Dude, i do not know what the clubs in vegas are like, but here in NYC we only use state of the art equipmrnt as for imaging and sound quality goes, every live performer taps into our system to suppliment theirs. I think that when spending over 50K for a sound system and bringing in the best sound experts in the business to design it so that there is proper imaging and quality makes a difference, by your own admission, you stopped going to clubs and began frequenting bar's, obviously the industry has changed and you are not aware. We take our sound very seriously and as a result have one of the best systems in the business. as far as source material we are 100% digital and top of the line digital, our booth alone cost over 10k just for source equip. that is probably 50 times more than anyone would ever spend on a car audio system. Next time you are going to be in NYC contact me ahead of time and i will set you and your guests up with tickets and a VIP table, then tell me after a fair listen that it is a poor quality system based solely on loudness.
What type of club is it? What type of live acts do you have? Depending on the act and the size of your place, it usually makes sense for them to patch into your setup for the simple reason that it is simple. Less stuff to move in and out and set up and less room taken up by redundant amps and stacks. You are still limited by how you have it set up. Highs in the corners and mids on the sides cannot create a proper stereo image. It can totally immerse the audience in sound which is sometimes the goal, but that does not mean the same thing as accurate staging and imaging. Basically your mids and highs are rotated in the room 45 degrees from each other. If you were to face so that the highs were arrayed one on your left and right in front of you and behind you (a normal front and rear stereo setup) you end up with mids directly to your front and rear and directly to your left and right. It is not possible to get a solid front stage wih proper left-to-right imaging with that setup. In a dance club it doesn't make sense to set up for proper staging and imaging as there is no defined front. It makes perfect sense to totally envelop the crowd in sound.
I think you are misconstruing my comments to imply that I think your sound system in your club doesn't sound good. Not the case. Having never heard it myself, I can' really make a comment. I'll take your word for it that it is extremely well done and that it sounds good. I can however say that it does not image and stage the same way that a nice home or car stereo will.
I have been to clubs all over the world, BTW. Tokyo, Moscow, Albuquerque, LA, Denver, Memphis and many other places. Many of the places I've been have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in the sound system. They pride themselves, much as you do, in having a state of the art system. They do what they were intended to do, provide plenty of sound with enough detail that you can understand the words and still pound the chest with bass, extremely well, but they don't image at all.
A music club, one intended to provide a nice venue for live music, has a very different sound setup. There is a defined front and everything is keyed to stage front. A solid left and right front stage are established. If there are any speakers not in the front, they are barely amplified and are ususally a small two-way. Typically they are turned off during the live show and are only used to play the filler between sets. I love going to these clubs. Mostly because I love live music. These clubs and his type venue are the usual guage for a proper car or home stereo setup in reference to imaging and staging. With a system that images and stages properly, you should be able to close your eyes and place each instrument on the stage. The guitar is on the right, rythm is on the left, bass in the center and drummer in the left rear for example. This can all be done without rear speakers.
