What tweaks can I make to my system for a better soundstage?

Space behind speakers could be important but space behind your listening point is important too.

 

+1

 

Esp useful for vinyl and cassettes, but I use it with CDs too, esp those that are brickwalled, where dynamics is reduced by the loudness wars. I never use it past its minimum setting though. The effect is audible, but subtle in this way. COncert DVDs, unless very old and ill-sounding are better off without it (don't even eq them unless strictly necessary)

From the manual :

 

Speaker positioning the first port of call for me.

 

1. Speaker placement. The more precision, the better. Read Jim Smith’s book Get Better Sound.
2. Room acoustics. The biggest improvement I got was moving the gear from between the speakers and adding front panels and first reflection point panels.
3. Use quality preamp and amp. Better designs allow better sound all around including soundstaging.
4. Equipment isolation. I like Iso-Acoustics, Norm Varney’s EVPs, Wilson Pedestals, and Synergistic Research MiG SRX.
5. Lower noise through a great line conditioner and an active ground block. Playback becomes more real when the noise floor is as low as it can be.

 

Ditto. I've found this to be very true and much more potentially effective than most equipment upgrades. As someone else mentioned, speaker placement and room acoustics (treatments) are #1 and #2 in importance.

 

My speakers now rest 4.7' away from the front wall. I have an Ikea Kallax sitting between them, against the front wall. Do you still think moving the Kallax elsewhere in the room will make a noticeable difference in soundstage?

Can you post a photo of the front of your room so we can see the reflection panels? Thanks for the suggestion and information.

 

it does not remove the crossover. it just sends the same signal to both sections of the speaker AFTER the amp.
fwiw, i found it worthwhile but sooo many will tell you otherwise. true, the difference is subtle.
the POINT of this hobby is to TRY any and every thing involved in sound.
I find cable risers pointless but so many seem to feel they make a difference. of course, my humble kit is not quite resolving enough.

 

the horrors, sir. how dare you trigger my audiocd.

 

By all means, welcome to the forum! I know you already listed equipment it in your original post, but, don't forget to update your your equipment profile when you make changes!

Second, the moving of speakers is a good start. Live with that for a few days, and see if this re-trains your brain to hear anything different in your soundstage. "Mental-Burn-in" is also an important part of the process.

Third...I don't believe that when you asked us about improving your sound stage, that you actually expressed what you think is wrong with it. Is there something you expected that hasn't happened yet, or is it a matter of pinpointing location cues, or your stereo spread (the soundstage itself), or something else? Looking for that "live in the studio" effect, or more of a hypothetical expansion of where you are, compared to where you want to imagine you are...? How "big" is your soundstage - does it encompass the whole room, or is it limited to where your sweet spot is?

 

If you have a camera, upload some pics. It'll help a lot more than an equipment list.

 

Me too. Everything is level.

Ha! Personal visit from Jim not in my budget. At least I got to have a speaker setup man help position my speakers. It was good to have professional and an extra set of ears in my room.

Exactly my experience! It's really astounding.

Not so much a rabbit hole, more like a hole in your pocket with money draining out.

Right. The price of admission can be breath taking, though.

There are many solutions for this out in the market, not to mention DIY solutions. I'm using Symposium Ultra platforms and Roller Blocks. These products lower the noise floor and allow more music into the room. A real awakening.

No line conditioner for me. Convergent Audio Technology strongly advises not use these with their equipment. I have had success with the now defunct Audioprism Quiet line, and the PS Audio noise harvester. I also saw that IsoTek EVO3 has something simular to the Audioprism and PS Audio plug in devices. It's too bad Audioprism quiet lines are discontinued. Did Audioprism go out of business?

 

Yeah, post a photo of the front of your room.

 

Denon DL-110 cart.

 

What is that your not getting from your current setup that tweaking would make it better ?

 

@Prospero, I agree with the general sentiment that it's mainly about room setup and acoustics including speaker placement.

This works for me from a couple years back:
SUMMER MUSINGS: The Soundroom - speaker layout, vibration control & correction.

DSP with time-domain correction of your speaker+room also adds to the perception of depth.

 

This has been my experience. For my speakers very small toe-in/toe-out adjustments make a big difference

- Increase toe in = More focus and ability to pinpoint instruments, etc. but narrower soundstage

- Decrease toe-in = Wider and a little deeper soundstage (but less focus)

Playing with speaker distance to back walls mostly changes the tone of the speakers. But can also impact the level of 3 dimensionality of the soundstage. Closer to the back wall can increase bass but being too close flattens the soundstage. Pulling them out from the back wall can make the soundstage more holographic - but unfortunately can make the speakers a little thin sounding. (this has been my experience anyway)

 

Adding a good sub-woofer can also open up the soundstage if it's set up properly

 

I was going to post and read your post. The second sentence worked well for me. I used to toe in and began to gradually decrease to toe in to where I no longer have any. Speakers sing straight away and the soundstage increased greatly, which I prefer.

 

I used to toe in more than I do now, but I too started moving them to almost straight on. I have my towers about 1/2" toe in, this also all depends on how deep your cabinets are, mine are 13.5" deep.

 

Getting high does wonders for my soundstage. Serious

 

Placement of the speakers helped me a lot. Even if it looks odd they have a best spot that u need to find by trial and error.
'To toe in or not to in' changes soundstage as well.
Dac definitely changed my system from sounding forward to laid back which added depth to soundstage. But it looks like ur system is all analog.

 

Did it make the soundstage as high as u r?

 

Almost

 

You have a nice system, so you should start with speaker placement. Try the Cardas setup or the Sumiko, or Wilson placement guides. I like the Cardas but the others are also very good. I would also look Gik room treatments. They also have a DIY if you are into that. I also highly recommend a least a pair of subs. There are many spacial clues in the sub frequencies. Subs made the most difference in my sound-staging and imaging. The first thing is to try the free stuff. I wish luck, and keep us posted.
Cardas Room Setup Guide
The DIY Sumiko Master Speaker Setup Guide - The Sound Apprentice

Acoustic Panels | Bass Traps | Sound Diffusers - GIK Acoustics
https://www.svsound.com/blogs/subwoofer-setup-and-tuning/75040195-why-go-dual