Quote:
Originally Posted by khail19
Without time alignment, having stereo sound coming from more than 2 speakers tends to pull the soundstage back towards the rear. If you have the ability to properly delay all the speakers to create the proper ambience for rear fill, then it can improve your sound. Most systems don't have this capabiility, so having a single point source for left and right channels is usually the way to go.
Most of the high end decks nowadays do have some time alignment built in (mine does), but it seems that the market for features like that has been steadily declining for the last 5-10 years.
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I'm not sure I buy that reasoning. the reason it moves rearward is that there is often a whole lot more speaker in the rear and a whole lot less dashboard, seats, legs, etc absorbing it. All this effort to generate front sound through all those obstructions just doesn't make sense to me. Highs and high Mid I understand if you can get it out of the foot wells, but trying to generate mid-lows up front where there is no space and sound absorbing galore is a loosing battle IMHO.
IMHO the sound quality in an Audi A6/A8 or similar with a "stock" Bose 7-9 speaker system where > 1/2 of them are in the rear sounds much richer, cleaner and balanced than any of the front loaded after market systems I have heard.
Until they had to make room for air bags, the headrest speakers in the Miatas actually had pretty damn good sound for cheap ass factory speakers and stereo separation was great
Heck, some of the classic 6x9 rear deck 3 ways sound better than half the crap I've heard with just front stages. It goes back to where are the speakers? If the only place you can put a high or midrange speaker in the front is down next to the seat/feet/legs/floor/carpet under the dash, IMHO you are wasting your time. You need a pink noise generator and headrest microphones and automatic acoustic analysis each time the stereo turns on to be able to properly EQ the sound for accurate reproduction.
But as I said, it is as if accuracy or maybe cleanliness and richness are not important any more. It is about loud and bass, not accuracy. ( Or at least as can be expected in a tin box.)