Speakers "Disappearing"

To make a generalization, the size of your midrange drivers has quite a bit to do with it.  I liked the tone that came from the single 10" drivers on my Zu Omens, but a cone that big will never "disappear."  I could always close my eyes and know that the good tone I was hearing came from those two drivers in my room.

My B&Ws, by contrast, have double 5" midrange drivers; on good recordings, I close my eyes and perceive musicians playing instruments in space, not speakers pushing soundwaves from two points in my room.

So such a phenomenon does exist. and all this time I blamed my wife.

I listen to and have this effect every day regardless of recording or music genre thanks to "The Art of Rational Speaker Placement". My website - myspeakersetup.com for articles and more info.

Nothing scientific here. I put my Advents where the speaker cable reached. They disappear relative to distance back I am. One advantage of a electric wheelchair, precise location of the Sweetspot.

@rb61- here’s basic speaker placement steps.  start with 3ft from your wall, move forward until you reach the desired bass. Place your L/R speaker 6ft apart. Your listening chair about 6-8ft away creating a triangle. Make small incremental changes until you have the bass you desire and the main musician is front and center from your listening area. Once dialed in you will have a wall of sound and your speakers will disappear. Remember you cannot fix a bad recording. 

Cheers