question about Hi-FI stereo?

Question

some "audiophiles" use two completely different speakers like a tower and a moniter. I dont know if the use them at the same time but anyways whats the benefit to this? how can you do this , and does it ruin your imaging or do the people just switch between the speakers becuase they like different sounds from time to time.

Answer 1

The only plausible explanation is that the "audiophiles" to whom you refer have separate speakers for 2 channel stereo music and for their home theater surround sound.

This actually makes sense because the sound stages are very different. Classical music recordings in stereo assume the sound stage will be reproduced by two and only two speakers. Action movies with surround sound assume the home viewer has at least 5.1 channels. Surround sound also fills the center with an explicit center channel, where stereo does not.

So if one had a large enough room and the inclination, one could employ two disjoint sets of speakers for stereo and surround.

Personally, I use my original 2 stereo speakers (Thiels) as the L and R fronts and added 3 more Thiels for the surrounds, so the timbre is essentially identical across all channels. This works well enough for me and doesn't fill the room with extra speakers.

Answer 2

Hi,Mate. Do you mean that some people use, say, one set of speakers for their Home Theater and the other set for serious listening ? Or do you mean they have both sets for listening and switch between the two to get different sounds? Or do you mean they have both sets wired together so they are listening to four loudspeakers? I am not aware that they use two completely different sets of speakers.Unless they use them for different types of music.Not all speakers work well with all types of music (although accurate speakers do ) Maybe they have one set for rock and vocal music and the other for instrumental and classical.
Monitor type speakers are usually designed for Recording Studios and Radio and TV Control Rooms because they require high powered robust and very neutral speakers that most people may not like .
Are you still pursuing 4 channel stereo you were after ?

Answer 3

I am an audiophile myself, and know a few... never saw anyone using two sets of speakers.

Answer 4

it just depends on your chice of speakers, tower, woofers, square, round, tweeters, etc.. depends on how you use your hi-fi stereo, its been alot of years since I saw any one ask about hi-fi equipment, today its mostly about surround sound, or mono set up.. if you are a musician of any kind of musical instrument, you'll be able to tell the difference, I am personally low tone death, and my wife used to play in a high school band, she can read music and knows different tones, so when I set up our surround sound system, useing our home stereo, and regular VCR, SHE HELPED, I installed round PA speakers in our drop cieling so we would not have to invest in a total sorround sound system, she set the bass, trebal, etc, now we have sound from 6 speakers, 2 square speakers that came with the stereo and 4 round cieling speakers, two in living room , 2 in our kitchen cieling, so when she is cleaning , washing dish's and doing laundry , she can put in 5 music dvds, or her favorite satilite station and hace sound all through the house, we have a small house, and it works great.. P.S. works great on movies, and our sons VCR, DVD'S.. HOPE THIS HELPS..