Image depth


Can anyone offer a technical explanation of how a stereo system recreates image depth? Why are some center images behind the speakers, and others in front of the speakers, for example.
Should there be any depth to a mono recording, or should the image be directly in line with the speakers?
cakids
"Then one "BIG" step further is to remove the back wall from in between the speakers like I did, leaving a little 1-2mt behind each speaker for bass loading" Awesome George!
It gave me double the depth and imaging that I had before with the wall in place.
Here is a rough drawing of it. https://ibb.co/9g5VW5W (when it opens click it again to enlarge it) , many in Australia have copied it after they’ve heard/seen what kind of image and depth it presents.

The speakers are ML Monolith III’s with the much better Neolith ESL panels, 12" bass drivers are much better than the stock one

And later if you need to sell the house, you just put in 2 x double fold away doors that fold back against each of the 2 short walls.

If you have a look my editor/reviewer friend of Soundstage he did similar with his after hearing mine with his Alexia’s, installing a big bay window between the speakers to give more distance, (the equipment rack is just in between for picture purposes and lives on the side out of site).
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/wilson-alexia-2-3

Cheers George

Looking at that picture in Soundstage the speakers are too close to the back wall or window as it may be. That's a very reflective surface to have a speaker in front of.

This seems to be equivalent to moving the speakers farther out into the room. This is usually enhanced with a diffuser panel between the speakers on the front wall.
Interesting read on the topic:

https://ohmspeaker.com/news/are-we-out-of-depth/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hafler_circuit

I have heard highly customized dealer showrooms set up to deliver realistic imaging depth with appropriate-orchestral recordings, meaning specific player locations in a large 3-d area could be identified exactly, with a 2 channel system, but few if any rooms in people’s homes are designed for that.

Rectangular rooms or anything like that are the limitation. 

Same setup by same dealer at a show in a more conventional room: Not so much....more like all the rest.
I just completed most of my mods/upgrades in my system. The list is too long to describe. 
New high tech  mods will affect sound fq resolution = depth. 
Ck all my YT uploads , espec my latest , as now my sound has depth.  That is fq resolution/instrumental separations.

Depth is real, 
What before was FLAT,,now has depth. 
Yeah cost mea  bunch, but well worth it. 
Most stock components  need mods to acheive depth. 
A amp lab is not going to put in high price/high tech parts, Just not, Never did , never will.