What Visual Adds To The Audio Experience

[nicoff]

In these days of social isolation, I have been enjoying broadcasts of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera via streaming.

The audio is not hi-Rez, yet when you combine the video with the (low res) audio, the experience is more enjoyable than just the audio alone.

Hi Rez audio attempts to bring us closer to the performance. Yet, we are missing a HUGE Part of that performance: the visual. With visual, we no longer need to close our eyes to attempt to see where the strings or wind instruments are located. You see them with your eyes and the sound follows. It is as if the brain attaches the image to the sound.

And if you have a multichannel system, all of the speakers can give you a great sense of the venue, acoustics and all.

When we listen to music with only two speakers in stereo, we are asking our brains to recreate in our minds a lot of stuff: imaging, spacing, venue, etc. But when we actually SEE the performance, we are adding another sense (our eyes) to the experience and we no longer need to depend on just our ears.
When it is well done (Berlin Philharmonic vídeo streaming for example), you don’t need the highest audio quality to enjoy an amazing experience.

Interested to read your thoughts on this.

[XV-1]

Nothing

[CPP]

A LP jacket

[brad225]

I would agree. When I added 7.2 to our living room a number of years ago I went with a relatively basic system. I found that when watching the screen I didn't need extremely accurate audio. Just enough to fill the space with appropriate sound. I ended getting rid of both subs as i got tired of looking at big black boxes in the living room and have never missed them. That said we don't watch much that has mandatory sub sounds.

As for my listening room I tried to keep it rather monotone with limited visual distractions. The sound and my brain are what creates the picture.

[AJ Soundfield]

XV-1s avatar

[nicoff]

XV-1s avatar

[nicoff]

I would agree. When I added 7.2 to our living room a number of years ago I went with a relatively basic system. I found that when watching the screen I didn't need extremely accurate audio. Just enough to fill the space with appropriate sound. I ended getting rid of both subs as i got tired of looking at big black boxes in the living room and have never missed them. That said we don't watch much that has mandatory sub sounds.

As for my listening room I tried to keep it rather monotone with limited visual distractions. The sound and my brain are what creates the picture.

It is possible, however, to have both
home theater and 2-ch audio combined into the same room sharing speakers and subs. That’s what I have done.

[nicoff]

Streaming concerts recorded live from the Berlin Philharmonic, is truly an amazing experience. I am using the same front speakers that I use for listening to 2-channel music.

The director of video (or someone working there) is reading the score and they know in real time when to switch the camera to a soloist. No more trying to imagine or guess where the sound is coming from. The visual experience brings immediacy to that passage of music.

Of course, The need for visuals is much more apparent in opera. Opera is intended both for aural AND visual enjoyment (the orchestra is actually hidden in a pit; not to be seen!). Listening to Aida no matter how good a 2-ch audio system cannot comprare to watching it using the same audio system plus the video.

Along the lines of two heads are better than one, it can be said that two senses are better than one.

[Kingrex]

At one time I was trying to devise an A/B speaker box so I could use my 2 channel for audio, but also utilize my 5 way surround with my main speakers. I gave up and got a sound bar. Now I don't even use the sound bar and just use the tv speakers.

But I get the music video is entertaining. I grew up on MTV. I have been to stores running the 5 and 7 channel B&W systems. There darn nice. As an all around.

[nicoff]

At one time I was trying to devise an A/B speaker box so I could use my 2 channel for audio, but also utilize my 5 way surround with my main speakers. I gave up and got a sound bar. Now I don't even use the sound bar and just use the tv speakers.

But I get the music video is entertaining. I grew up on MTV. I have been to stores running the 5 and 7 channel B&W systems. There darn nice. As an all around.

IME, the key to having a home theater and a 2-ch coexisting with each other with NO compromises on either system is to have a multichannel digital A/V preamp with analog bypass.

The digital preamp acts as a switch box for all your 2-ch analog signals (phono, tape, audio). That allows you to use whatever 2-ch analog sources/equipment you want, send the analog signals to the preamp, and listen to your music with your main speakers unchanged by the digital preamp.

If you have a digital video/audio source (say internet streaming via AppleTV, Roku, etc.), then the digital signal goes directly to the digital preamp for processing. But the sound comes from the same set of speakers plus surrounds (if you have surrounds).

The digital preamp does not have a built in DAC as good as my stand-alone DAC; nor does it have a phono preamp. So I use a separate DAC for my digital audio sources (Qobuz, Tidal, ripped discs, etc.) and send the converted balanced analog to the digital preamp. I do the same with a stand alone phono preamp.

[Mike Lavigne]

my preference is this visual......eyes not fully shut......in my zen state....

[Kingrex]

Nicoff, you just made me think, put a digital preamp before my 2 channel audio. That would work.

[nicoff]

Nicoff, you just made me think, put a digital preamp before my 2 channel audio. That would work.

My analog feeds the digital preamp. The 2-ch bypass feature is a must have in my case.
All my speakers are connected directly to the digital preamp.

[Kingrex]

For me, I would go the other way. That way 2 channel is only 2 channel. Eventually I would know the correct setting on my 2 channel pre to blend the volume with the additional 3 channels. But its not happening any time soon. My PAP Teio 15 horn don't sound good as TV. The Sonus Faber were much better for that purpose.

[nicoff]

For me, I would go the other way. That way 2 channel is only 2 channel. Eventually I would know the correct setting on my 2 channel pre to blend the volume with the additional 3 channels.
....

Yes, as long you properly set the volume for blending (you would be using two different volumes) you can do it that way too! Give it a try when you can!

[brad225]

[QUOTE=nicoff;298632]It is possible, however, to have both
home theater and 2-ch audio combined into the same room speakers and subs. That’s what I have done.[/QUOTE


I agree they can exist in the same room. Mine just happen to be in separate rooms. My need for higher end sound for listening to music doesn’t carryover to the living room when the TV is on.