trifidmaster
New member
What I want to discuss is: how big the sound stage should be in vertical direction?
Any advice comment is welcome.
trif
Any advice comment is welcome.
trif
Last edited:
Ethan Winer
Acoustics Expert
Trif,
> how big the sound stage should be in vertical direction? <
This is entirely a function of avoiding early reflections in the listening room. When all early reflections are avoided, the height and width are both maximum. As an example, in my home theater the center channel speaker is just below the screen, and all the first reflection points are treated with absorption. If I sit in the correct position, vertical imaging is very good and I can't tell that the sound is coming from below the picture. But if I move back to behind the couch, out of the reflection-free zone, then I can hear that the sound is coming from the speaker (which destroys the illusion).
--Ethan
> how big the sound stage should be in vertical direction? <
This is entirely a function of avoiding early reflections in the listening room. When all early reflections are avoided, the height and width are both maximum. As an example, in my home theater the center channel speaker is just below the screen, and all the first reflection points are treated with absorption. If I sit in the correct position, vertical imaging is very good and I can't tell that the sound is coming from below the picture. But if I move back to behind the couch, out of the reflection-free zone, then I can hear that the sound is coming from the speaker (which destroys the illusion).
--Ethan
trifidmaster
New member
Ethan,
When I sit in the listening position I also have a relatively nice sound stage. I am listening to the music through the speakers (and not at the speakers) - so I have the illusion that the sound is in front of me. The horizontal dispersion of the sound (left-right) is nice as is the lateral dimension (closer to me-further from me).
What bothers me is that in some music the percussions/sound-effects are realy "jumping out" from the left or right speakers - as they would be not part of the soundstage. Strange! But this effect is very much music related - some records are just fine/ soem are having this "side-effect". Perhaps those records are made like that, what I do not think so.
In my case the vertical size (up-down) of the soundstage is limited - I have thougt so that this should have a size.
Any further comment is welcome.
Trif.
When I sit in the listening position I also have a relatively nice sound stage. I am listening to the music through the speakers (and not at the speakers) - so I have the illusion that the sound is in front of me. The horizontal dispersion of the sound (left-right) is nice as is the lateral dimension (closer to me-further from me).
What bothers me is that in some music the percussions/sound-effects are realy "jumping out" from the left or right speakers - as they would be not part of the soundstage. Strange! But this effect is very much music related - some records are just fine/ soem are having this "side-effect". Perhaps those records are made like that, what I do not think so.
In my case the vertical size (up-down) of the soundstage is limited - I have thougt so that this should have a size.
Any further comment is welcome.
Trif.
Ethan Winer
Acoustics Expert
Trif,
> some records are just fine/ soem are having this "side-effect". <
There are plug-ins that can "widen" a track or mix by changing the phase a little differently on each side. This is related to the "wide" switch on some boombox portable stereos so it sounds like the speakers are much farther apart than they really are. Some mixing and masterering engineers add a little of this effect, so maybe that's what you're hearing.
--Ethan
> some records are just fine/ soem are having this "side-effect". <
There are plug-ins that can "widen" a track or mix by changing the phase a little differently on each side. This is related to the "wide" switch on some boombox portable stereos so it sounds like the speakers are much farther apart than they really are. Some mixing and masterering engineers add a little of this effect, so maybe that's what you're hearing.
--Ethan