Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Is Trifield Really Better the Stereo

Hi

i do prefer

music
Trifield
direct

music and Trifield makes the music more real
but Trifield is to "close" for my taste -
so music is my choice.
I do have for the center speaker a closer distance(30cm) that give more deepness for the music.

But i do prefer Trifield with a bad recording where the localisation is bad.

I have no experiences with passive speakers.

With three identical speakers its the best!

Robert

Perhaps, in the narrow sense! Certainly speakers can use common drivers and sound nothing alike. Conversely they can use diferent drivers and sound quite alike. Really is a simple process of just listening.

If, as I do, you have very large R/L speakers the center becomes a little problematic. I do not like the idea of a descending, perf screen, so I need a speaker that is shorter, but sounds similar - thus my custom solution.

The other thing I have found is to give some attention to calibrating each speaker. Some time ago, I inavertantly boosted the center by 3 db in config and it completely ruined the soundstage.

Simon

Hi,

I have commented on this in previous posts, so I will try to be quick.

I thought Trifield was really good when using D8ks for main speakers and DSP5000C for centre, as it suited my listening area arrangement.

Various fellow hitchhikers suggested that I should change the centre for something like the 5200C or the 5500HC, and I would see a big improvement.

One day I decided to investigate having three D8ks at the front, and the result was and is so spectacular that I am now ordering a fifth D8k in order to have the full surround effect, as I also enjoy DVD-As, where the rears are equally important as the fronts.

Differences immediately apparent were how much easier it was to follow complex music passages, and even well-known relatively simple pieces and vocals became, for lack of a better word, 'comprehensible'. Images are stable across the stage irrespective of where you are sitting, etc etc

For me, however, the fine tuning effort continues because it involves also all the other DSP modes, particularly 'Discrete' for DVD-As and 'Cinema' for films. Obviously, all need to be at optimum without needing to move speakers around as you switch between them (!), and while Trifield synthesises and feeds only a high-frequency portion of the spectrum to the rears, the other modes are full-range.

One interesting experiment/way to adjust the DSP presets that I am using involves listening to film soundtracks BUT NOT WATCHING THE FILM. I believe watching the film 'fools you' and detracts from the optimisation of the sound performance. Try it, it will be revealing!

I have said it before that we should push Meridian to give us info not just on the meaning of the DSP presets, but also on their significance and treatment by the processors, because the number of variables in optimising performance without any guidance is almost infinite, and will therefore take an almost infinite time to reach near perfection.

When (soon I hope) the new HD sound formats become catered for by Meridian, it will be even more important to fine tune the systems for full performance.

Everytime someone raves about Trifield's treatement of stereo sources, I try it again. Then I go back to Ambisonics which has always sounded better. My 861 drives a 7.1 matched Genelec system. I guess individual system differences play a role in which sounds the best. Does anyone else prefer Ambisonics for stereo?

Tim

I don't like the surround ambience added with Trifield so do my best to disable it. Once done I *do* like the sound which comes from the front three speakers...

My 2c

Mark

Devices like the full frequency TacT room correction system would certainly allow one to get very close timbre matched sound in all channels... That is one of the things I genuinely do miss in MRC as I found it improved my soundstage no end to have all speakers delivering identical frequency response. That would undoubtedly improve Trifield too. With MRC I have to accept the timbre differences outside of it's correction range.

Mark

Mark:

This assumes that it's all about the raw frequency response, and I don't think it is.

As an FYI about my point of view, even physically identical speakers will have some timbral differences which come from the room. By having identical speakers you make the room the more important part of the equation

Best,

For classical recordings I prefer Music mode, but for most other types of music I just leave it on Trifield. I rearly have the time to sit and listen to any music anyway, but when I do, I try to enjoy the music and forget about all the fiddling.

This is interesting.
In the 565 Manual it says that Music is best suited to clasical music, or music where the exact position of each instrument is not critical. (My Paraphrase)

Trifield is good for stereo recordings.

Ambisonic for ambisonic recordings, Super stereo is a variant on this.

Mu Logic is for Multi tracked recordings. DSOTM is great here.

I also have on the 565, various other Merdian designed profiles. Football (Great for Motor sport as well), TV Studio, Chamber, POP, Chapple (Great for Gregorian Chant).

I have my own presets based on Tirfield and the Merdian "POP" mode.

I have a friend with a 561 who does not get on with Trifield but loves Ambisonic. He is always amazed that my Trifield sounds so good.

Another Friend on hearing a recording of "Christine Colister" "Love" Album, which he played on, thought my sound, "Trifield" was better than that he heard in the studio at the mix stage!!!
His next album is coming round just prior to completion, for appraisal here.

So, Is Trifield better? IMHO Mostly, done well with the right Music.
But your ears have to be the final arbiter.
In the end, As BOb said to me, Its all about the music, Cheers, Chris

My bet is that 99% of music is recorded in multi-track. So saying that Music mode is best for that doesn't really provide much guidance. Like you say, let your ears be your guide.

Thats it Frank, the manual does go into more detail, but multilayered recordings can (and do) benefit from Mu Logic.

I bet that alot of my early Jazz recordings are all live single take to analog tape and as such Trifield is great.
That was the days when Musicians just played, I think its called Art.
But I would counter that with DSOTM is also Art, although it is highly manufactured.

The modern studio can be great but I find it also sanitises so much of the raw emotion and feel from modern music for the iPod generation.

I heard Eric Bib on BBC radio 2, the Johhnie walker show today, play a "Live Blues".
Wow it sounded Fantastic just as is.
I wish I had recorded it.
The F80 paid for itself just there. No Trifield either, Fantastic!!!

He could have been in the room.......... Cheers, Chris

Chris:

Correct, they are decidedly different art forms, but definitely art. The "problem" if you wish to call it that, is that with all the "magic" you can use for popular music recording in a studio it can be nearly impossible to duplicate that on the road.

Cheers,