>GG> I'm already using a Carver Sonic Holography unit built into my
 > 	How is that in actual home usage?
        It works great for me, actually.  At this point, I would not buy a 
preamp without it or something just like it (e.g. Lexicon's PANORAMA does the 
same thing) or at least I would keep the Carver preamp to connect to a tape 
loop.  The soundstage just seems to come alive on a great recording and at 
least widens and deepens on a not so good recording.  Since I use dipole 
speakers, I do not get complete cancellation, as the room is too active with 
dipoles.  However, I think the first wave front that hits *does* cancel, 
otherwise it wouldn't do anything and there's an immediate and *huge* 
difference between on and off.  It's the kind of difference where you 
instantly *miss* it when it's off.  It makes a really good recording sound 
"there" whereas shutting it off makes it sound more like a recording once 
again.  
        On the other hand, I hear from my friend Mark Weiss who built 
speakers according to Carver's specfications to get almost complete 
cancellation using it, that he gets a pretty much 360 degree soundfield using 
it.  I have a few discs where I get sounds from the back of the room using 
only two speakers, but usually it just widens and deepens it and adds a *lot* 
of presense.
        It does have to be set up properly, though.  Precise symmetrical 
alignment of the speakers, along with at least 3 feet from any wall is pretty 
much a requirement.  I also hear it doesn't work as well with all speakers, 
although I'm not sure to what degree as I've only heard it set up correctly 
on one system (my own).  The one store I heard it in, they didn't have the 
speakers aligned worth a darn and the room was too small.  The principle of 
the technology was sound enough, however, that I took the risk and bought a 
Carver preamp anyways.  The only thing I don't like about the Carver unit is 
the lack of remote balance control (and a somewhat noisy balance pot) and the 
lack of capability to easily add AC-3 (although it does have dual-room 
inputs, so you could directly connect AC-3 without a center speaker).  I 
would rather have the new Lexicon AC-3 preamp that has Panorma, THX, remote 
everything, and 20-bit D/A converters, but its cost is prohibitive at the 
moment.
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