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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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Speaker Asylum General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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In Reply to: The importance of volume level in soundstaging. posted by peppy m. on October 25, 2021 at 13:29:06:
Yes that is correct and was explained superbly over 60 years ago by Peter Walker of Quad in the user manual for the Quad ESL speaker.
However this is really something which in 2021 only applies to classical music as outside of this genre recordings are no longer made with a true soundstage ( yes there is placement of instruments within an ersatz stereo picture but that is not exactly the same). So this means that it is not that relevant for many people.
With a proper soundstage the recording attempts to capture the actual positions of the performers within a real space. The replay of such a recording should reproduce the positions of those performers relative to each other and the space within which they are performing. This can only be done correctly at one volume setting. Why?
Imagine that the volume control acts like a zoom control on a camera. With a camera as you zoom in it is as if you are closer to the object. The louder you make it with audio it is as if you are closer to the performers and the quieter the further away. However there is one major difference. With a zoom lens as you move in the angle of view reduces. Hence although you see more of the object you have zoomed in on you see less of its surroundings. With a recording the equivalent to the angle of view is fixed. I will call it "perspective". So turn up the volume and it is equivalent to moving closer to the performers. The heard "perspective" should then change to match the volume or closeness to the performers. But it cannot as it is fixed in the recording. Hence there is only one volume at which the recorded perspective will be reproduced correctly.
This is, however, all a bit theoretic and is really only relevant to naturally recorded classical music these days. So most will just set the volume level where it feels most comfortable for them.
"We need less, but better" - Dieter Rams
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Follow Ups
- RE: The importance of volume level in soundstaging. - PAR 10/26/2103:11:18 10/26/21 (2)
- I like what Par is saying - Story 14:40:21 10/26/21 (0)
- RE: The importance of volume level in soundstaging. - louie3 08:27:41 10/26/21 (0)
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