the ideal soundstage is that which existed in the original recording venue if properly captured by the recordist...most stereo recordings have have some of htis data and will give osme kind of imaging. all the dimensions noted can come back---including the vertical one. on the minnie ripperton perfect angel album, on the song 'loving you' there are birds up in a tree. on a good system, they are UP in the tree. on the organ performance of pictures at an exhibition an musical heritage LP, the high pipes are just that like they are in a real pipe organ.(not my fave perf here but the effect is there). milli224 is right about 'amused to death', i was lucky enuf to score vinyl of this when hobson and tan had pacific vinyl(a mail order service before classic records existed). on the vewrtical note, the helicopters in 'the wall' are overhead. the quadaptor is something ive used since the 70s. i now have the 5ch model, i dont use the center for music but do for video. shack min7s in back, mirage ctr in fc, malibu lighting wire (16ga, good insul.) for rear and ctr, kinber 8tc direct from adcom 555II to l+r main spks, all other chnls from quadaptor. i dont worry about ohmage with th adcom, remeber the apogee diva was 1 ohm and successfully by the 555II back in the day? live recordings such as dire sts 'on the night' are spectacular this way. overall, dyna imaging is sometimes diffuse but so is live music if youre honest about it. however, some imaging seems locked in such as stravinsky's petrushka by boulez on columbia (now avail on cd coupled w/rite), my fave trushka by the way. i have a new in the box 5ch quadaptor if someones interested. hifitommy@aol
