dlcockrum’s 12-24 post concerning varying degrees of imaging and depth are what I have found to be the case of my main listening room. For several years using Legacy Focus speakers with EAR 864 pre-amp, I had lost my soundstage depth. For the last three years, I reinserted an upgraded custom pre-amp with Stillpoint SS and obtained a fair amount of soundstage depth, let’s say 10 to 15 feet when recorded that way. Then I inserted Synergistic Research black fuses in my amps and duplex outlet. Whoa Nelly!! I have a huge soundstage in both width and depth depending on the recording of course. For 20 years I owned only electrostats which had great depth. When I switched to the Focus speakers, I lost most of my depth. It just took equipment and tweaks to bring it all back. I would never trade in my dynamic speakers for electrostats and my wife wouldn’t allow a Magnapan to play her rock.
My audio engineer friend Grover Huffman and I have attended three consecutive Newport Audio shows. Its interesting to note that the first thing he notices about most rooms is the lack of depth and soundstage. Sometimes, we pop in his A/C cables and ICs in a room and the room is breathing music in depth and width where there previously was a jumbled sound. Often, the smaller monitor size speakers have very superior depth and imaging to the huge/heavy speakers. Its just the way it appears to us. I haven’t heard a Wilson or Magico speaker built pre-2016 that I would own. I did hear some impressive large speakers by von Schweigert in 2015. The Harbeth 40.2 speakers were impressive although ugly. Some high end audiophiles may scorn my Focus speakers but when set up in the right system, they play music as good as any system I’ve heard at the shows I’ve attended. Its not just the speakers but the entire system and room acoustics that determine whether one can fully immerse themselves in the music.
My audio engineer friend Grover Huffman and I have attended three consecutive Newport Audio shows. Its interesting to note that the first thing he notices about most rooms is the lack of depth and soundstage. Sometimes, we pop in his A/C cables and ICs in a room and the room is breathing music in depth and width where there previously was a jumbled sound. Often, the smaller monitor size speakers have very superior depth and imaging to the huge/heavy speakers. Its just the way it appears to us. I haven’t heard a Wilson or Magico speaker built pre-2016 that I would own. I did hear some impressive large speakers by von Schweigert in 2015. The Harbeth 40.2 speakers were impressive although ugly. Some high end audiophiles may scorn my Focus speakers but when set up in the right system, they play music as good as any system I’ve heard at the shows I’ve attended. Its not just the speakers but the entire system and room acoustics that determine whether one can fully immerse themselves in the music.