A few random ramblings and this is an issue I have wondered about for along time. I think it is interesting that so many live performances have the best seats in the front third and, in larger venues, the back is very open. In all the indoor orchestral concert halls this is the case. Bass is reinforced by a sealed room, but that also makes it harder to control. How many of us have openings to the rooms our equipment is in? I have found that I can compensate for the bass with large subwoofer. My next purchase will be for a second sub to even out the bass frequencies. The high and mid range is usually quite good without a back wall, since there is no concern about reflections from the back. The responses so far are interesting!
Importance of wall behind listener?
In my audio setup, I essentially have no back walls to speak of. Behind the listener is an opening into a long hallway, an opening to a den (to the left of listening position), and an opening to the kitchen (to the right of listening position). I'm wondering if this is a hinderence in getting a truly 3D holographic soundstage representation. Other folks who have a near identical systems get phenominal soundstages, so I know it's not any of the equipment. The difference is they have a back wall vs. my no back wall, and their straight ceiling vs. my sloped celiling (peaked at center, dropping on both sides).
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?