Solid state amplifiers and sound stage, especially front to back "depth"

There is lot more involve reproducing sound stage depth. First and foremost is the recording itself. Audio chain cannot reproduce "depth" if it not encoded in to the recording. Most of my classical music recordings have excellent depth or front-to-back layering.


Speakers, placement, listening room, and listening position/height play a huge role reproducing this perceived depth. Amplifier comes next. I cannot comment about tube amps being better or worse reproducing depth. My Thiel 3.6 speakers are driven by SS amps (Mark Levinson 23.5 and Krell KST 100) and I cannot be more happy with the results of reproducing front-to-back layering. I use tube preamps (Cary SLP 03 and VTL TL 2.5) with NOS tubes. But I know friends who got similar results with SS preamps as well.


I also find that my LPs have more depth than some of the CDs. Past weekend, I was listening to Gustav Mahler's 6th symphony by Jascha Horenstein conducting Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. This is a 2 LP set and front-to-back layering in addition to left-to-right imaging was excellent. The Big Sound by Johnny Hodges and the Ellington Men is another LP with excellent left-to-right imaging and front-to-back layering of musicians. My rock albums have some of the worst reproduction of depth including Beatles albums. So it is not just one thing, but a combination of many factors.
 

good topic, worthwhile discussion @hilde45

i agree with those who have stated the degree of quietness/blackness and low distortion of ss amps helps them fully develop the stereo image and soundstage ... this is the case with hegel pass ayre imo... that ultra deep dark background helps imaging depth and specificity

that been said, i think tube amps (at least very good ones, with power, damping factor and good s/n) expand/magnify the sense of imaging - this i believe is from how they handle harmonics (aided by harmonic distortion) and differing decay of notes (thus you get a sense of bloom and air around notes) which aids in their developing the illusion of soundstaging depth - audio research ref and vac renaissance amps do this, as do the lta zotl and to some degree the carver crimson in my experience

lastly, of course, recording quality is key... the info needs to be there

Amplifier design is critical for achieving, or not, really good imaging/soundstaging.

It has nothing to do with tubes or SS devices! It has to do with design and execution. You can have a flat wall soundscape with either tubes or transistors. It’s not the device that determines it. It’s completely about the amplifier design.

I think tubes amp manufacturers do especially when it comes to bass control and transient speed 

yogiboy3,968 posts05-10-2021 10:30pmMany solid state amplifier manufactures and reviewers boast about having a tube like sound. When is the last time that you have seen a tube amp manufacturer boast about having a solid state like sound? I wonder why that is?

There is lot more involve reproducing sound stage depth. First and foremost is the recording itself. Audio chain cannot reproduce "depth" if it not encoded in to the recording. Most of my classical music recordings have excellent depth or front-to-back layering.

 I listen mostly to symphonies and concerti. Well engineered recordings capture a wide and deep soundstage. Minimal mic techniques result in a sense of space in all directions whereas modern multi, close mic'd recordings lose that imaging. The soundstage may extend beyond the speakers, but 3D imaging is lost. There are some classical labels and certain concert halls which today reproduce a deep soundstage. 
This is a genre which proves depth is in the recording.