Esteban
New member
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2013
- Messages
- 63
- Thread Author
- #1
Besides being a music lover, I have also been a Home Theater aficionado since I was a teenager, back in the good old LaserDisc days and Dolby Pro-Logic soundtracks. My first surround receiver was a Technics, followed by a Yamaha once Dolby Digital was introduced, then another Yamaha with dts, then yet another one with lossless decoding once Blue Ray came along, and then finally a Marantz, purchased about 3 years ago. Many other things in the system changed as well, of course. The speakers are different, the display went from a 22" Philco CRT to a 65" Panasonic plasma, the sources are different... hell, even the country is different!
But throughout the years I became disillusioned with contemporary cinema, which is usually the sort of genre that benefits the most from the associated pyrotechnics that come with surround sound. Today, I can't stand the usual Hollywood mindless entertainment. "Movie magic" is dead. Last time I felt it was 10 years ago, during "The Return Of The King". Every time I go to a movie theater today I leave with a headache... Most of my favorites films from all times are in mono, and today 99% of my movie watching consists of foreign, independent, low-budget, cult or bizarre films.
I hate loud noises. At one point in time, the opening scene in "Terminator 2" was my bible. I probably played that 500 times,. No kidding. Now, I can't stand gratuitous explosions, I can't stand woofer torture-tests and I can't stand worrying about annoying the neighbors (I live in a condo). Oh, and I can't stand James Cameron, either.
Every once in a while, I would still use my Marantz receiver. Rare occasions in the last year or so included "The Hobbit" and... I don't even remember what else! In fact, today I realized that I probably use the receiver only twice or three times a year, if that. Let's say 5, tops. But I watch movies almost every night, and my Panasonic's 65VT60 speakers are fine for that.
To make matters worse, the Marantz is now defective and produces an intermittent hiss/noise from the left channel. A quick online search reveals that I am not alone. It's a common problem with this particular model.
I honestly don't feel like dealing with warranty issues, nor buying a new unit. What for? Most receivers today are crap, plain and simple. Overstuffed with thing I will never, ever use.
Today I looked at my system. It looked back at me. A big pile of cables and shelves in front of me. And, for the first time, I seriously thought about just ditching surround sound altogether.
Just imagine: No center channel. No receiver. No back speakers. No back speakers stands. No cable mess. No HDMI from here, to there and then everywhere. Not worrying about whether the left surround channel is working properly when, in fact, the fault lies with a crappy sound mix. I could also gain so much space in my room and use that to store records, books, or whatever else I feel like... I use my Prima Luna to amplify the main front speakers, while the Marantz takes care of the center and rear channels. Because of this, when the whole system is on, it gets just too darn hot...
Movies are still very much a crucial part of my life. Same as music. But what isn't anymore, it seems, is surround sound. The TV is certainly staying. So is my Oppo 103, modified for all-region BD and DVD playback. My Oppo 95 handles audio duties only.
I am thinking of just going for it, but I fear regretting my decision in those RARE cases when one movies that is worth my time features a decent surround track that actually benefits and enhances the story... I spent a lot of time cabling, setting and hooking everything up properly, and yet... those black boxes stares back at me and I feel... nothing.
Have you ever gone through something similar? What caused your change of heart? Do you regret it?
But throughout the years I became disillusioned with contemporary cinema, which is usually the sort of genre that benefits the most from the associated pyrotechnics that come with surround sound. Today, I can't stand the usual Hollywood mindless entertainment. "Movie magic" is dead. Last time I felt it was 10 years ago, during "The Return Of The King". Every time I go to a movie theater today I leave with a headache... Most of my favorites films from all times are in mono, and today 99% of my movie watching consists of foreign, independent, low-budget, cult or bizarre films.
I hate loud noises. At one point in time, the opening scene in "Terminator 2" was my bible. I probably played that 500 times,. No kidding. Now, I can't stand gratuitous explosions, I can't stand woofer torture-tests and I can't stand worrying about annoying the neighbors (I live in a condo). Oh, and I can't stand James Cameron, either.
Every once in a while, I would still use my Marantz receiver. Rare occasions in the last year or so included "The Hobbit" and... I don't even remember what else! In fact, today I realized that I probably use the receiver only twice or three times a year, if that. Let's say 5, tops. But I watch movies almost every night, and my Panasonic's 65VT60 speakers are fine for that.
To make matters worse, the Marantz is now defective and produces an intermittent hiss/noise from the left channel. A quick online search reveals that I am not alone. It's a common problem with this particular model.
I honestly don't feel like dealing with warranty issues, nor buying a new unit. What for? Most receivers today are crap, plain and simple. Overstuffed with thing I will never, ever use.
Today I looked at my system. It looked back at me. A big pile of cables and shelves in front of me. And, for the first time, I seriously thought about just ditching surround sound altogether.
Just imagine: No center channel. No receiver. No back speakers. No back speakers stands. No cable mess. No HDMI from here, to there and then everywhere. Not worrying about whether the left surround channel is working properly when, in fact, the fault lies with a crappy sound mix. I could also gain so much space in my room and use that to store records, books, or whatever else I feel like... I use my Prima Luna to amplify the main front speakers, while the Marantz takes care of the center and rear channels. Because of this, when the whole system is on, it gets just too darn hot...
Movies are still very much a crucial part of my life. Same as music. But what isn't anymore, it seems, is surround sound. The TV is certainly staying. So is my Oppo 103, modified for all-region BD and DVD playback. My Oppo 95 handles audio duties only.
I am thinking of just going for it, but I fear regretting my decision in those RARE cases when one movies that is worth my time features a decent surround track that actually benefits and enhances the story... I spent a lot of time cabling, setting and hooking everything up properly, and yet... those black boxes stares back at me and I feel... nothing.
Have you ever gone through something similar? What caused your change of heart? Do you regret it?
:inlove: :singing: :rockerlove: :kiss: :lovesme: :tumbleweed: :facepalm: :exciting: 
