Are there speakers that disappear regardless of the recording?


I have a pair of B&W 805d3’s. Strictly analog system. Source is the Clearaudio Ovation, Hana SL cart. Herron VTPH-2A phono stage. Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II integrated amp. The speakers sound great most of the time. I have many records that cause the speakers to essentially disappear with a holographic sound stage, beautiful imaging and great dynamics. Some other records, not so much. Curious if there’s a way to achieve disappearing speakers no matter what recording you throw at them? Thanks!

paulgardner

Except for very rare bad recording, they are always some acoustical cues in most recording related to the POTENTIAL imaging soundstage timbre and all others acoustic cues ready and waiting  to be translated for and in your room and this acoustic information is more or less well conveyed by your gear to the speakers/room for sure...The inequality of different gear for this conveying task is a common place fact...

The recording circle you alluded to, has for center : the ACOUSTIC room control...

NO one listen to the speakers alone in a small room...We listen to the speakers/room... Why ? Divide the speed of sound by the dimension of your room to know why and calculate the time your brain use to work this information between the distance of your 2 ears trelatively to the 2 speakers and the walls of reflected sound...

The initial recording of the lived musical event is a set of acoustic choices taken by the recording engineer , and they always are IMPERFECT, always a trade-off each one of them...

This recording, yes must be CONVEYED by the turntable/dac and amplifier to the speaker with more or less distortions and success, but at the end must be TRANSLATED from the initial residual or chosen  acoustical choices of the recording , TRANSLATED in the acoustical environment of your uncontrolled or controlled room...

My point is a controlled room give the best possible translation from the first recorded acoustic event to your room acoustic which is, if controlled, ADAPTED synergetically for your specific speakers and specific ears structure and history...

We always listen to the speakers/room relation NEVER to the speaker alone in a small room ...

This is acoustic and psycho-acoustic scientific fact...

Then repeating a common place fact the way you did it : "this must be in the recording first " erase the most important audio factor for an optimal perceived experience which is the  acoustic control of the relation between the speakers and the room...

A common place fact is not enough to understand the key fact here... Acoustic and psycho-acoustic...

😁😊

The presentation of solid imaging within a wide and deep soundstage has to be available in the recording.

Then it is about the room, room treatments, and best placement of the speakers within.

Then it is about the speakers inherent ability to present the available soundscape.

Then it is about the ability of equipment to present this to the speakers.

And now we are back to the recording.

Having too much fun over coffee:-).

 

 

The original poster's question is about speakers disappearing i.e. if you close your eyes do the sounds appear to be all coming from the speakers, or do they "disappear".    This is not the same as imaging i.e. can you tell where the violin is and  what it's relation is to other instruments and not the same  as wide soundstage  i.e. how large an area in your room do the instruments appear to be arrayed in.

3 different questions.

@berner99 
Sometimes the speakers disappear completely when I close my eyes. Depends on the recording and it also varies from track to track sometimes. Imaging and soundstage width and depth changes too. Seems to be very recording depended .

I find that opening one’s eyes… or looking at the system tends to anchor the sound, which might otherwise be difficult to localize. 

What I am talking about is that not only do the speakers disappear sitting in the sweet spot (for any music), but if I move a few feet in any direction , I still don’t hear the sound as originating from 2 boxes, just a wall (area?) of sound. Again just talking about disapearing (not localizing instruments)..

And if may be that those who have only heard typical box speakers have not experienced this (perhaps they wouldn’t like it). There is a reason omnis are popular (note though that Jay didn’t like the MBLs at recent show), The mirage bipoles (in phase front and rear drivers) were popular and I was surprised to find this in the LSA. box speakers(I assume because they are wide dispersion).

Not sure if Maggies, and open baffles have this quality or not.

There is a reason speakers other than low dispersion boxes are and will remain popular--changing sound radiating pattern (for better or worse-=your taste) is one thing unlike frequency response that only speakers (well and room treatments) can change.  

And room treatments may ruin this--dunno.