Did I miss something again??

[dragon1952]

I don't think the originator of this thread was talking about Ipods, or boomboxes or walkmans or car stereos or clock radios, even though they may qualify as 2-channel or stereo playback devices. And I don't think he was talking about playing 2 channel CD's on a surround system. I think he was talking about an entire system built around 2 speakers and dedicated 2-channel components that deliver a high quality of sound.

[maximillian]

Why not have both worlds? I power my fronts through an early 90's Tecnics stereo receiver. The rest of my HT speakers are powered by my AVR. The preouts for the AVR fronts are piped to the Technics stereo. My music CD source also feed into the Technics stereo. I simply select which source I want AVR/CD's depending if I want to listen to music only or HT. Music only is 2 channel and HT uses all of them. I calibrated the AVR with the Technics stereo volume at a particular setting which I set during HT listening.

Or better yet, if you have the room in your home choose one room for HT and another for music appreciation.

HT is two channel just doesn't sound good to me. Music in multichannel also sounds too weird.

[AudioFilet]

Why not have both worlds?

That's an interesting idea and one I might want to try eventually. Another thing I was wondering about was if there is a way to have your AVR "remember" different setups for different modes. For example, when you play an audio CD the AVR would be set to use front main speaker only, with the subwoofer. If you wanted to have a different crossover setup for the sub & mains, it would have to remember that too.

I use a Yamaha HTR-5835 in my bedroom HT system, and I think it has some sort of provision for this, but I haven't really tried to set it up. The last time I put an audio CD in that system and played it in 2-channel mode, it sounded so bad I just had to laugh. Sounds decent enough in 5-channel stereo mode though.

I'm not sure what my HK AVR-745 can do along those lines, something to check out someday I guess. For now, I will just have to walk all the way to the other side of the room and put the audio CD in the 2-channel rig.

[maximillian]

I use a Yamaha HTR-5835 in my bedroom HT system, and I think it has some sort of provision for this, but I haven't really tried to set it up. The last time I put an audio CD in that system and played it in 2-channel mode, it sounded so bad I just had to laugh. Sounds decent enough in 5-channel stereo mode though.


That is why I have the setup that I do. I don't use the AVR (with its digital processing) in 2 channel mode, only the older analog stereo. To me it sounds good, and in HT mode the AVR sounds decent. The added bonus is that the AVR doesn't have to work as hard.

[treitz3]

I don't think the originator of this thread was talking about Ipods, or boomboxes or walkmans or car stereos or clock radios, even though they may qualify as 2-channel or stereo playback devices. And I don't think he was talking about playing 2 channel CD's on a surround system. I think he was talking about an entire system built around 2 speakers and dedicated 2-channel components that deliver a high quality of sound.
I am the originator of this thread and you are correct.

Written in big bold letters on the first post of this thread is the question...... "When did it dawn on you 2-channel freaks that this was the direction you wanted to go?"

[cmy330go]

So I came across this picture today of me when I was 4 years old (1981), and it brought back some old audio memories. I jammed out to a lot of records, tapes, and 8-tracks on that old Yorx. I actually still have the BSR turntable.

I was probably 5 or 6 years old when my Dad let me play around with his home built guitar amp and speaker. The speaker was some jobby about 4 foot tall that had 2 12" drivers and a small horn. After that I just couldn't stop tinkering. To keep me from tearing apart that speaker he gave me a small set of speakers from an old reel-to-reel that I could play with. It wasn't long before I had a screwdriver in my hand and was yanking the driver out of the cabinet to see how it worked. While taking out one of the screws I slipped and tore a hole in the paper cone. I was pretty upset, but dad came to the rescue, and showed me how to touch up the tears with a little of Mom's nail polish.:rolleyes: From there on out it was a never ending stream of cheap speakers from auctions, yard sales, etc... I'd take 'em home and hook them up, then tear them apart, and swap drivers into other cabinets. By the age of 10 or 11 I had advanced to saving money for pre-built crossovers from Radio Shack so that I could combine random woffers, mids, and tweeters, and Dad would build me a cabinet for them. I was constantly tinkering and trying to make them sound better or louder. By the time I was 12 I had broadened my interest to gear with the purchase of my first CD player (JVC that still works) that I connected to the Aux-in of my boombox. From there it's been a steady climb.

Looking back at in now it's tough to believe how much I learned at such a young age. I guess in a way I really owe it to my Dad for getting me started in audio. Even though I may not have bought what I considered a "quality" system until I was 20 (mentioned in post 6) , my love for stereo and gear goes way back.

