Speaker Imaging - Do you hear a line, or do you hear an arc??


Hi Everyone,

I am not trolling, I genuinely am interested in your experiences.


When listening to a system you feel images well, how do you perceive the sound stage? Do you perceive it as a rectangular space on which the speakers sit, or does it sound like an arc, going further back towards the middle?


Please give examples with music and speakers if you have the time.


Thanks,
Erik
erik_squires

Showing 3 responses by twoleftears

Knowing how a full orchestra is conventionally seated on stage, I think we subliminally project that shape, higher and curved at the back, straight across the front, angling out at the sides, on to the cues coming from the recording. Note also, when a sound seems to be coming from farthest away, it’s pretty much always centrally located (center back).
The dog barking on Stereophile test disc 1 sounds well outside and to the rear of my speakers (diagonally back and away, pretty much into the front corners of the room).  I suppose that counts...

Here's a closely related question.

A fair number of LPs/CDs contain a photo of the group/orchestra playing while being recorded.

When listening to the recording, have you been able to correlated what you hear with what you see?  Does what you see affect, consciously or subliminally, what you hear?