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In answer to Luong's listening preference question, I'd say that while positions #1 and #2 are tempting, because of the enhanced immersion of the listener into the musical ensemble, that #3 is probably my choice, given that's the way the sound engineers place the microphones for the actual recordings. However, let me qualify that a little. In our sessions, both the stereo and the surround mics are elevated on tall stands (starting at about 10 feet above the floor, with some much higher), and so that produces a result superior to the sound received at the *best* seat in the hall, in that it has the benefit of the proximity of the prime "orchestra" section seats *and* the elevation of the front-row balcony seats.
Our hall is a church (Camelback Bible Church) with contemporary architecture and they worked with the Kirkegaard Associates as acoustical consultants during the planning and construction. Instead of a conventional rectangular layout, the church has been turned 45 degrees to a diagonal orientation, which is described here:
http://cbcaz.org/sanctuary
Here are some selected photos from our most recent recording sessions (for "Northern Lights" - Gjeilo: Northern Lights - Bruffy):
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150337649795558
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150337622855558
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150337580000558
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150337652635558
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150337657975558
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150337622865558
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150337627335558
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150337641000558
(the last photo was taken in the control room, with the singers listening to a playback--I'm the one holding music)
The engineers used various arrays, depending upon instrumentation (some of our pieces included piano, cello, or string quartet + piano), but two mics were placed far back into the hall and very high for picking up the room ambience. I can't say for sure how the engineer and producer directed the various mics into the SACD channels.
One of our discs (Grechaninov: Passion Week - Grechaninov: Passion Week - Bruffy) won a Grammy for engineering, while another (Spotless Rose, Hymns to the Virgin Mary - Spotless Rose, Hymns to the Virgin Mary - Bruffy) won a Grammy for best small ensemble (classical), and the room was certainly one of the factors in these honors.
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Post by Ubertrout November 25, 2012 (12 of 14)
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Deribas said:
As discussed at length in the "audiophile receiver" thread recently, one of the few features that makes a lot of difference for listening to multichannel SACD in a real-world room with real-world nonidentical speakers is good quality room correction and equalization technology, such as Audyssey. I noticed a steady trickle-down of its top implementation, MultEQ XT32, into affordable receivers lately. For example, it is now found in Onkyo tx-nr818, which is going for $800s now, and wAs briefly in $600s on amazon. It used to be available only in $2000+ receivers or prepros. For a receiver, the second most desirable feature, at least for me, is having preamp outputs, so that you can have the option of of external amplifiers added over time to improve the speaker performance. Again, it is not a high-end feature, but not found in many bottom-end receiver models.
@Deribas, I think that we might be going a bit higher than the OP is looking for here. Room correction is important, but I don't know if they're looking for spend $700 on a receiver (if they are, the 818 is a fine choice).
As for preamp outputs, they aren't found on bottom-end units. The lowest model Onkyo to have them is the 717, they're not found on the 616 or below. That said, the OP could get the lowest-cost receiver they could find with preamp outputs, and use their Scott A1600 to power the stereo channels. Would probably lead to good results, no?
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In response to Deribas (Seth mentioned it as well), regarding finding an entry-level A/V receiver with good room correction technology, I found the Onkyo TX-NR818 (which features Audyssey MultEQ XT32) for $699, so I'm tempted to go with that.
A high priority for me is to be able to easily connect my system with the Internet for streaming of various sources (and for easier firmware updates). I see that the Onkyos are "WiFi ready," and easily connected with the addition of the Onkyo UWF-1 Wireless LAN Adapter ($25), although one of the reviewers on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/review/R2TFT6TWQDI3H8/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B007JOO4XE&nodeID=172282&store=electronics) complained about networking issues. I'm not clear if that's also the case with Denon and Yamaha units, or if DLNA features on whatever unit I wind up with will help me play what I want, *where* I want. I don't currently have a home media server set up, but we've got a couple of Windows 7 PCs, an Android phone, a Kindle Fire, an iPhone, and an iPad (so Airplay might also be involved).
While the MultEQ XT32 on the Onkyo TX-NR818 is tempting, if another box with decent room correction has better networking options (and is perhaps a bit less than $700), then I'd probably go with that instead.
(on edit: I was apparently composing this while Ubertrout was posting the previous response. I don't think I want to keep using the Scott, in that it's been randomly muting itself recently--either due to heat issues, or more likely the remote receiver triggering on something in the room, even though I've covered it with foil)
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Post by Ubertrout November 25, 2012 (14 of 14)
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aztopdavid said:
In response to Deribas (Seth mentioned it as well), regarding finding an entry-level A/V receiver with good room correction technology, I found the Onkyo TX-NR818 (which features Audyssey MultEQ XT32) for $699, so I'm tempted to go with that.
The 818 is a nice unit, Amazon and Newegg both have it for $699, as you saw. It doesn't have airplay, which sounds like it might be useful for you to play music wirelessly from your iPhone/iPad.
The 818 does have an ethernet port, so you can hardwire it to your network without anything else (except for a network cable, of course). I tend to think that wired is preferable to wireless for media streaming, but your home layout may not allow for that. If so, a wireless-ethernet bridge might be preferable to the proprietary Onkyo adapter.
Odds are Newegg and Amazon are both going to offer at least one amazing deal on a receiver in the $600-900 price range tomorrow...keep your eyes open and you can probably get something which would otherwise be out of your price range (it's how I ended up with my Yamaha).
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