09-17-2023 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree Paul S San Diego, California, USA Posts 2,657 Joined on 10-12-2006 Post #: 1 Post ID: 27244 Reply to: 27244 Perspective? What can we say about perspective? Does it relate to soundstage? How can it not relate to soundstage? Is it something fixed in the playback, or can it vary from one recording to the next, even when nothing about the system is changed? Is it always “Row M”, or? Can we dial in perspective of our choice without affecting other aspects of playback? Paul S

09-18-2023 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree rowuk Germany Posts 454 Joined on 07-05-2012 Post #: 2 Post ID: 27245 Reply to: 27244 Perspective is geometry If we think about our favorite seats for "symphonic program", chamber concerts and solo performances, based on our favorite seat, we can draw the angle of view for each and duplicate that in the home. I happen to like row 15-20 in the large venues that I frequent. That results in the stage corners being about 80-90°. That is easy enough to create at home but greater than the traditional "isoceles triangle" setup mentioned in historic loudspeaker setup documentation.Unfortunately, my preferences for chamber and solo music are much closer to the ensemble, making the angle of incidence greater (110°-120°). I normally do not change the position of my speakers, but some toe in (more focus) or toe out (less intimate) often solves any preferences. Sitting closer to the ensemble makes individual performers easier to locate - exactly what happens with a small amount of toe in. Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

09-18-2023 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree Paul S San Diego, California, USA Posts 2,657 Joined on 10-12-2006 Post #: 3 Post ID: 27246 Reply to: 27245 Preferences vs. Recordings vs. Room vs. Speakers Robin, my live venue preferences are similar to yours. I was thinking about how we deal with the sound matrix in our listening rooms, based on the variables we are presented with. I remember when I gave no thought to soundstage and little thought about perspective. As I've reported at GSC, I've long heard the recording itself along with the recorded musical performance, and the recording processes and resultant effects have gotten ever more varied, including perspective and soundstage, as my system has "improved". I am thinking that this means I am manipulating my  speakers and where I sit in order to "shape" the the music from the recording's sound according to my preference. I did not want The Loudspeakers to have "built-in", ever-present sound effects, and I think if they do, then it isn't much. However, I can move them around to create sound effects, and I have been doing this. I hope to find locations for my new speakers and my chair where all sorts of Music will be presented "at its best" without moving my speakers or chair, despite the huge variety of music types and recordings. I like to follow my feelings about the Music and go from LP to LP or CD, composer to genre to performer, etc. with minimal time lag between performances, and thinking about the process also takes away from my reveries. Best regards, Paul S

09-18-2023 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree rowuk Germany Posts 454 Joined on 07-05-2012 Post #: 4 Post ID: 27247 Reply to: 27246 No standardized geometry recorded Paul,I first got into the geometry of playback after spending some time with John Eargle when he was at Delos. He had a simple microphone setup and demonstrated how to record and playback a 22 meter stage, or 25 or 16. Many of his recordings at Delos are still great to set toe-in/toe-out. He actively demonstrated the differences of pointing the tweeter at your nose, cheekbone or ear. With that, the same playback can be "intimate" with a small stage all the way to full blown large stage with orchestra. After some experience, only a couple of degrees are significant. I still use this to this day. I think that geometry is a parameter like distortion, frequency response or dynamics, with most systems and setups getting it wrong. I speak of distortion of geometry to my recording engineer son who really makes an effort to convince his dad. Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

09-19-2023 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree Paul S San Diego, California, USA Posts 2,657 Joined on 10-12-2006 Post #: 5 Post ID: 27248 Reply to: 27247 A Dozen "Perfect Recordings"? The Stopped Clock If the idea is to avoid winding up with just a few recordings that sound good via ones system, then one must somehow deal with inevitable variations in the "native presentation" that "inheres in the recording". Softening the sound of the system is one way to do it, so differences are smoothed over. Another way is to focus on certain aspects of recordings, and I think this is what most "hi-fi" is all about; one simply prefers and ultimately adopts a certain more-or-less fixed presentation. And it's hard to knock this approach, since increasing differences, per se, eventually brings one face to face with the recordings, per se, including the plain fact that plenty of recodings have fairly ridiculous perspectives, including overdubs, etc., with conflicting perspectives. As an example, probably most of us have heard systems that pretty much lock on "Row M". While there are times when it will "work perecctly", there are times when it won't work perfectly. The question remains, how to present The Sound in order to get Music from the most possible sources? I have remained a slowly-rolling stone over the decades, taking different perspectives in order to keep the Music I love fresh and alive. People talk about going through all their records again, and I know just what they're talking about. I'm down to maybe 1,000 LPs that I hope stay fresh for me until I croak. Paul S

09-19-2023 Post does not mapped to Knowledge Tree rowuk Germany Posts 454 Joined on 07-05-2012 Post #: 6 Post ID: 27249 Reply to: 27248 I think that Romy is on to something here With a DSP surround scheme, we can optimize the static front image and control room delivery at the push of a button with the rear channels. Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.