I just bought Sade: Lovers Live. and I'm telling you the 2 channel stereo had her vocals comming right out of the center channel with the music comming out of front right and left.

Meanwhile, the 5.1 mix had her spread out( yeah baby! ). Once I got use to the 5.1 it sounded good but why is this?

Another concert dvd where this happens is RAMMSTIEN: Live aus Berlin. The 2.0 sounds better to me.

There are probably many factors as you know that can influence the sound you get from your system- type of speakers, placement, room dimentions, reciever settings... I used to prefer the 2.0 version over the 5.1 as well when I first set up my home theater system years ago. I had big old floor standing stereo speakers for my front left & right speakers, and miscellaneous smaller speakers for everything else. After I made the right adjustments and upgrades to my system (including matched speakers all around), and got accustomed to the whole surround experience, I wouldn't trade the ambient, surround, 5.1 channel experience for anything. Try experimenting with your entire set up - including speaker placement, surround settings etc, and you'll eventually find what works and sounds best for you. Also keep in mind, each DVD you view-especially concert DVDs, have their own unique "sound" as well that you may or may not want to adjust to fit your tastes.

I still think music was meant to be heard in stereo and not "surround" sound. Call me a purist, but that is just my opinion. When I'm at a concert I don't have surround channels so why mix the audio track to include them?

I tend to agree.

I have a DTS music sampler and unless you sit in the room....like you have nothing better to do....then what's the point???? Most people listen to music in the background.

The closet thing to 5.1 in a live situation is at RUSH shows. They use speakers suspended up in the rear during indoor show. Even with that they only use them for certian audio like drum solo fx and some choruses.

Yes had DTS on the tour I saw them on a few years back. Seemed pretty pointless.

For regular 2 channel music on CD I tend to agree with you for the most part (with the exception of a few multi-channel music discs I have, but even those are mostly front left and right channels, with a few subtle surround accents for greater ambience). It's mostly Live concert DVDs (and movies) that I feel benefit the most from a 5.1 soundtrack. Take for example, the new Iron Maiden Rock In Rio concert DVD. A lot of the surround channels are just the audience, which when compared to regular 2 channel stereo , is a more realistic representation of the live "experience" as if your were actually in the crowd. Of course this is just my preference. Like you said though, if it's just background music, what's the point? I however more times than not like to sit in the "sweet spot" of my media room to enjoy the entire experience, multi-channel or not.

Rarely is even a live DVD all that much better in 5.1. I liked in The Who Live at Albert Hall how the surrounds are all audience, quite loudly yelling and cheering, and you really feel like you're at the concert. It's quite a neat trick.
On the other extreme is Steely Dan Two Against Nature. That live DVD has really been mixed in a very enveloping way. Music swirls all around you and it's a very interesting expierence.
For the most part. though you're right. Faint background applauds or fill-in drumbeats don't add much.

Slightly o/t : You mentioned Sade. That DVD really ticked me off. I bought it because I prefer DTS surround concerts and that DVD has a DTS logo on the back. There is no DTS track on the disc. How sucky is that?

The Dave Matthews Band Listerner Supported DVD's surrounds are all crowd and a slight echo, which fairly accurately reproduces the experience of seeing them live in an arena. The only problem is that the DVD splits up instruments into left-center-right based on stage position, but DMB actually runs a mono house.

Of course, mono is not very exciting, so the live audio CDs are split up the same way.

Actually, that DVD has horns and background singers coming from the rear speakers. It's a little disorienting to me. I hope the mix on the new DVD this fall is done in a more accurate style

The PORTISHEAD dvd sounds neat in 5.1 because you get some of the scratching, orchestra, and sound fx in the rears.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Giantrobo
[B]I just bought Sade: Lovers Live. and I'm telling you the 2 channel stereo had her vocals comming right out of the center channel with the music comming out of front right and left.

huh? If its 2 channel then your center channel is not even on.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by blakpuc
[B]
On my Yamaha it is on.

its depending on the set up that the person has. on my home theater in a box from sony, there is an option called "A.F.D" which puts a program in its original intended sound. on the sade dvd, the sound comes out of the right and left speakers. on Giantrobo's system, he has this turned off, which puts it in simulated suround sound. thats why the vocals come out of the center channel. i hope this makes sense