Distributed Active Multi-Way Stereo Instead of Conventional Speakers?

[hifimaddy]

Yesterday while listening to music (slightly off-axis from my sweet spot), I started wondering about an unconventional setup and whether anyone here has tried something similar.

This is not a buying advice thread or system review—more of a technical discussion and idea-sharing exercise.

The Concept​

Instead of conventional stereo speakers, imagine using separate woofers, midrange drivers, super tweeters, and subwoofers placed around the listening area almost like a surround setup. The system would use active crossovers/DSP to split frequencies and handle time alignment, but without an AVR or surround processor—just music playback using multiple stereo amplifiers.

Questions for Discussion​

Can this actually work effectively?

Placement & Acoustics​

How practical would this be in a real room?

• Would distributed drivers help or hurt imaging?
• Could it work better with bass distributed, while mids/highs stay conventional?
• What happens with or without digital correction?

Pros and Cons vs Traditional Stereo/Surround​

Potential upsides:

• More immersion
• Greater flexibility and dynamics
• Distributed bass benefits

Potential downsides:

• Integration complexity
• Imaging problems
• Solving problems traditional speakers already solve elegantly

Has anyone experimented with anything like this, or is it fundamentally a dead end? Interested in hearing thoughts and experiences.

thank you for your comments, cheers
vishnu