Ok. I'm done reminiscing. Carry on.:D

[Sami]

I am the originator of this thread and you are correct.

Written in big bold letters on the first post of this thread is the question...... "When did it dawn on you 2-channel freaks that this was the direction you wanted to go?"
So what's the point of the thread again? To see who's younger than 30?

[treitz3]

No. I wanted to see what it was that sparked the decision to go with a 2 channel rig. I could care less about age, that has nothing to do with audio. I was curious as to what point, or moment of your life you "knew" that your focus was going to be 2-channel audio.

[Sami]

All music should be 2 channel (or 2.1), regardless of equipment, with a few rare exceptions. I have a 5.1 rig and 2 rigs with 2.1, all reproduce 2 channel music very well. So I guess my answer to that is ever since I heard music in stereo instead of mono.

Based on my answer, since my HT rig is the main rig for music as well, I think I need to clarify if you do mean focus on 2 channel audio, or 2 channel equipment? My focus even on the HT rig is for 2 channel audio, the wonderful surround quality it does is just a huge bonus.

[treitz3]

I think I need to clarify if you do mean focus on 2 channel audio, or 2 channel equipment?
It's more of a discussion of at what point you made two channel listening a priority, what it was that made you make that decision to go and purchase 2 channel equipment. What was the turning point that made any of you want to primarily go to a 2-channel rig?

[Sami]

Ok, in that case I think the title is little misleading but then again it is obvious everyone who listens to music is interested in stereo (a.k.a 2 channel).

[treitz3]

So shoot me.

[tonyb]

Really Treitz,you need to state the question...oh...50 more times.:rolleyes:
I hate it when you don't clarify.:)

[Face]

What were we talking about again?

[treitz3]

I forgot.

[nspindel]

I think there's often too much attention paid to the one-vs.-other argument when considering 2 channel versus 5.1 or 7.1. I like to hear things that are pure. I want my gear to make as accurate a representation of a piece of recorded material as it possibly can, without having to add any special effects.

When I'm listening to music, your basic 2-channel audio, to me it just sounds better listening on a good 2-channel hi-fi than it does if I play it on a home theater system. So I have a 2-channel setup that I use for music.

But when I'm watching a movie that contains 8 channels of sound, then I don't want it downmixed to 2 channels. I want to hear the separation of the 8 channels. So I watch the dvd on my home theater setup.

To me it's like comparing a pickup truck to a corvette. If you want to go really fast, drive the corvette. If you have a lot of stuff to haul around, drive the truck. That doesn't mean you prefer a corvette over a pickup truck. It means different things are meant for different purposes. I could drive my pickup truck fast, but it doesn't "feel" right, and it doesn't feel as good as going fast in the corvette. I could dump as much stuff as I can fit into my corvette, but there are other options better suited for the task.

[Sami]

When I'm listening to music, your basic 2-channel audio, to me it just sounds better listening on a good 2-channel hi-fi than it does if I play it on a home theater system.

That's just a matter of how your HT is built. Just up your HT a level or two and you're set for 2 channel as well.

[nspindel]

That's a matter of preference, there are a lot of things to consider - the room, the synergies between the equipment, and overall aesthetics, etc. It would cost me a whole lot of money to equip the other 5.1 channels with amplification and speakers that would be on par with my 2-channel setup so the overall sound would be correct when matched with the vintage sda equipment that I use for 2-channel.

Not to mention the fact that my home theater is in my family room, where I simply wouldn't have the space for the big sda's, especially on either side of a 60" screen. In the family room all the speakers are in-wall so that they're out of the way. When seven speakers plus a subwoofer are all doing they're thing, this is perfectly satisfying for movie watching. But just two of the speakers do nothing for me when listening to music.

[Sami]

Of course, but the whole point was that HT can do both duties very well with the right components. Some say it's a compromise but I don't buy into that. In the end every system is a compromise.

[nspindel]

It also can't handle the scenario where my kid wants to watch a dvd and I want to listen to music!

[Face]

The only comprimise in my rig is a TV between the mains. I have it set a few feet back so it doesn't affect the imaging too much.

[StevieB]

I never really thought about a for real HT much. My downstairs theater is 1c's, and the upstairs are 2b's. I also feel that damn TV just gets in the way.

[george daniel]

Hey,, I just found my First seperate component,, still powers up,,here's a pic of my first preamp :)

[nspindel]

That's a really find piece. You should restore it, I bet it would sound great.

[Roland P]

For me 5.1 all the way.
Movies = 5.1 and I like movies so the choice is simple for me.
I think my setup is pretty good at stereo too. Ok, if I spend the same amount of money on a 2 channel setup I probably get a better performance in stereo, but I can live with it :).

