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In the Forum: Playback Listening
In the Thread: Basic guide to advanced audio

Post Subject: Window vs Sound StagePosted by Jorge on: 7/31/2011

Part of setting up a system is listening to both channels independently, they measure the same and sound the same, but individually with a lower volume and punch, and of course no stereo effect.

" the audio window should get larger and larger, until it lose its meaning as a sound related artifact (in the best case scenario with top level acoustic systems) – it should be completely transparent window of unlimited size, that allows you to be and to feel like a part of the original music event. "

Window vs Soundstage: I guess we are talking about the same thing, the stereo effect caused by two speakers, very simply put. I have heard a lot of show systems with terrible soundstage, a very small "window like" soundstage, even on very expensive speakers. I always thought soundstage was more about the setting of the speakers, I guess with cone drivers, the size of the cone matters, as described by Haralanov and Paul S (on the Natural Remedies thread). I do know that if you set the speakers too far apart the soundstage breaks, more powerful, dynamic, speakers seem to hold the soundstage toghether for bigger separation lengths, It would be logical that a bigger cone area would push more energy across the soundstage and hold it for longer and maybe even image better.

I dont know how familiar Haralanov and Paul S are with horns set ups, but some of the bigest strenghs of horns is indeed power and dynamics, I have seen stereo horn pairs hold soundstage for very long lenghts, I dont know how important this is for soundstage even though it could it seem irrelevant.

IMHO horns do have the ability to image better than direct radiators. It seems that having a more focused output helps in avoiding early reflections of sound, so they work more like headphones. Whatever it is, horns do image wonderfully.

Now, the effects I am describing, like the Harmonizing effect and the Boiling point, and indeed the Sphere like soundstage go way beyond the normally nice soundstage natural to any stereo system. I would not really describe it as of unlimited size, this can happen on most well set up systems: The spherical soundstage is a completely different effect, it could even be seemingly smaller in size but what it does is expand to the front and rear. But the most definitve property is that instruments loose the extremes: you dont get highs or lows, just extended midrange.

What makes it spherical is that this mid-rangy sounding instruments jump out at you, somehow aquire, or better yet: demand, their physical space on the soundstage. It is spherical because you feel like you could bend downwards and look infinitely beyond the sphere, on bass, and also lets say stand up and get a clear view on top, like the "poles" of this sphere being highs and lows, not evidently present but seemingly infinite in extension. Hard to describe, but clear if you have heard it before.

I have been thinking for the last few days that maybe my initial description carries a terrible mistake: The Harmonizing effect comes before the Spherical soundstage, since this soundstage Sphere is a very important part of the Boilling effect.

Romy, can I get some confirmation from you on this.

Jorge

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