Looking for the next level in imaging...

"If it’s not on the recording, it’s not in your listening room" — BINGO @bigtwin !

One of my big concerns in re: high-end audio and the recording arts, is that the VAST majority of people listen to music on crappy systems (Bluetooth speakers!), or with earbuds, or in the car, and have very low expectations and sophistication as to what well-recorded music can and should sound like. We with good systems are in the minority, and record companies probably don’t much care about our needs. Maybe.

Thankfully, those aren’t the driving factors in how music is engineered and recorded overall, or we purists would be listening to vastly inferior recordings and our good systems would be rendered impotent. We still have engineers, producers, artists, and masterers who strive to achieve the best reproduction possible within reason. Bless them. (Yes, direct-to-disc , reel to reel master tapes etc aren't common and are expensive). 

@deep_333 

Are you talking about sound that wraps around and behind you like surround sound ? 

First all stereo system nevermind their price, because they are two speakers sound source are flawed... Read Choueiri acoustical articles...

Second if your room is not very well acoustically balanced you will not hear  what is in the recording because your speakers/room is not optimally under controls enough to TRANSLATE in your own room  and  to reveal all spatial acoustic information contained in the recordings...

Than this sentence is not even wrong  and like describing the realitty in reverse order like if walking on your head was normal 😁:

"If it’s not on the recording, it’s not in your listening room" — BINGO @bigtwin !

You will listen what is in the recording only if you compensate for the crosstalk effect of any stereo system impeding any acoustical spatial information and only if your room is acoustically controlled and well balanced with the speakers/listener location / room coupling..

Why then someone can say the opposite of reality ?

it is because people think erroneously that acoustics parameters of the recorded room are automatically reproduced right in their own acoustical environment because their dac or turntable are TOP gear paid a high price 😋... Sorry you need acoustics controls of the room , filters for the crosstalk and even ideally inner ears measure and HTRF measures ..

Gear fetichism dont replace acoustics science...

It got a next level experience lesson in "sound staging" when listening to the Steinway-Lyngdorf Model B system.   I pride myself having listened to so many different systems and rooms over the years, but this delivered something very special.  A real "stage", quite addictive.   I did a series of videos about it all on my little channel.  Maybe it will be of interest to you? 

 

All imaging is Phantom, adjusting volume; phase; other things engineers know how to do, beginning with their skill with specific microphone types and placement for various voices or instruments, recording spaces, musician's placement .....

Precise reproduction of the media containing their intentions is very important.

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LP Imaging:

Sound characteristics, preferences are subtle, read reviews, listen ...

Imaging: I only consider cartridges with wide channel separation (30db, 28db, higher number is best for imaging (if it exists in the source as noted), and tight center balance (1.0 db; 0.5db harder to find)

The combination results is both wider and more precise, thus more perceivable imaging. Individual musicians, i.e. where's/there's the bass player, there's the trumpet/trombone .......