Imaging and Sound Stage
I think we are not only interested in musicality but we are interested in imaging and the soundstage. Some listeners are very serious about musicality and consider imaging and sound staging something of a novelty. Other listeners, possibly more frivolous (I fit into this category) really love imaging and sound staging almost more than the musicality.
When I get to work with clients on their room I always have to sort out their preference focus in listening; music or imaging. I think the path to setting up a room is different depending on musicality v imaging preference. In the end, great rooms have it all, they sound great and their imaging/soundstage is out of this world.
A great introductory read in this area is Chapter 3 of Robert Harley’s The Complete Guide to High End Audio second, third and fourth editions. I was asked to write an article for the 4th edition about setting up acoustics for hifi room. Check it out.
First project. Get used to seeing the image. Put MATT into player and settle down into your chair. Play MATT and instead of worrying about garbled passages, worry about the image, where is it?
The MATT test is mono, a perfect mono. If the image is where it is supposed to be, it will be centered, dead ahead, a tiny bright dot right between the two speakers. Each time there is a tone burst there will also be a bright dot of light, center stage.
But in the real world, the bright center stage dot does not stay in one place. It moves around, gets larger and foggier or smaller and sharper. It can be a bright dot that does not stand still but one that moves around. .
So let’s get some rooms warmed up again and playing MATT mono and write up your observations about what happened to the image.
Art Noxon
June 2011
Acoustic Sciences Corp
I think we are not only interested in musicality but we are interested in imaging and the soundstage. Some listeners are very serious about musicality and consider imaging and sound staging something of a novelty. Other listeners, possibly more frivolous (I fit into this category) really love imaging and sound staging almost more than the musicality.
When I get to work with clients on their room I always have to sort out their preference focus in listening; music or imaging. I think the path to setting up a room is different depending on musicality v imaging preference. In the end, great rooms have it all, they sound great and their imaging/soundstage is out of this world.
A great introductory read in this area is Chapter 3 of Robert Harley’s The Complete Guide to High End Audio second, third and fourth editions. I was asked to write an article for the 4th edition about setting up acoustics for hifi room. Check it out.
First project. Get used to seeing the image. Put MATT into player and settle down into your chair. Play MATT and instead of worrying about garbled passages, worry about the image, where is it?
The MATT test is mono, a perfect mono. If the image is where it is supposed to be, it will be centered, dead ahead, a tiny bright dot right between the two speakers. Each time there is a tone burst there will also be a bright dot of light, center stage.
But in the real world, the bright center stage dot does not stay in one place. It moves around, gets larger and foggier or smaller and sharper. It can be a bright dot that does not stand still but one that moves around. .
So let’s get some rooms warmed up again and playing MATT mono and write up your observations about what happened to the image.
Art Noxon
June 2011
Acoustic Sciences Corp