| 5.1 is definately no gimmick.
At the very least, switching on the rears gives:
a. more immersion
b. more information about the original hall
c. more precision in the L-R speakers, as if the resolution is heightened - the same stereo mix, with the rears switched on, sounds more transparant !
d. more front-back localisation in the front speakers.
The centre speaker HAS to be more realistic than just stereo :
a. we NEVER use the centre speaker, unless for soloists.
b. putting the soloist (eg. soprano) gives you 1 amp - 1 speaker to deal with this ordeal of reproducing this signal.
c. you eliminate the severe coloration of this important mono source, due to time delays and shadowing around your head in normal (phantom) mono on stereo replay.
d. I repeat : the biggest flaw of stereo is the mono component. Ever listened to a good mono recording ? On just one loudspeaker ? (not on two as all those audiophiles do ...)
I do agree that panning from front to back does not work (well). We tend to use a mix between coincident and delay based surround. |