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expanding the width of the sound stage

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endsurg

New Member
I just set up a pair of DCM 500 timeframes. They're being driven by a Rogue Audio Sphinx integrated amp..They sound great and the soundstage is good. Is there a way to widen the soundstage? Can the soundstage be widened to go outside the speakers?
 
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Welcome! This forum is just for intros so you should post question threads in Audiokarma Audio Forums in "General Audio Discussion" or in this case "Speakers". You're sure to get a better yield of responses there__;)
 
Location, location, location--it is true for real estate, but also very true for speaker placement--experiment--it's pretty much free (unless you spend some money on room treatments/stands)--I have been known to use phone books, cement blocks, bricks and milk crates before committing to buying/building "real" stands. Tube rolling is also a critical factor, especially since the tubes are in the preamp portion of the unit. Do some research as to what others have experienced with different brands of tubes in your unit. The 12AU7 is a fairly "common" tube, so there are lots of options out there, and you might be surprised by the differences, and it won't break the bank playing around with a few different brands.
 
In my humble experience the biggest factors contributing to soundstage width, for me, were the loudspeakers, and the preamp/amplifier used. You can get the illusion of increased soundstage width by careful room treatments (like diffusors), and listening to your speakers in a nearfield setup, provided the drivers are closely matched, and integrate well enough close to the listener.

Conrad-Johnson higher end preamps provide extremely wide soundstage width (but reduced depth). Sonus faber monitors produce great soundstage width as well. Every piece of equipment is different.
 
I had been running some tube amps with about 10 to 15 watts.
I then acquired a dynaco ST70 35wpc amp and the soundstage opeened up dramtically.
the speakers remained in place in this instance.
But IMO the speakers and placement are the greatest ''creator'' of soundstage image.
other factors do apply tho. Experiment
 
I have DCM TF-600 speakers here. Like others have mentioned, I've found that changing the position of the speakers can alter the soundstage in my room. Even moving them just a foot or so can make a difference. Playing them straight ahead or "toeing" them in can change the soundstage significantly.

As you probably already know, TimeFrame speakers are known for their big soundstage and good imaging. It took me awhile to find where mine performed the best in my room but now that I've gone to the trouble, they can be pretty amazing with the right recordings.

Good luck to you and welcome to AK.
 
endsurg said:
Can the soundstage be widened to go outside the speakers?
Click to expand...
Yes, but what you ask is not necessarily easy. Everything in the system contributes to this ability. From the room to speaker placement to virtually every component in the chain - and devoid of hokey devices that claim to provide such. The best I've heard the walls disappear was hearing HP's fine tuned systems over the years at Sea Cliff. It really is a case of optimization and use of the highest resolution gear - provided the recording itself captured such a perspective.

I would begin with experimenting with speaker placement. Harry liked starting with the "Rule of Thirds". Divide the room's width into thirds and place them at the two divisions. I would then position them very precisely with respect to the listening position. Break out a tape measure and/or a laser pointer. If possible, then bring them out a third of the length of the room out from the wall. Ideally, you would also have some diffusion behind the speakers and at the first reflection points to minimize image scatter by the walls. The optimum position in my room for both imaging and neutral bass response was found pretty close to that starting point.
 
I would start with speaker placement, as several others have pointed out. Try placing them at different distances from the backwall and try aiming them differentiellt (toe on/to out). This can make a huge difference to the soundstage. I wish you the best of luck :-)
 
For me I notice a difference with different amplifiers. The widest most 3D sound is from my Marantz 1060 and 2220 that were restored with very nice parts including films and 4-pole main filter caps.
The Rogue Sphinx (I never saw or heard one) from what I read should be a very able amp...so I would try speaker placement.
My room has two corners cut at 45°, length of that 45° cut about 2 meters. My speakers are about 2.5 meters apart and placed by that 45° portion but still not parallel to that wall. My soudstage is very nice and airy and 3D.
I once tried putting the system on the other side of the room, parallel to the wall, with a big window on one side. It was awful, I had lost all stereo imaging.
I hope this makes sense, a drawing would be a much clearer explanation :D
 
As others have mentioned, speaker position has to be right first off. Secondly, room treatments can greatly help a less than ideal room. To get your speaker positioning just right, I suggest one of those ultrasonic tape measurers. They allow you to precisely position speakers (speaker to listener/speaker to front wall/speaker to side wall/speaker to centerline) quickly without needing another person to help. Before you start swapping gear, get the speakers & room right.

That being said, way back before I knew anything, I had my stereo set up in a very large (20ft x25ft) basement. The closest a speaker to any wall was 6ft to one side wall. A RS receiver, a Technics TT and a pair of Optimus 2-way speakers but I made sure the chair to speaker distance and toe was the same for both speakers.
That mediocre setup had a fantastic soundstage both wide and deep. Width beyond the speakers? How about beyond the speakers and on a plane in front of the speakers. even if you sat off-center, you still got a good soundstage.
 
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