Holographic imaging

Mapman,

Yes, I have an old Carver C-9 Sonic Hologram Generator that was made to do the same trick. It injects some out of phase info into the signals (as I understand it) that is supposed to eliminate interaural cross-talk, i.e., it's designed such that each of your ears hears only one speaker or the other... like wearing headphones, but out into the room.

The resulting "holography" varies with the source material. You will definitely hear sounds and instruments coming from all over, way beyond the speakers. Whether the resulting effect is "accurate" is another question, bit it's definitely compelling with the right source material.

Not to beat this thread to death (probably too late for that ;-) ) but to me, soundstage and imaging are what happen between and sometimes to the right and left of right and left speakers, respectively (as in, "Those speakers throw a huge soundstage)" whereas "holographic" refers to the sense that sounds and instruments are "out in the room" closer to you than the plane of the speakers.

How much of this is about the speaker and how much is about deliberate or inadvertent artifacts of the recording process I don't know.

I just picked up a copy of "When I Look Into Your Eyes" by Diana Krall. On one of the first two cuts (can't remember right now) there's a piano entrance that eerily seems to envelop the listener all around the listening position. I don't know if it's "realistic," but it's impressive and in my book, "holographic."

YMMV, as they say.