[nin3th]

What would you say is the best set up for soundstage? IYO, regardless of cost.

 

[Duggeh]

Speakers. Big ones with big amps behind them. In a big treated room.

 

[Vaughn]

Indeed

 

[ericj]

But if you must wear headphones, in my own personal experience I'm gonna say Sony ECR-500.

 

[b0dhi]

Earbuds.

Just goes to show, everyone's ears are different.

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by b0dhi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Earbuds. Just goes to show, everyone's ears are different.

So are we talking about in-head or out-of-head imaging?

 

[b0dhi]

It's both more in-head and more out-of-head than full sized cans to my ears. Though I'm most impressed with the out-of-head imaging and soundstage. It's much bigger and more convincing than any full size phone I've heard. It's not any particular earbud, either. All the ones I've tried have had this feature for me.

I think this is a good example of why people should find others who share their hearing and tastes and take advice from them, since there is no hard and fast "best" in many areas of this great hobby.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nin3th /img/forum/go_quote.gif What would you say is the best set up for soundstage? IYO, regardless of cost.

Dynamic cans? R10's & K1000's..

 

[Uncle Erik]

Has to be the AKG K-1000. There's nothing else like it.

 

[granodemostasa]

K1000, but the most precise was the Sony qualia.

 

[edstrelow]

I am not sure that people agree on what "soundstage means." Fundamentally you are dealing with a stero image which the brain puts together based on differences between the signals to the left and right ears to localize voices and instruments in space.

Contrary to some opinions, headphones provide a truer avenue to the stereo in the audio signal because they keep the left signal in the left ear and right signal in the right ear. With speakers you get 2 "phantom channels" in which the right signal goes to the left ear and vice versa, after a delay of a few milliseconds. These have no correspondance to reality and are really a form of distortion.

Having got that out of the way, just about any set of phones will give you a clear stereo image. Factors affecting the clarity and precision of the image are probably more based on the quality of the source, i.e. things like channel separation giving a wider image and possible more clearly localized sounds. Phase problems between channels blurring the location of sounds etc.

However, I find that some frequency response characteristics can change aspects of the stereo imaging. For example phones lacking in bass or midbass may reproduce less of the ambience of a signal, therby making the stereo image dry and less convincing.

 

[krmathis]

SR-007. Unmatched by any headphone I have heard...

 

[3x331m]

I've just sold a pair.....

K1000.