Question from a new Z owner.

RonRizz

Maybe going too far south on the spectrum there! Lol. Like I said, it IS a personal preference.
My main argument for those who Must have rear speakers is this.....To hear the music the way it was intended / to hear the music the way it was recorded / to hear the music as if you were sitting in a concert hall, or your favorite artist at a concert..... No rear fill. When was the last time you were at a concert with speakers in Front of AND Behind you?
That being said, many of my customers past and present request rear speakers, and I gladly install them. Whatever makes them happy.

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P99rs Head Unit--- Amps- 2 Pioneer Prs800d --- Zapco ST1000MX---Zapco ST-4XSQ---- SI BM mk5 Subs---SI TM65v2 Midbass--- SI M3 mids--- SI M25 xbl2 tweeters ----- 2016 MECA street class 3rd place at world finals

H2O_Doc

I agree about the importance of preference; you're right that staging is a choice based on what we like.

Regarding concerts, do you suppose that front staged music is a matter of "intent" or practicality? I genuinely don't know, but it seems like it is the most practical way to serve up music and perhaps it isn't too much about what the artist's intent was. I wonder if the distances between front and rear speakers in a concert setting would be so great that the timing between front and back would noticeably off unless you were in the center?

I love live music, but that is a matter of an entire experience (audio, visual, cultural, social, etc.). Live music (focusing solely on sound quality) is almost always grossly inferior to even a modest sound system (a few symphony halls being a notable exception). If my stereo sounded as bad as most concerts, I light it on fire and put it out by peeing on it (I considered doing the same with the stock system that came with the Z, but that might actually make it sound better).