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Originally Posted by arkay
My personal opinion is that the rear/sides should have every bit as much punch and grunt as the rest.
I say this as I like to listen to my audio in full 5.1 channel stereo mode and I need the grunt from every speaker for that.
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While I have no doubt that what you are getting is a really GOOD sound, what you are describing here is not, strictly speaking, surround sound. This is stereo with two left and two right speakers. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just different to true 5.1.
The reason most surround speakers are smaller than the mains is that in home theatre applications the rears are mixed to be ambience and effect only. The main work is done by the front speakers, dialogue directed predominately to the centre speaker, so the rears are not required to perform at the levels that the fronts are, and certainly not for the extended periods the fronts are driven for. Also, small speakers can still be very "punchy" and give plenty of sound, particularly when they are mixed well with the rest of the sound stage.
You are correct in saying bass is directional, of course it is. To say otherwise is a mis-quote (albeit a common one), what is more correct is that bass is not perceived as directional as higher frequencies. This is because often the wavelength is the same as the room length.
My amplifier has modes that break stereo into "psuedo-surround" such as rock concert. conert hall, etc. This just puts the stereo output to the rears at a lower level and with a slight delay to produce the ambience of teh concert hall and make teh lounge room seem bigger. I personally prefer this arrangement to same volume from all four corners because it gives the impression that you are in the audience at a concert rather than sitting amongst the instruments.
Naturally, it's all down to personal preference. The important thing is to understand what you want to achieve and get the speakers that best suit that application.
Cheers
Glen
