Soundstage - Too much?


Is there such a thing as too much soundstage? Should the width of the stage extend to the side walls in your listening room? How would you compare the soundstage in your system to live music?
jtinn

Showing 3 responses by garfish

.....false alarm about the voting/rating thing on my part. At some point I just didn't close "the window". I completed rating each post-- must have taken 10 minutes. Cheers. Craig.
I really think this is an excellent thread and posts. I didn't know how to rate all the "good stuff", so I decided to just give everyone a +1 for content and a +1 for delivery. I got about 1/3 of the way through the posts, and the "system" wouldn't accept any more ratings by me. I suppose a question for Agon?? But thanks to all for content and delivery-- I think this is what this forum was meant to be. I can contribute a question. On several occasions (with component, PC, and tube changes) I have gotten a huge, forward, diffuse, very airy, and IMO, a very unnatural soundstage. This was caused when using (1) ML 331 amp, (2) SF Line 3 pre-amp, (3) API power cord on McCormack DNA-2DX amp, (4) ESP Essence PC on DNA2 amp, (5) putting NOS Amperex 7308 tubes in 2 positions in my standard SF Line 2 pre-amp. The "normal" image in my system is very solidly behind and between my Vand. 3As with soundstaging depending on CD, eg Lucinda Williams "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" soundstages wall to wall, and a few others do this as well, but in my case most soundstaging is just between speakers. My 3As are on a short wall of my 14 X 22 room. Center to center about 80" apart and about 3 feet from sidewalls, and 4.5 ft. from front wall. I definitely do prefer this laid back presentation, but have really wondered about the huge, forward, diffuse soundstage with equipment changes. It absolutely amazed me that a single PC or tube change could do this. It seemed more possible with a major component change, ie the amp and pre-amp noted. Any thoughts, comments? Seems like this question fits this thread. Thanks. Craig
Thanks PI, but my system is sounding great. My above post is a bit confusing. I got that big, bloomy, forward, diffuse soundstage only when I was auditioning the components listed above, and was wondering if anyone else has ever experienced that phenomenon. This condition happened with each of the items noted. I did not audition them all together, but individually. My listening position is at 9-9.5 ft., and I do not use a sub. Cheers. Craig.