I hope that members will be interested in an idea I have for widening the stereo field produced from conventional stereo recordings. I have developed a computer model which indicates that four speakers placed in an arc thirty degrees apart could achieve a stereo field up to sixty degrees wide. Similar results could be achieved with six speakers placed twenty-four degrees apart, but this requires some adjustment of the signal levels to operate optimally.
If you have a analogue stereo source, with a stereo male-to-male phono output cable, and a 5.1 AV system with a multi-channel analogue input, you may just need a few RCA phono "Y" splitter cables to convert the AV system to four channel stereo:
1. Disconnect and put aside the Centre speaker.
2. Move the Front speakers closer together such that the distance between them is half the distance from the speakers to the listening position. E.g. If the speakers are three metres away from the listening position, place the speakers 1.5 metres apart (distances measured from the front centre of each speaker).
3. Move the Surround speakers to the side of the Front speakers, maintaining the speaker-to-speaker spacing.
4. Plug the two male phono connectors of a "Y" splitter cable into the Left Front and Left Surround sockets of the multi-channel input.
5. Plug the Left Output cable of your stereo source into the female connector of the "Y" splitter cable.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to link the Right Output cable from the stereo source to the Right Front and Right Surround sockets of the multi-channel input.
7. Depending on how your AV amplifier derives a signal for a Subwoofer, you may need to add a cable between the Left output from the stereo source to the Subwoofer socket of the multi-channel input.
8. If you add a cable at step 7, you may need to add a further cable between the Right output from the stereo source and the Centre socket of the multi-channel input. This may seem odd, as the centre channel is not used, but it is simply to balance the input loads. If it makes no audible difference, it can be omitted.
I find that the change from two speakers to four is significant. Changing from four speakers to six is more subtle.
If you have a analogue stereo source, with a stereo male-to-male phono output cable, and a 5.1 AV system with a multi-channel analogue input, you may just need a few RCA phono "Y" splitter cables to convert the AV system to four channel stereo:
1. Disconnect and put aside the Centre speaker.
2. Move the Front speakers closer together such that the distance between them is half the distance from the speakers to the listening position. E.g. If the speakers are three metres away from the listening position, place the speakers 1.5 metres apart (distances measured from the front centre of each speaker).
3. Move the Surround speakers to the side of the Front speakers, maintaining the speaker-to-speaker spacing.
4. Plug the two male phono connectors of a "Y" splitter cable into the Left Front and Left Surround sockets of the multi-channel input.
5. Plug the Left Output cable of your stereo source into the female connector of the "Y" splitter cable.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to link the Right Output cable from the stereo source to the Right Front and Right Surround sockets of the multi-channel input.
7. Depending on how your AV amplifier derives a signal for a Subwoofer, you may need to add a cable between the Left output from the stereo source to the Subwoofer socket of the multi-channel input.
8. If you add a cable at step 7, you may need to add a further cable between the Right output from the stereo source and the Centre socket of the multi-channel input. This may seem odd, as the centre channel is not used, but it is simply to balance the input loads. If it makes no audible difference, it can be omitted.
I find that the change from two speakers to four is significant. Changing from four speakers to six is more subtle.