Is soundstage DEPTH a myth?


Ok, help me out fellas. Is it a myth or what?

I’m a good listener, I listen deep into the music, and I feel like I have good ears. But I can’t confirm that I can hear soundstage depth. I can hear 1 instrument is louder, but this doesn’t help me to tell if something is more forward or more behind. Even in real life and 2 people are talking, I can’t honestly say I know which one is in front.

The one behind will sound less loud, but is that all there is to soundstage depth? I think the answer I’m looking for has to do with something I read recently. Something about depth exist only in the center in most system, the good systems has depth all around the soundstage.

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As I mentioned in a earlier comment in general the more $$ you can spend per component the closer you can get to your audio nirvana .your records yes willhave a bearing on the depth also but if you have  agood balance in quality including 

quality-digital cables then you will get a fair amount of audio realism on a daily basis . Just expect to spend a minimum of a bare minimum of $20k to start 

for a respectable sounding system , and upgrade pieces as you can afford .being aAudiophile can add up $$ very fast.

 

Others have mentioned the ultimate demonstration disk by David Chesky and it is good, but his newest album, The Hifi Collection is superb! If you ever listen to Steve Gutenberg The Audiophiliac, he’s good friends with David Chesky and there’s a link to get the download for free. Anyway, the first song was amazing! I heard stuff from behind the he speakers and way wider than my speakers. 
 

https://youtu.be/dMSiWPBNW1w

you have to have speakers that can do this magic, you have to have a record that recorded it and you need the electronics to join in.

Talking about differences of amps, they jumped on me pretty hard too. Their king is anything from Purifi/Hypex. Last week I talked about how system synergy is important and I got absolutely destroyed. I'll never go back there again, it is not a place to voice a different opinion. There's a new generation of people that only rely on graph data + distortion measurements and they are VICIOUS.

Class D amplifiers have been greatly improved in the last few years and some are very competitive with class A and A/B.   As with anything audio, especially the high end, the design and its quality depends upon the designer. 

Some forums tend to focus on measurements, topography's, individual parts like the DAC chip and while the individual parts are important, their selection, combination, and the implementation of the sections of the device in total, are where the magic resides! There is a reason why many audio designers and their historical designs rightfully remain held in esteem and it ain’t because of the individual parts they choose, or point-to-point wiring, or the type and class of their product.  It is because of how they conceptualized and implemented their designs! 

Get away from any forum that favors a certain class of amplification over others, measurements vs listening, a certain DAC chip over others, solid state vs tubes, box speaker’s vs other types etc.  Everything in this hobby has their place.  Ruling out anything, especially out of hand, eliminates some marvelous equipment finds. 

For example, for audition, my son obtained a Sears Silvertone tube amp from a vintage console stereo.  The price was $300!  He bought it from a local vintage audio repairer and seller.  That $300 tube amp at 7-watts, is killer with my son's Klipsch heritage La Scala speakers.  Who would've thought -- not some forum member!! 

Don't eliminate, or gravitate to anything because some say this or that is good, or not.  As with anything in life that is truly rewarding, one must learn enough to make one’s own educated decisions.