[Xerosnake90]

Hello all,

I worked my way up through various headphones which gave me a good taste of what I like in audio. I was a big fan of the Arya v2 and HD 800s for their amazing staging ability and was wondering if in the speaker world something like that still exists? Is there such thing as speaker set ups with better staging and imaging, or some that feel more intimate?

I'm moving away from headphones because quite frankly I've found them all to be simply uncomfortable. Let's say I want the speaker set up equivalent of the HD 800s. I assume I'll need a speaker amp, DAC, several speakers and a sub woofer? Or does a surround system create the staging and such?

 

[msing539]

Speaker types, amplification, size, placement, etc. from the main listening position will determine the sound and stage. I'd figure out how much you want to spend all in and then start researching speakers and amps within that budget.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

I guess a good speaker setup will beat a good headphone setup in every way but price.

 

[gregorio]

Is there such thing as speaker set ups with better staging and imaging, or some that feel more intimate?

Yes, although you’ll never get a speaker setup that replicates the staging/imaging of HPs because with HPs the left channel is pumped into the left ear only and the right channel to the right ear only but with speakers, you’ll obviously hear the left speaker with both your left and right ear and of course the same with the right speaker. Additionally, with speakers you’ll also be hearing your listening room’s acoustics, the sound produced by your speakers reflecting off the walls/ceiling/floor of your room and this is at least a significant factor and usually the dominant factor, regardless of the speakers’ performance. So to get very accurate staging/imagining with speakers will require acoustic treatment of the room, particularly the primary reflection points. On the plus side, while the image will never be as wide with speakers, the perceived depth will be far better than with HPs and of course the imaging/staging as a whole will be much closer to what the artists actually created/intended, as the vast majority of music masters are primarily designed on speakers for speakers.

A potential solution (or partial solution) to having to acoustically treat your room, is to use something like near-field studio monitors and sit less than 1m from them. Provided they are placed well away from the walls, the requirement for acoustic treatment is reduced and a near-field speaker setup will also fulfil your requirement of “more intimate”. You’ll also need a sub woofer with near-field speakers, as they have relatively weak bass response.

Or does a surround system create the staging and such?

Yes, a surround system does effectively create the staging, or more accurately, a surround mix on a surround system creates the staging/imagining. So that means all films made in the last 45 years or so and nearly all HD TV but most music is just 2 channel stereo. Again though, your room’s acoustics will determine how well/accurately the staging is recreated and there really isn’t such a thing as a near-field surround monitoring setup. You’ll need 5 speakers and a sub woofer (for a 5.1 surround system) and instead of an amp and DAC, you’ll need an AVR (audio visual receiver).

G