Dream on.
is the 1990s "WIDE MODE" setting the 'soundstage' of today, and a gimmick?
Hi All,
My family had a small boombox in the 1990s, and it had a switch with 3 settings:
1. Mono
2. Stereo
3. Wide
When i flipped it to wide mode, I was suddenly enveloped in the music being played. The music was coming from all around me and i could not identify its source, even though I knew it was from the boombox. This was of course gimmicky, and i’m not sure what the other audio trade-offs must have been if any (e.g. dynamics, instrument separation etc.), but it sure was a wonderful experience. But it was of course not rocket-science and a manufacturer could implement it into cheap equipment.
Fast forward to today. When i read reviews of someone swapping in a new device, and is experiencing a new breathtaking soundstage, i always wonder if the manufacturer of that device has implemented a degree of the old "Wide Mode" to captivate the listener?
What do you all think about the old Wide Mode? And if it is being currently implemented into audio gear?