I’ve been lucky enough to get to listen to quite a few different speakers and brands lately at a couple of local hi-fi shops, and I have a question for all of the audiophiles in this subreddit. What speaker has the best soundstage that you have ever heard?
First a note on soundstage and imaging in general.
If you have a vocal recording and play it in mono, you should hear the vocalist as a tight ball of sound centered between the speakers and positioned slightly forward from the plane of the speakers. If you are hearing anything else then the speakers or your room are creating things that are not there.
Next, play Roger Water’s Amused to Death. It was mastered in QSound. On The Battle of Bill Hubbard his voice should be to your far far left, outside the plane of the speakers.
Of your system can do these two things then you have a shot at precise imaging and an accurate soundstage.
If not you may have an awesome sounding setup with a compelling soundstage. But you won’t have pinpoint imaging.