Soundstage Is (Much) More Complicated Than You Think

[TaronL]

I don't often drop articles / reviews in the sponsor section but this article from @listenerwww is too good not to share with all of you.

Soundstage Is (Much) More Complicated Than You Think​

Many listeners end up disappointed upon hearing the best headphone soundstage, realizing it's not as big a game-changer as they'd expected. Join listener as they discuss why soundstage is more complicated than we think, and how audiophiles can better manage their expectations and understand this elusive quality.




"
“Soundstage” might be the most ubiquitous term in the audiophile lexicon, and it’s pervasive enough that it’s the only term to have a consistent foothold in the minds of non-audiophiles. I almost never see tech youtubers, studio engineers, or gamers talking about plankton or microdynamics, but I see nearly all of them saying they want “good soundstage.”

Even if the term soundstage means different things to different people, I think the core idea can be summarized fairly neatly. When listening to headphones the sound occupies a finite space, and the shape of this space as well as the extent to which it extends past the bounds of your head is what audiophiles refer to as “soundstage” in headphones.

I’ve seen many people—non-audiophiles and audiophiles alike—take this definition to hyperbolic extremes, saying that headphones with good soundstage can sound “like speakers.” Some even say that good soundstage can even make music sound like it’s “being played by musicians in the room with you.”

But that’s… not really how headphones work..."

Check out the rest of the article below!

https://headphones.com/blogs/features/soundstage-is-much-more-complicated-than-you-think

 

[Lindholdt]

Fantastic article, thanks a lot to Listener for both the educational part, as well as the more subjective findings.
As someone who came into this hobby, from the world of speakers, I did search for the "soundstage" for a while. But after acquiring two headphones that should have fantastic performance in this regard, and comparing them to the HD600, I realized that I would not find what I was seeking by going with "what is generally recommended".

Anyway, thanks again, looking forward to more pieces like this, and thanks to Headphones.com for supporting this

 

[listenerwww]

Fantastic article, thanks a lot to Listener for both the educational part, as well as the more subjective findings.
As someone who came into this hobby, from the world of speakers, I did search for the "soundstage" for a while. But after acquiring two headphones that should have fantastic performance in this regard, and comparing them to the HD600, I realized that I would not find what I was seeking by going with "what is generally recommended".

Anyway, thanks again, looking forward to more pieces like this, and thanks to Headphones.com for supporting this

Hahahah yeah, I think after I bought the Fidelio X2HR and didn't at all get the sound I was chasing, I decided it was worth chasing other things.

Not gonna lie I was pretty worried about the latter half of the article because its mostly my deeply personal thinky-thoughts on stuff but the reception so far has been mostly good. Thanks so much for reading dude!

 

[Lindholdt]

Not gonna lie I was pretty worried about the latter half of the article because its mostly my deeply personal thinky-thoughts on stuff but the reception so far has been mostly good. Thanks so much for reading dude!

Don't see any issues with personal opinions in an article like that, as long as it is very obvious what part is "just" an opinion. And that was very easy to see IMO. I also think that well though out opinions also help make the dry sciency stuff more manageable to people without the brain-worms.

You mentioned that you are also working on a piece that will go over measurement equipment for enthusiasts, at some point. Just want to say that's one I'm very much looking forward to, as it is something I need to get into soon. Any kind of rough ETA on that one?