soundstage

Speaker placement (within your room, of course). That's where the "soundstageing comes from. It also comes from the recording & mastering -- but you can't do anything about that!

Try placing yr speakers further into the room and asymmetrically to the side walls -- i.e. at an angle to their back wall.

I have a bunch of speakers, I'd have to say you're not going to get a whole lot of spacial revelation with a big horn loaded speaker anyway.. I don't with mine. Plus I have to be listening absolutely on-axis down the throats of the horns for the best treble.

Thanks , for all the help. I will try all suggestions.
Larry

I may get disagreement here, but this is my view on soundstage. Side to side soundstage is enhanced by fewer drivers or more of a point source (i.e. old Tannoy speakers.) They can still be excellent provided that the drivers are in a single vertical line for each channel, although I think you get a bit of smear from the room because it will reflect back from more than a point source. We are basically looking at recreating the point source of microphones, correct?

Front to back soundstage is enhanced by dynamics, partly by how much louder the close material is compared to the rear instruments. You tend to hear less detail in the further instruments. But the main character of depth is the result of transients that recreate a 'space'. Close instruments are heard more directly with reflections taking a back seat, whereas farther instruments have reflected sound competing more with the direct signal recorded.

I think any part of the system that can reproduce these transients more clearly, will help resolve the front to back soundstage. The room can, of course, interfere. In fact, I often find that havings the speakers a few feet from the back wall creates more front to back.

Perhaps everyone here will have a different perspective as to which part of the reproduction chain will make the most difference. I say whatever the weak link in the system, that's what will provide the most improvement.

If you have the 811 horn in your Altecs, it is not time aligned. I think that speaker placement affects standing waves in the bass which can affect your ears sense of depth.

I think mainly, however, that electronics can greatly affect soundstaging. After you have heard the H-Cat P12 line stage you too will be a believer in this.

For the last ten years I have used nothing but horns and had very good as well as poor soundstaging.