With 5.1 I want full-range sound with high dynamics to kick your butt, not spoiled with lesser quality surround/center speakers. With music, I just want a nice sound (My car stereo, old R10's or my current LSi9's) and a good song.

My point is: Movies>5.1 (or more) Music>2(.1) channel.

[Sami]

Ok, if I spend the same amount of money on a 2 channel setup I probably get a better performance in stereo, but I can live with it :).

But then you would still have to spend money on surround system... :p

[Yashu]

I use the 'B' speaker posts on my NAD 2155 for HT... 2 channel HT with a pair of PSB towers. I have never felt the need for more. The TV is so huge it gets in the way, the largest HD tube they made, anyway, because of that, I only listen on my nearfield setup 90% of the time. Movies sound good enough, and image well enough, and certainly look good enough on the big widescreen tube.

I like tubes. I don't have an LCD in the house. They still don't make one that can match the colors on my 21" pro CRT, at least... not one you can get for under a couple grand. Full spectrum LCDs cost a fortune, and there are no Plasma computer monitors... I never understood why though... computer monitors were a perfect place for Plasma. If I ever get a flat TV, it is going to have to be a plasma...

[reeltrouble1]

woop de doo,
woop de doo.

gotta love Knopfler for saying so much with so little.

RT1

[candyliquor35m]

You know you're a convert when the guys at the gym ask you if you wanna play cut-throat (3) or doubles (4) racquetball and you tell them no you prefer 2 channel :)

[cmy330go]

I use the 'B' speaker posts on my NAD 2155 for HT... 2 channel HT with a pair of PSB towers. I have never felt the need for more. The TV is so huge it gets in the way, the largest HD tube they made, anyway, because of that, I only listen on my nearfield setup 90% of the time. Movies sound good enough, and image well enough, and certainly look good enough on the big widescreen tube.

I like tubes. I don't have an LCD in the house. They still don't make one that can match the colors on my 21" pro CRT, at least... not one you can get for under a couple grand. Full spectrum LCDs cost a fortune, and there are no Plasma computer monitors... I never understood why though... computer monitors were a perfect place for Plasma. If I ever get a flat TV, it is going to have to be a plasma...

WTH????:confused:

[AudioFilet]

What made me pull the trigger? Simple. There was no trigger at all. I grew up listening to music on 2 channel systems, long before there was such a thing as multichannel. When I decided to set up a dedicated listening room, there was no consideration at all given to a multichannel setup. I just naturally went with a 2 channel system (OK, 2.1). It seems kind of silly to me to set up a dedicated music listening room and make it multichannel. Although there are some titles are SACD multichannel and DVD audio titles, music is still basically 2 channel, and to me it sounds better that way. I just love to sit in that "sweet spot" in front of my LSi9's and crank it up. It's a treat that can't be beat.

Multichannel for music??

Not for me any time soon.

[ctrulock]

I hear in stereo (2 ears). But in short "The Beatles"-nough said!

[treitz3]

Anybody else want to chime in?

[treitz3]

When did it dawn on you 2-channel freaks that this was the direction you wanted to go?
This was the thread question BTW. ;)

[George Grand]

In the early to mid 60's, when I was maybe 13, I took some of my dad's Playboy magazines to read the well written articles and stay aBREAST of things in fashion. While I was reading a lot of the articles, cool-looking babes were in the ads for hi-fi shit that was in between articles. The correlation and relationship was clear. Hot debs were attracted to cool hi-fi shit like moths to a flame.

1967 or so when the AR-3a was released. I was in the neighborhood and none of the sports minded guys were around for a game of anything. On the way home I saw a guy our age, who we all knew, but was no sports guy. We exchanged pleasantries and he asked if I wanted to go and "listen to records".

All AR system. XA table w/Shure cart, AR Integrated Amp, and AR-3a speakers. That was it. That day, whatever it was. I think I got to hear The Boston Symphony do "The Planets" for the first time that day or not long after. Talk about a knock your d*ck off experience. I didn't even want to LOOK at whatever I had at home no less listen to it.

[read-alot]

72 when the Quadraphonic 8-Track POS finally died or maybe we killed it

[reeltrouble1]

1964 my Pop let me have the family Wurlitzer console for my bedroom. I spent hours spinning 45's at this new fidelity.

Yea, I only had 45's, we were poor so I never had enough dough to buy a whole album full of songs like you rich guys.

