If you don't have a wide sweet spot, are you really an audiophile?

Plastic surgeons can now tighten and uplift your sweet spot.

Hmmm... When I sit in the narrow sweetspot that I have and really listen, I’m thinking that what I’m hearing is what the producer wanted me to hear when they mastered the recording with reference to sound stage. Whether the sonic picture is narrow or wide, the relative placement was chosen at the recording console. However, there are times when I’m not all that focused on placement. When is that? When the music is on as background.

Does that mean when I stand up or am in the kitchen suddenly I’m not someone’s idea of an "audiofile"? Perhaps. However timbre and SQ still matter: It’s still has to sound "right" even if I’m not in the optimal physical location for the stereo image. And therein perhaps lies "redemption". LOL The point I’m trying to make is that so much of this avocation is subjective if not downright arbitrary. For my part, I refuse to get wrapped around the proverbial axle due to someone’s pronouncement of what is "right".


Happy Listening.

I hope everyone reading this understands that I wanted to celebrate a wide sweet spot much more than caring about who an audiophile is.  Experience has led me to believe you guys only read threads that seem contentious though, so I had to lead with that.  ;-D

I'm positioned in the sweet spot when listening and usually keep being seated there for the duration of the session, and yet I went for a pair of speakers that have a wider sweet spot compared to my previous speakers, because of what it does to the sound in that more or less fixated position.

If one were to visually outline it, it relates to how the overall presentation is "shaped" in front of you, and with a wider and higher dispersive nature compared to the earlier scenario (that now also involves physically taller speakers) - yet controlled by 90 x 40° Constant Directivity horns - it makes for a more enveloping sphere or bubble of sound, and one in this case more coherent and smooth at that. While sitting centered in front of the speakers is still preferable the presentation doesn't fundamentally change even when moving to the left or right seat in the sofa, and it has a relieving and relaxing effect on the listener. To me at least this type of presentation is more reminiscent of a live music event, if that's your thing. 

Certainly the dispersive nature of dual 15" woofers and a Constant Directivity horn per channel is narrower than smaller, direct radiating speakers, and yet makes for a full, enveloping and rather dense (akin to live music, to my ears) presentation. Maintaining a uniform dispersion pattern over the cross-over region is also very important in creating a homogenous bubble/sphere of presentation.

I suppose with a wider/higher sonic field of presentation as something that relates to a live presentation, it may link more innately to being an audiophile as someone who cares about mimicking such an event, and yet I feel omnidirectional speakers like MBL and others are too "wishy washy" to instill that sense of realism and presence akin to live music. YMMV. 

roadwhorerecords:

Personality, i think the self imposed title of "audiophile" is a narcissistic badge of fools.

Not sure how you get "narcissism" from someone saying he is an audiophile. It’s just descriptive.

It’s not like audiophiles are celebrated by society ;-)

How about the enjoyment of the music?

We all enjoy music. No need to virtue signal.