How important is it for you to attain a holographic image?

Most decent speakers and systems are capable of making a reasonably good stage, on plain and slightly wider than the plain of the speakers. To each their own, but, after several years as lead guitar in a 60s rock band and many more years of attending live performances of every genre of live music, I'm to the point that I simply can't handle up front and in your face music. Live acoustic jazz, small venue folk and live chamber, where I could enjoy 5th row center, without a 90-100db battering and the agony of a three day headache, eventually became my favorite venues of live performances.
I'll happily stick with ribbons and stats that put the performance behind and well extended beyond the bounds of the speakers - placing the performers and instruments each in their own space, on a stage behind the speakers and not in my face, ....Jim

Hey Gang,

So this past weekend I heard a 3 piece mexican acoustic band at a restaurant. A harpist, guitar, and something that looked like a very fat guitar, called a guitarron.

Interestingly, I could place the harp and guitar, but not the guitarron. I was looking right at them, about 15' away.

Also, it reset my expectation for what 3D sound is like in real life. I still like my original statements: Live music is not that holographic, but we may sure like it. :)

E

erik,

I just find this so weird. My experience is different. Just a couple weeks ago I encountered two different small bands playing on the sidewalk in my city. One was acoustic guitar, stand up bass and a sax.

Other was larger, drums, tuba, trumpet, sax, electric guitar and I think trombone.


In both cases when I closed my eyes the musicians were distinctly "imaged and soundstaged" with obvious localization.

And I find that typical when I hear live acoustic music.
(As in for instance some of the pubs near me where live acoustic music is played - in particular Irish instrumentals, vocals etc)

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there's NO imaging. lots have studies have proven our ear/brain mechanism along with HRTF can localize objects in a 3D space!!

I'm just saying, I've heard speakers do it MORE than real.

The Guitarron was really interesting because even though it is a plucked instrument, it's sound is pretty low, as low as a double bass to my ears.

Best,
E

The best imaging I've ever heard however was from a HT system running Neo6 in music mode.

It filled in the center very nicely.