Speaker Imaging - Do you hear a line, or do you hear an arc??

In nearfield listening, dependent of the mikes engineering process on the audio record, image is between my speakers with a depth that extend beyond the wall (my speakers are at 10 inches of a wall with one almost touching a column(not ideal)...In regular distance listening the image float forward and with a depth, and sometimes sit at the exterior of the speakers and not only forward toward me...the rules is simple: speakers must disappear behind 3-d music...Then, nor a line neither an arc, but a 3-d sphere for each instrument in an all enveloping sphere behind my wall...


With my headphone the depth also is 3 d with each instrument in his 3-d space...They are so good that I prefer almost listening with them...Normally I prefer speakers to headphones...


Exept for the naturalness of the musical timbre of voices and instrument, I valued more imaging, and 3-d holographic... It takes me 5 trying experiment and purchase with headphones to discover only one to my total satisfaction and it was the one that cost the least money, then beware before buying... I owns 2 Stax. one hidfiman he 400, Akg 340 and AKG 701... My best was for sure the 60 bucks new Fostex TH 7 b...Modified and tweaked it best them all others on almost all counts...


I know now that money dont buy you necessarily the best audiophile system possible for the price, but tweaks will, cleaning methods for resonance, room treatment, controls of noise levels are paramount and imperative with any audio gear at any price, and acoustic controls of the room...

I don't understand the reference to straight line or arc.  My sound stage is as random as every recording. Mine is so immersive that i often find myself hitting mute because i feel like i heard something or someone around me . Often i turn my head straight to the side thinking someone else has entered the room.(55’x35’x15’h) Certain  program material can lead me to believe i am surrounded with my  2.0 perceived directionality . I’m not a word smith but i know what i mean. 

I agree.  Not sure about a "line" or an "arc" in an image.  What I get is nothing at all like that.  I don't hear the speakers at all.  What I hear is the soundstage with instruments all over in proper depth / position on state and side-to-side positioning.  The soundstage is not located between the speakers but rather is outside of the space between the speakers.  Almost everything is behind the line between the speakers except those reproduced sounds that are close to the listening position.

I have observed that sometimes a flattening of the image between or behind the speakers have come from distortion, but that's not always the case.  Sometimes it's just the way the music was recorded.

Aside from the numerous variables (all of which have already been mentioned and discussed), optimally, Yes, an "arc" with depth that more-or-less resembles an orchestra, a classical chamber group, a jazz ensemble, folk and Delta blues music. As for rock, it’s so heavily amplified and listened to at such high SPL, I’ve never noticed all that much of a sound stage: just a wall of sound.

a lot of it depends on the recording. I have Lynn Stanley at 45rpm and she is in front of  the speakers with the band behind her. Some of my D2D recordings do the same. 45 rpm reissues of The Doors are like being in the studio with them - listen to Jim whispering on Riders on the Storm.