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Amplifier brands with great soundstage reproduction?

kristoffer

kristoffer

Danish Hi Fi NERD
I really enjoy my Rega gear, but sometimes I wish the soundstage presentation was a bit wider. This made me think about what amplifiers really reproduce soundstage well. I seem to remember that a wide soundstage reproduction is often prevalent on Japanese amps/gear?
I realise that soundstage is also heavily dependent on speakers and source device, but in my experience the amplifier is still crucial when reproducing a soundstage.
 
Gosh so many amps reproduce soundstage well ,mega choice out there .the hegel 360 i heard recently was like being in a cathedral with imaging .there are so many more like bel canto , modwright etc
 
I'm still not sure whether soundstage is baked into the recording, or whether it's an illusory effect that's a combination of the recording's elements and "holographic distortion" added by audio gear and physical elements in the chain (like the setup and the room).

For example, I recently did a test of a bunch of amp combos. We discovered that we got the best soundstage when a Benchmark HPA4 preamp was in the chain. This set of comparisons included the very expensive Hegel H600 integrated, which seems to contradict the experience of @hifinutt (assuming the H600 is equally capable as the 360 he mentioned).

I've also noticed that soundstage can be improved by adding tubes in the chain, and they create 2nd order harmonics. In this case, perhaps that extra harmonic excitation tricks our brains into thinking there's more spatial information present.

That's why the jury's out for me. I'll continue to observe, trying to make sense of it all. :)
 
I guess that the better the phase relationship is preserved across the band then the more of the sound stage will be maintained. Another way of saying the same things is the soundstage info will be scattered if different frequencies are delayed in time over others. That's not only the amp!
 
Mike Hanson said:
I'm still not sure whether soundstage is baked into the recording, or whether it's an illusory effect that's a combination of the recording's elements and "holographic distortion" added by audio gear and physical elements in the chain (like the setup and the room).

For example, I recently did a test of a bunch of amp combos. We discovered that we got the best soundstage when a Benchmark HPA4 preamp was in the chain. This set of comparisons included the very expensive Hegel H600 integrated, which seems to contradict the experience of @hifinutt (assuming the H600 is equally capable as the 360 he mentioned).

I've also noticed that soundstage can be improved by adding tubes in the chain, and they create 2nd order harmonics. In this case, perhaps that extra harmonic excitation tricks our brains into thinking there's more spatial information present.

That's why the jury's out for me. I'll continue to observe, trying to make sense of it all. :)
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I recall a hifi critic review of the 360 which outdid all the other amps for imaging .odd the 600 didnt cut it but i guess more expensive is not always better
 
Mike Hanson said:
I'm still not sure whether soundstage is baked into the recording, or whether it's an illusory effect that's a combination of the recording's elements and "holographic distortion" added by audio gear and physical elements in the chain (like the setup and the room).

For example, I recently did a test of a bunch of amp combos. We discovered that we got the best soundstage when a Benchmark HPA4 preamp was in the chain. This set of comparisons included the very expensive Hegel H600 integrated, which seems to contradict the experience of @hifinutt (assuming the H600 is equally capable as the 360 he mentioned).

I've also noticed that soundstage can be improved by adding tubes in the chain, and they create 2nd order harmonics. In this case, perhaps that extra harmonic excitation tricks our brains into thinking there's more spatial information present.

That's why the jury's out for me. I'll continue to observe, trying to make sense of it all. :)
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It is recorded in hence stereo sound not mono, but some amp's do a better job than others at separating the sounds so that we hear correctly. Speakers and cables also play a big part and getting gear that works together is the key factor, hence these discussions and these forums different rooms different music tastes and do we all have the same hearing range all contribute.
Getting the right HiFi for yourself is hard work but picking one for someone else is near impossible simply throwing money at it doesn't work all though the better kit costs more may be part of the, that costs more than what i have therefore it's better so i want it, keeps the industry alive and we all fall for it from time to time. If it were easy we would all have the same system that fitted our budget and room.
 
I build my own single ended tube amps so I listen frequently to different setups - output transformers, tubes, resistors, capacitors. The soundstage doesn't change dramatically, but it can change in audible ways. With tubes, what is really nice is when there's a feeling of 3D around voices - the soundstage isn't flat around the voice, it's holographic. I've experienced this most with DHTs - directly heated triodes. This kind of 3 dimensional effect is a sort of magic which happens unpredictably when everything is right. It's not the same as room effects or speaker effects, it's in the amplification circuit and in the sound itself.

i can get this 3D effect from certain valves but I don't think I've heard it from solid state amps or Class D amps.

Obviously with popular or jazz singers recorded in studios you can add reverb and echo but it isn't exactly that. I get the same effect with opera recordings which wouldn't have been enhanced in the same way.
 
Mike Hanson said:
I've also noticed that soundstage can be improved by adding tubes in the chain, and they create 2nd order harmonics. In this case, perhaps that extra harmonic excitation tricks our brains into thinking there's more spatial information present.
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I experimented a bit with an Audacity harmonic distortion generation plug-in a few years ago and found that it increased the sense of spaciousness and resonance/reverberation.
 
I'd add Nagra and Gamut to the list of amps capable of contributing to excellent sound staging. As it has been said, they're just a part of what's needed for an excellent sound stage.
 
I actually think it’s in the recording, quite often get big differences in sound stage between albums.

Speakers probably make the biggest difference to this in terms of equipment. Difficult to get a big image with a pair of small stand mounts.
 
Woodface said:
Speakers probably make the biggest difference to this in terms of equipment. Difficult to get a big image with a pair of small stand mounts.
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I would have thought stand mounts are pretty good for soundstage - plenty of air around the speakers and you can position them for the best effect. By "small" what do you mean? LS3/5A types and larger with 6.5" or 8" midbass?

What have others found?
 
Bodhi said:
I haven't heard the excellent Nagra HD amps, but some tubes in the mix always helps transparency and dimensionality.
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Yes, a good friend of mine has a Nagra PLL+ Classic combo driving a pair of Avalon Ideas and the end result is very very good.
 
les24preludes said:
I would have thought stand mounts are pretty good for soundstage - plenty of air around the speakers and you can position them for the best effect. By "small" what do you mean? LS3/5A types and larger with 6.5" or 8" midbass?

What have others found?
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Yes, properly driven good stand mounts and good twin subs tend to gave great imaging and sound staging IME.
 
les24preludes said:
I would have thought stand mounts are pretty good for soundstage - plenty of air around the speakers and you can position them for the best effect. By "small" what do you mean? LS3/5A types and larger with 6.5" or 8" midbass?

What have others found?
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Smaller speakers tend to more for near field listening. I’m not sure what difference the air can make? Certainly speaker position.

I found very little in width when I changed my pre amp but some changes in height but only on some recordings. Then again, turning the lights off or mood at the time can make a difference.
 
I have found that small standmounts soundstage and image beautifully when well fed and setup.

They lack scale and bass obviously so I guess we need to define exactly what we think soundstage is.
 
Alex S said:
I have found that small standmounts soundstage and image beautifully when well fed and setup.

They lack scale and bass obviously so I guess we need to define exactly what we think soundstage is.
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That's why adding good twin subs can be a great recipe!
 
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