@oldrooney -
Be certain all the drivers in your left channel's speaker system are functional.
If possible: undo any changes made in the room, since the last, full (L/R) soundstage you recall.
Try to get your listening area as symmetric as possible, as regards reflections.
In my case (small/crappy listening room, after divorce): I'm able to place the system/speakers ALMOST equidistant from the side walls, bipolar drivers (mains) 2' from the front wall, with diffusers behind, where their greatest radiation concentration will be focused.
Behind listening position: 2" Sonex, from 3' off the floor, to the ceiling (completely eliminated the room's Slap Echo) and LENRDs, same height, in the corners.
My listening position is 1/3 into the room, away from the back wall and what would have to be considered Near Field (at the apex of an equilateral, 8' sided, triangle).
Having used planars (Acoustats and Magnepans) for so may decades; I'm used to not having to deal with the wide dispersion, of the typical box speaker and find the output of my Emerald Physics (still very narrowly beamy), easy to predict, with any reflected speaker back waves, directed behind my head/ears, toward the Sonex.
My seat has a nothing but soft material, round corners and a high back, so:
I hear virtually nothing from the back of the room.
Though Sabine effects are unavoidable: they're minimized and I use DSP (via TacT RCS 2.2X), to mitigate what's left, beside time-aligning my woofer systems, which now are forced to reside (the small, crappy room, again) behind the mains.
Played back at any levels approaching those originally recorded; the listening room disappears.
Closing my eyes takes me to the original performance and venue, with a good recording.
For the naysayers: YES, I DO have a number of my own recordings, not to mention: a number, made in (otherwise) very familiar venues.
Sorry for the loquaciousness!
Happy listening!
