One point to note that in addition to room size, the placement of the speakers in the room is another big factor that impacts soundstage. Most good speakers are capable of big soundstage I have found IF matched to the room and set up well.
What varies more from speaker to speaker I find is how well or how realistically the speaker places things within that soundstage. BEtter speakers are able to do this better in general. Also, a larger soundstage makes it easier for the listener's ears to triangulate and determine differences in location of the musical elements that occur within the soundstage and together form the music and also to detect subtle nuances captured in the recording.
A large well defined soundstage with good imaging is like watching an HD movie on large format TV and provides the best playing field availble in the home for having a shot at reproducing and our ears detecting everything the recording has to offer. |
MAGICO MINI 2 with STEALTH V10 speaker cable. |
3d demension only?
easy...planars....and specifically:
Id put Magnapan at the top of the list. You will be looking for rear speakers there so good at it. |
I agree with the Philojet, Audio Note speakers are wide disperson designs and are noted for their wide soundstage.
Due to their design, Ohm Walsh speakers provide a very wide soundstage due to unique design. If they are placed properly there is essentially no sweet spot in the room; you can move about and enjoy the music.
As stated above, dipoles can also provide a very wide soundstage but are more tricky and/or problematic to position properly for the best sound. |
Omega Super 6 XRS Alnico or the Super 8 XRS Alnico. I had a pair of the XRS 8's for a year and loved the sound stage they threw. Room placement is very easy for the XRS line, and they sound great!!! I unfortunatly had to sell my XRS 8's due to the bad economy. Call Louis he is a great guy and his speakers come with a 30 day return policy.
(203) 847-2800
Rodge |
Like what othershave posted, soundstage size is not just contribution of the speakers, room acoustics plays a big role as well. |
These are very rare and very hard to find, vintage sansui sp-5500 horn speakers made in Japan have a HUGE soundstage! I think they are one of the best sounding speakers ever made! |
I just auditioned the Gallo 3.5s, which were remarkable on soundstaging and imaging, especially considering their small size (the pictures somehow make them look bigger than they appear in person).
The list at 6k, and it's a bit early to find them used, but it might be worth considering the 3.1s, which could easily be had at your pricepoint (well below, actually).
Sensitivity might be an issue, but I think some people around here are pleased with the results with Gallo's and lower power gear. |
Speakers that image well and flourish in a large room will have the biggest sound stage because the room is bigger mostly.
OHM Walsh speakers typically image from wall to wall in any size room. The larger the room, the wider the soundstage.
mbls perform similarly and have the deepest and most 3-d soundstage I have heard when set up right in a large room with lots of room behind them.
I've heard Maggies set up optimally in a mid-room configuration create a room filling soundstage. Other planars set up similarly probably do the same.
I've also heard a stereo pair Martin Logan and Focal speakers set up near the front wall holographically fill a large acoustically lively rectangular room quite holographically with much of the sound seemingly coming from the rear of the room
I've also heard Dynaudio monitors set up wide and mid room along the long dimension of the room fill the most of the room with an an accurately defined soundstage from wall to wall. |
woow thx everyone for your suggestions. There're quite a lot of speakers I gotta try!!
Unfortunately I wouldn't add any room treatment nor replace any other equipments except my speakers.
How about the Zu Essence and Tyler acoustic D3 or acoustic zen adagio? |
In my experience, most dipole speakers do an excellent job with soundstage. I've heard great examples with planar, electostatic and open baffle designs. This is a fundamental strength of most boxless designs. On the flip side these type of speakers (in general) have a harder time with bass and microdynamics. There is no perfect speaker. Pick your sound priority and find the speaker design that optimizes accordingly. |
The new Magnepan 1.7s. They will play louder than you think with 40-50 watts of good power. |
My soundlab m2's and dunlavy sc3's produced a large realistic soundstage for my listening room. |
Larger loudspeakers can produce a large sound-stage. |
IME, a speaker's dispersion pattern and cabinet design seem to dictate the character of the soundstage more than any other factors. Certainly not 100% of the story, but a BIG part of it. Mini monitors and planars both have their particular staging strengths, but IMHO, omnis tend to produce the biggest picture of all.
Marty |
Decware speakers are known for their sound stage capability's.
Steve offers a 30 day in home trial, check em out! Good luck!! |
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wilson watt puppies. surround sound without extra speakers in the room
He is going to find those for 3500.00 where?
Shakey |
wilson watt puppies. surround sound without extra speakers in the room. |
hmmm...HUGE soundstage but NOTHING else. Sounds like the Bose 901s to me. |
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Ojgalli is right but there is even more to say. Soundstage is not a function of the speaker alone. Setup is critical of course. Monoblock amplification has given me a bigger soundstage, and so has conditioning the AC power. |
Ojgalli, Speakers, dispersion, room reflections and placement mean nothing without the proper electronics.
Amplifiers, preamps and source components play a huge role in the presentation. |
Soundstage is a function of the acoustical interaction between the speakers' dispersion, room reflections and placement.
I have found that dipole or omnidirectional speakers provide the biggest soundstage. Front wall to speaker distance affects the depthminimum 3 feet, preferably around 4-5 feet. Pulling your speakers out from the front wall also increases the ratio of direct to reflected sound, a secondary benefit. |
i've run Coincident Partial Eclipse II's w/a sli-80 for over 5 yrs now w/out any desire to upgrade...good luck |
Ditto on the Harbeth's. For me, the HL-P3 series, old or new. On the vintage front, especially if you are going to use tubes, the Spica TC-50 is a favorite, and throws a huge soundstage. |
I agree on the tube part. Look at electrostats or hybrids with Electrostats. You cant beat them for soundstage open-ness:
http://www.cadenceaudio.com/speakers.html |
The speakers that are set up correctly and use both tube preamps and tubed power amps for electronics. I found the tubed power amps have by far the biggest effect on soundstage then the input tube on your pre. I know some will claim otherwise but if you try it you will see that it is the case. |
I suggest looking into used Merlin VSMs. |
I agree with the two above. I slightly prefer the sound of the SHL5s and they dont need to be in the corners to get there best bass. |
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Audio Note model E have a huge soundstage even when they are in the corners of the room
worth a listen |
