Soundstage

[Gaz]

It's something that fascinates me, how people hear things differently, technically all the soundstage effects we hear are nothing but illusions.
Most audiophiles, myself included, refer to soundstage but trying to explain or demonstrate it is difficult. For example if somebody names a specific track and states where a particular instrument appears to be would everybody agree on the placement?

[Yomanze]

It's something that fascinates me, how people hear things differently, technically all the soundstage effects we hear are nothing but illusions.
Most audiophiles, myself included, refer to soundstage but trying to explain or demonstrate it is difficult. For example if somebody names a specific track and states where a particular instrument appears to be would everybody agree on the placement?

You're talking more about imaging.

Soundstage is the sense of space in a recording, whereas imaging deals with the placement of instruments.

These are not illusions, but are present in the recording, and should be able to be conveyed by the speakers. However, different speakers will preserve soundstage and imaging differently, so comparisons are difficult. If 6 people were listening to the same song on the same system, then they'd probably agree on the placement.

[Clive]

It's interesting that soundstage and imaging as yet have no correlated metrics. Some of the effect probably depends on our own experience of real acoustics and instruments but the lack of measurements is a big hole.

[Yomanze]

It's interesting that soundstage and imaging as yet have no correlated metrics. Some of the effect probably depends on our own experience of real acoustics and instruments but the lack of measurements is a big hole.

Indeed. One of the areas where the ears are the only real way to measure it.

[GrahamS]

Headphones don't have a soundstage anyway.

Nobody mixes and masters for headphone listening. I've never understood why anyone would voluntarily listen to music on headphones.

Agree! Which is why I can't understand the silly prices of "headphone amps."

[bumpy]

Its a fascinating topic. I listen near field on open baffle speakers and have been stunned how changing just one component in the DAC can push the soundstage from between the speakers to the back of a concert hall.

[Gaz]

When I say illusion I mean we may believe that sound is coming from between, in front of, or the sides of the speakers but they aren't, that is an illusion, the sound is actually coming from two boxes and nowhere else.
Thankfully our brains interpret the varying levels as what we call a soundstage.

[Yomanze]

Its a fascinating topic. I listen near field on open baffle speakers and have been stunned how changing just one component in the DAC can push the soundstage from between the speakers to the back of a concert hall.

To make matters even more confusing, some people like a “front row” presentation and others “mid row”...

[bumpy]

To make matters even more confusing, some people like a “front row” presentation and others “mid row”...

That's true. In my system the speakers are physically close (near field) and it felt really strange to have the sound stage recessed.

[Macca]

I think all systems will do soundstage and imaging providing the room is not intrusive and the speakers are set up properly in relation to the listening position. And the mixing engineer has mixed it to give some illusion of depth etc.

The difference being you have to listen for it with lesser systems. The harder you listen the more it appears. With a really good, well set up system it is just there, you don't have to concentrate. You just sit there and marvel at it.

It's where the room matters most. My room is too narrow. With my present speakers which are pretty tall it's nothing to write home about, when I've had shorter speakers in the past it was better. I really need to treat the room or get shorter speakers or both. My new speakers will be shorter so I'm hoping that will help. When you hear a system that does it really well only then do you realise you want it. For me that was Gordon's system (Halfway Tree on here) with his Linkwitz speakers. I didn't believe it was physically possible to get imaging and soundstage that good until I heard that set up.