The sonic rightness of a mono system.


Many conventional stereo systems are producing smaller shortened indistinct soundstages that one must sit dead center of while sounding poorly off-axis. So I wondered is the small loudspeaker in stereo the equal to a large one in mono? So I have pursued that line of thought and have come to the conclusion that no a small speaker in stereo is not equal to the large one in mono. I've tried this with some of the most advanced loudspeakers available and they all failed when running up against one large horn in mono. The large loudspeaker just always had a more physical solid presentation the sound stages near the same in size while the stereo always had this tiring artificial sound that the mono system did not. Maybe our brain gets fatigued trying to fill in for what is missing stereo is an artificial technology designed to fool the ear brain system maybe that in itself is the problem. Mono just sounds right. If I had the choice one large horn in mono is what I would select over any 2-way bookshelf no matter what its cost. Nice thing about mono is its ease of entry give it a try you may have all the needed gear stored about. It's also an excuse to buy that cool solo collectable speaker you know the one that is too big to house 2 of. As always YMMV and this is my opinion after much research and we all have a bias I keep that in mind when I do such things but am human and can not fully escape my human limitations.
128x128johnk
Sorry, didn't mean to cause a rise in blood pressure. Just a little friendly banter.
Your reply invites a similar vibe, but I'll simply move on. 

Carry on with heady, serious conversations.
@johnk --

Interesting topic. A speaker builder I know well, Simon Mears, talked glowingly about his experience of a single, modified WE12a (augmented with a center-hung tweeter and twin 15" Lambda drivers), and found it to be among the very, very best he’d ever heard.

But what about a pair of perfectly aligned big horns vs. only one big horn - do you still have a preference for the latter here?
Many conventional stereo systems are producing smaller shortened indistinct soundstages that one must sit dead center of while sounding poorly off-axis.


So let me get this straight. Because "many" don't know how to properly set up a stereo, you went off on this wild goose chase?

Its really not all that hard to set up two speakers. Who knows, maybe even you could learn? 
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