With our latest Octave Record's release of SoundStage, we're getting both kudos and questions. Kudos for how good it sounds and questions about soundstage and what it means.
Soundstage is the illusory three-dimensional space in which the music or sound from your recordings seems to exist. With a well-executed soundstage, listeners find themselves immersed within a sphere of sound, where each musical instrument and vocal element occupies a defined place behind the loudspeakers, never in front.
The recording quality, the loudness level, the characteristics of the listening room, speaker placement, and the capabilities of your playback equipment all play vital roles in sculpting this sonic landscape.
With a high-quality recording, the soundstage can precisely delineate the position of each instrument, vocal line, and even the acoustics of the original recording environment. Close your eyes, and you may find yourself at the heart of an orchestra, in the midst of a live concert, or in a recording studio with your favorite band.
We all know setup is the biggest driver of building a proper soundstage, yet how many of us really gets the importance of equipment?
How much of the soundstage illusion is impacted by our choice of equipment DACs, preamps, amps, and, above all, loudspeakers have major contributions (plus and minus) on the soundstage depth, width, height, and separation.
Of course it all matters. It always does.
A good starting point to see where you're at is the source material.
What's your favorite?
