What is ment by the term: Soundstage

[aronolsen]

Following a (very very long) thread about phase I came across the phrase "soundstage". What is actually ment by this?
Thanks.

[gmphadte]

You can literally visualize what instrument/sound is coming from where.

That is my crude understanding.

[dantheman]

Hmm, I thought that was imaging. Oh the problems with subjectivity.


Dan

[fhs]

Hi,

having trouble to distinguish "imaging" and "soundstage", I recently searched for definitions of these terms and came up with the following thread: What does "Soundstage" & Imaging exactly mean? - Audio & Video Equipment Forums (make sure to read post #5). Again, I am just a headphone enthusiast trying to get into speakers, not an expert; but those definitions helped me understand the terminology.

Regards,

Fred

[AEIOU]

Originally Posted by aronolsen

Following a (very very long) thread about phase I came across the phrase "soundstage". What is actually ment by this?
Thanks.

Think of a live performance, a band up on the stage. Lets say it's a three piece band and the width of the performers on stage is four meters. How well can your loudspeakers replicate the four meter width and depth too?
If you are listening to a solo performer then it isn't too difficult for a single loudspeaker to narrow the sound into a single point, but if you are trying to recreate a full orchestra, then you want something that recreates (artificially) a wider and deeper stage of performers.

[CLS]

A sense of space presented to your sense of hearing.

And that recreated sense of space, in it's best situation, makes you feel you are right there in the event.

Of course our senses can be misled in every aspect. That means, even if you are actually right there in the event, your hearing (or its memory) is probably not as accurate and comprehensive as you might expect - when you are actually there, you don't hear the 'soundstage'.

A paradox? Maybe.

[planet10]

I've always used the terms soundstage & imaging interchangably.

dave

[CLS]

Oh, I thought "soundstage" is more of the sense of 'environment' - including the dimensions or shapes of the places, texture of the boundaries, or even the background noises; while "imaging" is more of the positioning of the sources and their physical characters.

[aronolsen]

AEIOU: Your definition makes lot of sense - in the Google translation to Danish it says "sound image (picture)" = "lydbillede" (Danish). It is much that we try to explain how this or that sounds by speaking words - or stating formulas. May be, I wonder too much...
Thanks for all the replies anyways.

[Alex from Oz]

Originally Posted by CLS

Oh, I thought "soundstage" is more of the sense of 'environment' - including the dimensions or shapes of the places, texture of the boundaries, or even the background noises; while "imaging" is more of the positioning of the sources and their physical characters.

+1

This article is old but helpful for definitions: Sounds Like? An Audio Glossary

soundstaging, soundstage presentation
The accuracy with which a reproducing system conveys audible information about the size, shape, and acoustical characteristics of the original recording space and the placement of the performers within it.

imaging
The measure of a system's ability to float stable and specific phantom images, reproducing the original sizes and locations of the instruments across the soundstage. See "stereo imaging."

Cheers,

Alex