Of course eventually I found a mag ad about the Columbia House Record club, you just filled out the stuff and sent it in, of course as a 10 year old I was not concerned about buying more records. So I got some albums, The Turtles, The Hollies and so on, I would lay in bed at night and listen to Bus Stop, they sent me a few more I remember getting a Joplin, of course I had no dough to pay for this stuff after the free ones, eventually some bill collector ended up at the door, Pop sent the fellow packing then he gave me a red backside, but I did get to keep the albums.

RT1

[treitz3]

Now that's what I'm talking about. Awesome!

[nspindel]

Wow, I remeber the Columbia record club! I probably quit and rejoined that thing 7 or 8 times.

If I had to think back to what really got me into hifi, I'd have to say when I was about 12 or 13 and my parents started letting me stay home by myself for a few hours here and there, and I finally got to crank my dad's stereo without hearing my parents scream to turn it down. Two albums, blaringly loud, really did it for me: Rush 2112 and Led Zeppelin II. I'd hit into my parents liquor cabinet, too :D Great that I didn't abuse my parents trust, huh? 13 years old, shitfaced, listening to Zep. I'm turning 40 in a month and a half, some things never change ;)

[hearingimpared]

What sparked my interest in two channel . . . MUSIC! I LOVE MUSIC. I've been into two channel since I was a preteen.

[analog97]

What sparked my interest in two channel . . . MUSIC! I LOVE MUSIC. I've been into two channel since I was a preteen.

Ditto. HearingImpaired has nailed it. A great 2-channel system provides the opportunity to be intimately entwined within a magnificent soundstage presented by one's favorite performers. Very sensual this hobby is. :)

[fossy]

Beatles-----Come Together ___ in 1969 -- -- that song was way before it's time --those damn beatles

[candyliquor35m]

I forget her name but she liked to rock :D

[Hawkeye]

My resparked interest in 2 channel occured after buying 3 AVR's and a Pre for the HT. Got tired of chasing the latest and greatest 2.1 of whatever was out or the flavor of the day.

I say resparked because I bought a bunch of nice gear in the 70's while stationed in Japan and the PI. Got sucked into the HT thing and parted with all my nice gear from overseas.

So, I looked around to find the gear I thought was the most simple, proven by time time design which would not be obsolete in a year. While McIntosh may appear to be a stodgy, for the doctor and lawyer crowd which I am neither, it fit the requirements for me.

My 2 channel kit would have blown away my HT when it was at its peak. To me, there is nothing like a well done 2 channel kit. It is simple, timeless and completely relaxing.

Gordon

[xpert54]

I would have to say my Parents. when Stereo came out my Parents really got into it and my Dad liked HiFi gear and he always had some really good systems. I also got a good education in listening to different types of Music. From Classical, Jazz, Blues, Country to get down Rock and Roll. Being 60 though I find myself getting back into Classical Music a bit more.

[Hilbert]

My interest in 2 channel began about a month ago, when I realized my 5.1 system, new Polk monitors & PSW110, sounds better when only the 2 fronts and the sub are putting out sound. Better soundstage or what not.

Now of course I need a speaker upgrade...this is some sort of death sentence, isn't it.

[benzlo]

For me - it's all about sonic reproduction and soundstage.

Based on specs I've read total harmonic distortion tends to be far higher in a surround sound format.

My personal preference is clarity and accuracy to highest degree possible. Surround sound just gets in the way of this according to my ears.

If accurate reproduction of the origial instrumental sounds and vocals is the goal; IMHO 2-channel audio is the path.

That's why I like it.

[ajanzalone]

I was always into 2 channel. That is what stereo is...2 channel.

Ditto....... my love since the 1970's

I will consider surround sound when they have a great wireless system, who needs the mess ........:rolleyes:
Remember it wasn't very long ago when a phone was a wired tether ... Freedom:)

Tony

[BigMac]

I use to be into 2 channel back when I was younger but I got married and had 2 children. Sold all my gear to pay for first apt.,furniture,etc. Was only 21 so I needed the money,lol. I got back into 2 channel about 2 months ago because I saw an ad on Craigslist for some Jamo speakers. i bought the little bookshelf speakers and hooked em' on up. I currently had an el' cheapo Sony 5.1 setup and once I hooked those little bookshelfs up I had flashbacks of my old system. Needless to say I have the "bug" again. Currently using an NAD 7045 receiver and LSi7's for the speakers. I think I am following in my old footsteps......my first anything was an NAD integrated amp and Paradigm speakers. Going to start off slowly because there is SOOOOO much gear to choose from, almost mind numbing......in a good way though.