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Depth Imaging

My KEF 104/2s are 92" apart and flank a Sony 36 XBR. The fronts of the KEFs are 38" from the wall, 35" from the side walls. Frequencies below 80 Hz are shunted to a Velodyne HGS-15. I improved depth imaging for stereo by removing two equipment cabinets that sat on each side of the XBR and between the KEFs, and removing the cabinet around the XBR. Horizontal and vertical imaging are excellent.

I want a larger video image to better match the large sound stage. Front projection is an obvious answer that would improve audio depth imaging further, but I'd need a flat panal display behind a pull down screen so we don't have to sit in a dark room for regular TV viewing. An alternate is a flatter monitor that sits between the KEFs, e.g. a plasma or the new 60" Sony XBR Qualia spin-off rear projection.

This raises the essential question of this post: Is it the mass or the relective surface area between the speakers that interferes with good depth imaging? That is, would a 60" plasma monitor interfere any less with depth imaging than a 60" rear projection monitor? My knowledge of acoustic propagation and its effect on depth imaging is not up to the task, so I'm seeking help.

db
donbellphd

Showing 2 responses by rushton

rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
db,

Unfortunately, anything you put in between the speakers is likely to have an adverse impact on the soundstaging that the speakers can deliver. Large flat reflective surfaces are the most difficult to deal with. Once you decide something must be in between your speakers, it's all compromise from that point forward. Moving from a 36" screen to a 60" screen is just going to make the soundstaging that much more challenging. Our nemesis for many years in a former home was a large upright piano between the speakers. For us, the solution for listening was some heavy damping/absorbtive material placed over the piano and the speakers pulled forward further into the room, but we could never achieve satisfactory recreation of depth in the recordings. Today, in a different house and room, we have nothing in between the speakers, the speakers about 1/3 of the way into the room, and the soundstaging, including depth reproduction, is excellent.
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rushton's avatar
rushton
2,445 posts
 
db,

Your experience with depth imaging on that super expensive system can be replicated with much more modest systems, so don't give up on your pursuit of this aspect of music reproduction if it's important to you! My first experience with excellent depth reproduction was in a 12x16' room with moderately priced conrad-johnson tube electronics and Celestion SL-6 speakers. This was in the early- mid-80's. As we listened to the Tallis Scholars performance of the Allegri Miserere on a Classics for Pleasure (CFP) LP, the soundstage seemed to extend back into the next room past the wall behind the speakers! It's all about having speakers with great imaging capability and electronics that are not messing up the timing of the music.

Good luck continuing your search.
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