My theory about soundstage is if the musical recording does indeed include the soundstage "information", then any component in the audio chain - tubes, cables, source gear, amp, preamp, etc., etc., as well as room acoustics and speaker placement, can and will contribute to rendering that information. If everything is the same and a change in the tube brand renders a more realistic soundstage, then one could surmise that it's the tube that is delivering more of that information. Don't know if this qualifies as an answer but it's my opinion.
Soundstage, layering and tube differences
Within tube types, say el34’s, can anyone explain why one brand of tube like SED C’s have deep layered soundstaging and another, such as the Mullard reissue el34’s ,are more 2D? I just replaced my 10 year old SED’s with the Mullards ( which still need burn-in), but they are not nearly as 3D in my amps and are reported to be such.
Do some tubes resolve the actual recorded room acoustics better or is it a matter of harmonic distortion giving the illusion of soundstaging and 3 dimensionality??
Do some tubes resolve the actual recorded room acoustics better or is it a matter of harmonic distortion giving the illusion of soundstaging and 3 dimensionality??