Croc raises some very legitimate points. But, I dont think in reality its as bad as he makes it sound.

Lack of flexibility? in what? playback medium? name a source a full M system cannot play back? It can even playback SACD (although it would be with digital to analog and then analog to digital conversion).

In terms of picking your components? you can still pick any source component you want- although you wont get digital DVD-A compatibility right now.

In terms of tweaking? now here is a point that would probably not sit well with most traditional audiophiles. You have no need to mess around with cables- and I dont want to start the cable debate again, but I find it liberating to not be burdened with the insanity of this cable vs. that cable. I find many "tweakers" get so involved with tweaking that they stop the simple act of enjoying the music or movie. I know I fell into that trap for a little while and I didnt particularly like it.

You also dont have the choice of amps. And with tube amps you lose the choice of choosing the tubes to put in the amps. All correct. On the plus side- you gain true bi/tri amping- beyond active crossovers- you get digital crossovers, etc.

I think the only 100% accurate advice in the audio space can be- youve got to listen to the speakers for yourself. No matter what you choose, you have to figure out if your needs and your space will work well with any high end speaker. If your space is bad in an acoustic sense then even "the best" speaker in the world will not help you. Your room is the single most critical "component" to any audio system.

I wouldnt say you are forced into what M decides in the future- if you have a system that works you can always just ignore future upgrades if the cost is an issue or you dont want to mess with success. For example, you arent forced into what Microsoft does with windows. I know many people running windows 95 and 98 and both are not supported any more by MS (and who can blame them- technology marches on). Point is with technology, if my needs are word processing and spread sheets, I can easily achieve both with my old Apple IIe in the closet. Sure its woefully out of date by comparison, but if it meets your needs then you are all set. Same is true if you have a big LD collection- if it all works and you are happy with the picture and sound- maybe you dont have to "upgrade" your collection to DVD.

So while its true with the M stuff you are now in their system and therefore "married" to what they do in the future if you want to stay current, going the other way with a non M setup means you effectively eliminate the possibility of digital speakers from your setup.

Of course you can always just scrap whatever you have in favor for something else- so you arent really forced into what whomever charts for the future. In my case I traded a nice analog amp and some good Aerial speakers for the DSPs and I havent looked back. The Aerial speakers are fantastic, but I think the DSP 8000s are better and offer much more flexibility.

I also want to add that I am enjoying this thread as it is fun to examine pros and cons of various technology as well as our preferences.

Ronnie,
How do you make the rear center work? Is there something in the M software I am unaware of or are you using a 2nd processor to matrix the rear 3? I also have my front 3 in a kind of semi circle (center up against the wall and the back of the fronts is about 18" from the wall. My center is truly centered but my middle seat is about 8" off center because of a floor outlet we are hiding under an adjacent seat. I tried the seat as truly centered and not and it doesnt make a difference. I figure at my seating distance of ~14', 8" doesnt matter too much for this.


[This message has been edited by JerryL (edited 11-23-2003).]

Best regards,
Jerry
Main System: 861v6, DSP8000s in corners, DSP7000s Center and Sides, 1-9 humans.