Listening to Now (Derived/Fake Surround-Specify Method)

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I also bought the MP3s of this album from Amazon (I was just curious about the CSG system and fake surround), CSG isn't mentioned in the description on Amazon about the MP3s of this album.


Kirk Bayne
 
https://www.discogs.com/release/17040747-Janet-Number-Ones

Moderate surround sound effects w/Hafler passive speaker matrix "decoding" directly from the LPs (since I currently have my AT-LP60 connected to my bedroom A/V system).

The songs Escapade and Together Again have some good surround effects, at times, it sounds like discrete 3 channel surround sound.


Kirk Bayne
 
https://www.discogs.com/release/21402166-Culture-Club-A-Kiss-Across-The-Ocean

On the 40th anniversary of RCA ending their CED videodisc system, I listened w/Hafler - more spacious sound, crowd noises tended to appear in the surround "channel".

aside:
This CED videodisc was, for many years, the only one I owned that never skipped, that's no longer true, it has a few skips now (and some other glitches that blank out the picture [but not the sound, strangely]).


Kirk Bayne
 
I heard/saw this Beta Hi-Fi demo tape in 1983 at a Sony dealer (stereo, no surround sound, although the tape does mention home theater), I had previously heard VCR Hi-Fi audio from a JVC VHS Hi-Fi prototype (stereo headphones only) at the 1983 SCES in Chicago.

Listened with Hafler/DynaQuad - The demo audio surround sound is variable, the Star Wars segment has good surround.




Kirk Bayne
 
https://www.discogs.com/release/4928607-Styx-Paradise-Theatre

Fake surround created with DPL 2 music

The (used) CD arrived today, for some reason, I never bought the CD, I bought the vinyl near the day of release in 1981 (could be I listened to the vinyl too much [mostly using stereo headphones]).

"Too Much Time On My Hands" is pretty good, the opening with the Left/Right panning "decodes" nicely, the rest of the songs have reasonably good fake surround too.


Kirk Bayne
 
Last edited:
https://www.discogs.com/release/26003950-Daryl-Hall-John-Oates-Private-Eyes

Fake surround created with DPL 2 music

(after I ordered this CD recently from Amazon, I found my other CD copy)

"Your Imagination" (both versions) has good fake surround sound, the other songs have fair fake surround sound.

edit:
Tried both versions of "Your Imagination" using Hafler/DynaQuad - album version is ok, the 12" version is very good, sounds a little like it was mixed in surround sound.


Kirk Bayne
 
Last edited:
Because I'm a degenerate, I most often sleep on my couch, which is conveniently located within my surround listening area. Generally, I fall asleep to music AirPlayed from my phone at very low volume, usually just shuffled from my synced library (excerpted from my very large ripped Apple Music library). It's predominantly classic and progressive rock, but it contains everything from bluegrass to classical to hip-hop to jazz and beyond. I leave the AirPlay/HEOS input on my Marantz set to Multichannel Stereo, which doesn't do anything special as far as upmixing, but just duplicates the L and R channels to their respective Ls and Rs channels in my 5.1 setup. I believe it also populates the C channel with a sum of L and R, and I keep bass management on, so the Sub handles frequencies below 80Hz. Normally, listening at a barely perceptible level would result in an extremely bass-shy sound due to psychoacoustics, but Audyssey's Dynamic EQ does a wonderful job of keeping the sound full and balanced.

When listening at more normal volumes and sitting in the MLP, even this most basic algorithm can produce some surprising "surroundy" effects. It just depends on how spacious, sparse, and "widescreen" the stereo mix is. I've had moments where I thought I accidentally changed the setting to a true upmixer, but no, it's still on Multichannel Stereo. If you have a Sound United (Denon/Marantz) AVR or pre/pro—or any brand that has some form of all-channels stereo, really—give it a try on some of your favorite stereo tracks to hear how they sound. You might just be pleasantly surprised!
 
https://www.discogs.com/release/4823299-Marvin-Gaye-Here-My-Dear

Fake surround created with DPL 2 music

I'm a big fan of the Philips Compact Cassette system and I never bought any 8-track stuff, I bought this album, my only 8-track, for ~$1 about 15 years ago at a drug store (I intended to take the cartridge apart to see what it was like, never got around to it).

I recently decided I'd like to hear the album, so an Amazon search revealed the CD was ~$36 but the MP3 (album) was ~$10.

The MP3 version (played with the VLC player) sounds very good, the song "Time To Get It Together" has good fake surround sound.


Kirk Bayne
 
https://www.discogs.com/release/31288361-Duran-Duran-Seven-And-The-Ragged-Tiger

(derived/fake surround sound created with DPL 2 music)

CD arrived yesterday, I discovered several weeks ago I never bought the CD of this title.

Song 3 has good derived/fake surround sound, songs 1 and 6 are also have fairly good derived/fake surround sound.

edit: a rare case (song 3) where DPL 2 music sounds better than Hafler/DynaQuad.


Kirk Bayne
 
Last edited:
Was watching the Virtual Insanity video and this video played next (somehow, I had never heard this song, I've played it about 10 times since I first heard it yesterday afternoon. I bought the MP3 from Amazon, but it's a different mix):



DPL 2 music provides better derived surround sound than Hafler/DynaQuad.


Kirk Bayne
 
Are the L and R channels reversed on the Spotify version (they are on the YouTube version)?


Kirk Bayne
Yes - it was a little disconcerting but I wasn’t going to rewire all the speakers!

I’ve been fascinated how each of the decoding options treat it. The separation in some modes is fantastic. Only problem I’ve found is that the decoding of the ‘back wall’ doesn’t work well for the narrator but ok for the instruments.
 
up the Irons! great clean Japanese Pressing...
Ni03OTAzLmpwZWc.jpeg


Foobar upmix to 7.1 expanded to all ATMOS speakers using the Apogee Symphony mixer, check the assignment on bottom of the outputs...
Screenshot 2024-09-04 at 3.20.17 PM.png
 
How are you getting your upmiix to your AVR? Atmos encoding? Or you have a 12 to 16 channel audio interface and a Pre-amp that takes 12 to 16 analog inputs?

up the Irons! great clean Japanese Pressing...
Ni03OTAzLmpwZWc.jpeg


Foobar upmix to 7.1 expanded to all ATMOS speakers using the Apogee Symphony mixer, check the assignment on bottom of the outputs...
View attachment 108982
 
How are you getting your upmiix to your AVR? Atmos encoding? Or you have a 12 to 16 channel audio interface and a Pre-amp that takes 12 to 16 analog inputs?
No AVR.
Foobar, Mac version, outputting 7.1, through the Apogee Symphony out to the Adams/Genelec Sub.
Surround rears duplicating the Surround sides and Front Heights duplicating Rear Heights.
Have yet to find a decent faux ATMOS playback program for Mac.
Hopefully Apple will soon get their heads out of their collective asses and will let ATMOS output though HDMI.
 
Yes - it was a little disconcerting but I wasn’t going to rewire all the speakers!

I’ve been fascinated how each of the decoding options treat it. The separation in some modes is fantastic. Only problem I’ve found is that the decoding of the ‘back wall’ doesn’t work well for the narrator but ok for the instruments.
Just switch the L and R inputs.
 
Back
Top