Stereo vs Surround Setting

[Clawfford]

Your understanding of surround sound is highly lacking. But if you prefer stereo then that's all that matters.

Whatever the technical reasons, it DEFINITELY lets the subwoofer do its job much better for me when I put it in Stereo mode.

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[MarkS650GT10]

Anyone with the 9 speaker system, do you think the sound is better set to driver only or to all speakers? and if set to all speakers, do you adjust the balance and fade or leave it centered? was just googling some and read some suggest fading 2 clicks to right and 2 clicks back to sound best for the driver if set to all speakers

 

[LouG]

I've been running surround for the past week, it's a lot better, especially bass.
Job Done.

 

[Sinthor 5.56]

Just curious... Has anyone swapped out for a different subwoofer or added a DSP or anything to make the bass have more punch? It's not bad at all, but just not what I'd expect on a system with this amount of power. Would like it just to be a little deeper and stronger.

 

[Wiley Marmot]

B & O system.....surround for me.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

I went out to the car to see the difference between the 2 modes….just really listen.

In stereo, the sub does seem to have a little more punch, but the spatial surround sound sounds so much better.

Personally I prefer the Surround. But Clawwford driving a convertible, I think you’re getting more punch from Stereo because …I think…..you don’t have pillar speakers to push Surround as much? I’m assuming the convertible has the 9 speaker system which is different.

Synthor…do a thread search…been discussed in great detail. The thread is probably no further back than page 2.

 

[dusman59]

Surround with more than enough bass. I opened the trunk and its working as one would expect. Content makes the whole system sound difference.

 

[Katzenjammer]

12 speaker system, coupe - Have been running stereo mode for a year without realizing it. I did an A/B test, especially with some mono tracks from 1930s era recordings, didn't want them to sound wierd. The stereo mode seems to put a bit more volume into the side speakers and a bit less in the center than the surround mode on the mono stuff, so I would say surround is better for that. The stereo source is different A/B but I can't describe it fully. Now running surround mode with the fade set near center or very slightly towards the back. I'll try it for a while and if nothing jumps out at me, leave it there.

 

[AZ_Ryan]

This is a good read that may help some people on the subject.

https://autoupgradeclub.com/blogs/our-blog/stereo-vs-surround-sound-in-cars-enhancing-your-audio-experience#:~:text=If you're an audiophile,well meet all your needs.

 

[glenng6]

Agreed. Surround sound is much more spatial and stereo sounds (to me) almost like mono as you say. Big difference in any case. I have the B&O 12 speaker system as well. It's a nice sounding setup, but not GREAT. Lacking a bit of bass, at least to me. Not sure. Definitely good enough though and better than most plain stock setups in cars these days!

I agree! It sounds pretty good! I use surround only and to me it sounds better than stereo. I, also, agree with having the speaker balance tweaked

Congrats on your surgery. I hope you recover swiftly!

Good luck with the surgery. I am hoping my wife will agee to have that surgery. Glenn

 

[Danee]

Surround sounds better to me.

 

[glenng6]

Surround definitely sounds better to me. I believe I have it faded to the rear by one tick too.

I use surround sound at home and in my car. I think it has a fuller (spatial) sound with surround, but then it is all subjective, isn't it? I also have mine faded to the rear and balanced to the right speakers until it sounds like the music is directly in front of my ears, not the center of the car. I don't care if the sound is balanced for the gearshift knob or cup holders. I doubt anyone sitting in the passenger seat will notice the balance is stronger on their side. I want that sound directly in front of both my ears, not one or someone else's ear. I have DOLBY 7.1 at home, and my theater setup came with a speaker setup microphone, which is how I found out about the importance of balancing the sound. As I said, my personal preference is to have the sound appear to be directly in front of both my ears, not to the right or left. After all, isn't that what we want when we use headphones or AirPods Max? That being said, I am somewhat disappointed in the bass. The bass in my Nissan Titan Platinum Reserve was outstanding. The subwoofer was mounted under the driver’s seat, so you not only heard the bass, you felt it as well. YMMV and I hope you find your ideal balance. Glenn

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