Component contributions to “sound stage”


What components in your stereo system do you think make the largest contribution to your perception of sound stage in your system?  Which element or component contributes the least to this part of the stereo listening experience?

Rankings are fine.  Justifications or explanations are even better.

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Not just the recording - also how a recording is mastered.

Easy to test: take 2+ master versions of the same album and compare at same volume through the same kit.

@michaellent +1! You hit the nail on the head! Soundstage is in the source! Pop/Rock recordings made by multi-tracking in a studio are nothing like a well-miked symphony orchestra where the recording engineer attempts to capture the spaciousness and dynamics of the sound field. Take a listen to John Culshaw's Ring Cycle with Solti/VPO done during the early years of the Stereo Era! Or the Lewis Layton recordings of Reiner and the CSO, particularly Zarathustra and Pines/Fountains of Rome!