Stereo Sound Stage

I don't know the post you refer to. But IMO music designed for two speakers seems to sound best playing from two speakers (OK maybe 2.1).

I'm listening to an inexpensive 2.1 system as I type. Sounds to me like the music is coming from behind the screen. I can see my speakers, but only if I look for them

Speakers play an important part in the disappearing act, what type do you use?

Choice of speaker is critical but equally critical is speaker placement and room acoustics. Describe your setup in detail and, if possible, show us pix.

It shouldn't be that hard to make your speakers disappear. Even with an entry level pair of psb bookshelves, while in the sweetspot between them, I can't even tell where the speakers are.

This is the key first step

As another wildlife photography, I am pleased to say there is nothing you need to unlearn .

I am unclear as to what you hope to get though. Are you looking for sound coming from behind you and such? Or just a better stereo image/soundstage around your two speakers?

For stereo, my amp replicates the same signal to the rear surrounds, with some added delays. It works, I feel more "enveloped."

There are other variables in play: Speakers dispersion, your sitting position, the speakers placement, how far they are away from floor, rear wall, side walls, and room acoustics. I feel my brand new wood floor make my speakers more directional, not good for acoustic.

If you want surround sound then no you wont get that from 2 ch, but 180 degrees with depth and precise placement of vocals and instruments is achievable.
I agree with Kal on speaker placement and room acoustics. I spent a lot of time on treatments and am lucky to have a dedicated room to listen in. These were the most important factors in making the speakers disappear and to achieve the "feel like theyre in the room with you" experience. A pic of your set up would be of great help to give suggestions.

You dont have to spend mega bucks to achieve hi-end. Some of the best systems I've heard were very affordable.

Apart from speakers and room, how the recording is miked and mixed can play an important part.

Surround speaker placement is supposed to follow the layout on Dolby website for most people. It's pretty standard.

Manufacturers often exaggerate their claims. I don't particularly want the vocals or instruments to be behind the wall. In front of the wall is fine and I like it fairly close. But for a large orchestra the 'being in the room' feeling is a bit unrealistic in my room which just isn't a large concert hall.

I don't consider the 'don't know where sound is coming from' is necessarily an ideal or holy grail. If I go to a piano or vocal recital, the sound comes mostly from the front. 'Don't know where the sound is coming from' is unrealistic even in a reverberant venue like a church.

If you want more convincing surround sound you should try some discrete surround music. Most still have a predominantly frontal sound stage but there are some which place you in the middle of players, or you the conductor is standing in the middle of an orchestra.

Many people seem to like DPIIx for stereo sources. I haven't read any remarks in praise of the Yamaha specific DSP modes. I listen to stereo as stereo and I pay far more attention to the music and the performance than where the sound is coming from.

I have my satellites (rear) setup on top of my towers and run it in 5 channel stereo, I definitely prefer it over 2.1 really brings out the mids / highs everywhere in the room.

For a start, stereo does not mean two... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereophonic_sound

I happen to like my Yamaha's '7ch stereo' mode for 2ch playback.

Each additional channel can be adjusted from 0 to 100 in 1% increments, so it is very tunable to get the amount of ambients one desires. At present I run the centre channel at 30% and the surrounds of my 5.1 setup at 60%.

I get good localisation of individual instruments and the main vocals still only take up the right amount of space in the centre (i.e. the singer's head doesn't sound like it's ten feet wide) yet backup singers can float all around and above you. Instruments still appear to mostly come from the front of the stage, but with good separation and space between them and some sounds like a piano or brass instrument projecting its sound well out and up into the room.

I like 2ch so much this way that I don't worry about tracking down multichannel SACD's so much any more.

It has however taken over a year of a lot of work to get right. Speaker choice and placement and room acoustics and AVR settings etc.. I also used a good quality dedicated 2ch system as a benchmark/reference to make sure I was making the music sound better.

Not sufficient info. Describe your physical setup in detail and, if possible, show us pix.


No devices needed, just proper setup.

Keep in mind the recording too. The recording has just as much to do with a good soundstage as the setup.