Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo So that's what it's suppossed to sound like...

With just going from a dedicated 2 channel system to a surround system I must say I am really enjoying listening to music in multichannel mode.

I go back and forth, but lately I've mostly been listening in stereo.

I have good luck matrixing my 2-channel music. It does usually seem to sound better, but my OPPO is the only device I have that outputs a stereo signal when listening to music that my Integra can manipulate in such a way, which restricts my music listening to CDs. I thought the PS3 used to let me apply surround processing, but now it just says "Stereo" on the preamp and won't let me do anything to the signal. Of course, my PC outputs in multichannel already, but is only utilizing the front right and left for music. The Xbox 360 also outputs in multichannel already, transcoding to Dolby Digital, and besides that, its noise is too distracting. I occasionally think of buying a Squeezebox or something, but it seems kind of ridiculous to spend the money on one when I already have an OPPO, an Xbox 360, a PC, and a PS3 hooked up that really should be able to handle music playback. I usually just sigh and locate a CD to listen to. Do any of you think the Squeezebox would be worth it in my case, or should I simply get a receiver that can stream my music collection whenever I upgrade that?

I'm using an Airport Express to stream iTunes (controlled with my iPhone via wifi) and mini-Toslink cable, +/- ipod dock. I'm eyeing the Onkyo iPod dock because it will then display song info, etc on the display if I fire it up and then I can control with the Onkyo remote.

I don't any Apple products to be on my way toward that kind of setup, but that does sound slick.

I made the change to the darkside a few years ago. the AX will work with with iTunes on a PC... It also creates a LAN port wherever you plug it in. That's what I use for my BR/Sat Box/and AVR internet connectivity.

I don't think I'm ready to go through that kind of transformation, but I appreciate the information on how it all works together.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but now I'm really thinking about my music streaming situation. I don't really want to spend $300+ for the Squeezebox, so I'm looking at the WD TV Live. Does anyone have experience with this? I saw it at Costco, but I didn't notice their price. Still, even its retail price is a lot less than the Squeezebox, and it seems like it would do what I want.

I think hijacking threads is mandatory on this board

Well, the WD TV Live is a disappointment. It says it has WMA support, but it fails to say it doesn't support lossless WMAs. I just can't win.