How wide should be the soundstage?

In my opinion, the soundstage width is limited to the space between the speakers unless phase trickery is involved, or there are significant sidewall reflections.

2 Likes

It is a matter of proportion. The instruments and performers should be properly scaled on some semblance of a stage. The room should envelop them accordingly. Then there are the effects added to “enhance” a sense of space. Reverb is an old tried and true one, that if over done can ruin the presentation. For me the instruments and performers need to sound natural, soundstage is a nice to have but can be over rated. Regarding electronica, well that is artificial and anything goes.

3 Likes

I usually prefer live albums for that reason: a better being-there factor, less mixer/engineering manipulation, crowd clapping and coughing, all these things can elevate the realism (higher fidelity to real) that makes me feel more involved into music.
The realistic size of the stage, the realistic distance between various instruments, the realistic height of the singer’s mouth, everything that appears on the wall in front of me, in meters, can significantly contribute (or compromise) to bringing more enjoyment in my audiophile experience.

2 Likes