Shocking 3D sound in 2 channel

Dear JohnK,
Good points :)
The outlook for dipoles is not too bleak though. :)
I've found that dipoles "drive" my room more sympathetically than dynamic designs I've owned. The front wave has narrow dispersion and I beam much of this through a wide archway into an adjoining room. The rear wave is mostly absorbed (at most frequencies) by curtains positioned symmetrically behind the speakers.

There are 2 listening positions I use : nearfield - (8 feet away)which gives massive detail and a very intimate sound and farfield (18 feet away in a secondary "sweetspot") in which images tend to coalesce more coherently but are understandably not so "up close and personal", while remaining very detailed.
(Please note I use the term "nearfield" very loosely as true nearfield must be far closer than this :^)
Cheers!

"The other system that does this for me is at my grimy computer desk in my garage. The speakers are $40 Altec Lansing 2.1 computer speakers playing off my computer. The weak link in the chain is every link in the chain! There is nothing in the path that I would say is admirable. Also, the speakers are positioned almost at my sides (more like a 20 degree angle. I think this case is just me sitting conveniently in a good spot between the two channels, however marginal their quality."

Michael...now you're REALLY scaring us :D :D
In this situation it sounds like you might benefit from really good headphones and a Meridian "Prime" which is purported to "externalise" the soundstage in the manner of full blown loudspeakers response in-room :D
Best regards...

Happens all of the time when the moon,earth, and sun are all aligned with your temporal state of mind. In all seriousness, the elements of a 3D presentation are easily achieved once all of the factors mentioned above coalesce to form a soundscape which is perceived to be holographic. After I align the speakers, adjust the listening chair, and measure the room environment and add room treatments; the holographic experience happens as soon as I drop the needle on the record player.

I have successfully been able to recreate this feeling in various sized rooms. In my experiences, it seems that tube equipment and vinyl add to this experience more so than solid state components, again, my experience and also my listening experience. The exception to this was the DCS stack playing on all ultra high end equipment which sounded analog like and provided the 3D holography described above.

My newly acquired Mcintosh MVP 891 SACD player seems to come close to the sound of that DCS stack I heard about 5 years ago, therefore I listen to SACD 2 channel and surround audio about one third of the time now compared to records, which, for now, is still my favorite source medium. Technology advances are really helping us as a community to achieve outstanding results with a variety of sources and mediums.

Just sit back and listen to the music, you have reached nirvana. Congratulations.
Audioquest4life

Yes, I WAS scared by the little Altecs. They are a single driver design and provide a very supple, smooth sound. I use them for background music, electronic lounge music. However, they really create an amazing soundfield and once in a while hit me with some 3D notes out of left field. However, they aren't going near my main system so don't worry!

12-31-13: Stringreen
Johnny53....it just might be your room.

Which one? I would say the beginning of this for me goes back to when I worked at a mid-fi/high end store in 1975, where the manager set up some Dahlquist DQ-10s with a pre-amp capable of depth layering. From then on, with 11 different sets of speakers in over a dozen different listening rooms driven by countless combinations of electronics on both coasts and in between, I have set up my system to get a strong center channel presence when on the source.

There are certain characteristics a speaker must have for this to happen, including fast transient response, good in-room power response without dramatic dips in the dispersion pattern, crossover design that keeps the waves pretty much in phase, etc. For example, phase-coherent speakers (e.g., Dahlquist, Thiel, Vandersteen) do this well, as do well-set-up planars. For dynamic speakers, a narrow front baffle helps.

Basically you need speakers that don't anchor the sound to themselves. Factors that call attention to the speakers include narrow dispersion, enclosure resonances, and wide baffles that smear the initial waves that come off the drivers. You also have to pay attention to how far the speakers are relative to the room and your listening position and also toe-in. Sometimes you need it, sometimes not.