I enjoy artificial, "made up" soundstaging and stereo effects almost if not equally as much as the real thing. Out-of-phase insanities, echo chamber overkill, multi-tracked vocalists, horse race pan-potting, etc., etc., are tons of fun. Sure, sometimes it can be overdone more than a tad, but if it is done with panache it's a pleasure-and-a-half.
Is imaging reality?
I’m thrilled that I finally reached the point in my quest where instruments are spread across my listening field like a virtual “thousand points of light.” I would never want to go back to the dark ages of mediocre imaging, But as a former classical musician, the thought occurs to me, is this what I hear at a concert, even sitting in the first row? What we’re hearing is the perspective of where the microphones are placed, generally right on top of the musicians. So close that directionality is very perceptible, unlike what we hear in the hall. The quality of our systems accurately reproduces this perspective wonderfully.
But is it this as it is in the real world?
But is it this as it is in the real world?