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General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

Differentiation between electroacoustics and Stereo Reproduction

"Stereo is an auditory illusion created in the mind by the sound streams coming from left and right loudspeakers and by reflections of those sounds in the listening room, and by the room reverberated sounds. Stereo is like a magic trick, an auditory trick that is experienced with closed eyes. If it is well done, then the listener is not aware of the speakers or his room and he has the illusion of a phantom stage in front of him, hearing into a concert hall or having the musicians right there." S. Linkwitz

So Sound stage, for example, is not a property of the playback room or the equipment. It is a property of the recording and production, and most important - your MIND! Sound stage is not real -it is imagined. As it is imagined it by definition cannot be measured.

The ability of you mind to be "fooled" is a property of - in no particular order:
(1) The quality of the system and room acoustics. For most people this bar can be set pretty low. As you gain listening skills the bar raises.

(2) The confidence you have in the system; If you don't believe in the reproductive ability of a system you still might be fooled, but it is less amazing.

(3) Your state of mind while listening; If you are relaxed, you will more easily be moved to the illusion.

(4) the nature of the source material and program. A crappy production that does not present signals in a natural way, like a lot of Frank Sinatra where the band barely appears in the mix and Frank is loud, in front and center.

However,

There are some "subjective" properties attributed to stereo reproduction than can be attributed to measurement. "Clarity", "Detail", "Definition", "Warmness" are relative terms relate to the measured values or the room or equipment performance.
"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius


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