Image Height

Ever wonder about image height in your HiFi soundstage?

[@glenncurry3041]

Our brains are pattern recognition systems. With some exposure to the sound of things over our heads it learns why something sounds different above than when in front or behind. Various timing and frequency clues. When well recorded those clues can be picked up by the brain and it matches the pattern of something overhead. And with headphones there is less crosstalk and more immediacy to each ear. So it would be even more dramatic.

[@matteyles7466]

30 years in The Hi-Fi industry the most amazing imaging was with a DEQX calibrated system in a big room where the ceiling was about 4 1/2 metres high. The sound stage of Hnnibal by Caribou wrapped 360° around and the front soundstage with percussion at different heights was so dialled in, just amazing.

[@BruceCross]

Stupid me, I never realized why reviews of audio equipment rarely mention height. Musicians are normally singing/ playing on a flat, horizontal stage. Only occasionally do you get height information, such as a choir on risers.

[@ShahidiSabri]

an octet speakers system is needed , instead of the normal quad speakers surround system , another quad ceiling speakers would produced a three dimensional aural speakers system , with an eight channel audio recordings and an eight channel power amplifier audio output would produced a three dimensional surround system .

[@alejandrorigonatto694]

Did you hear about "dobly atmos" go check it out, is unbelievable...

[@slode1693]

Listen to "Latitude" and "Longitude" off Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' "Little Worlds" It may just be that I noticed the song names and thought about soundstage and made myself think this, but I steel feel that Latitude's soundstage seems narrow and tall, and Longitude's is quite wide. I wonder if that was intentional or not, or maybe I'm just nuts.

[@tubefreeeasy]

I just heard Happiest Days of our Lives from The Wall. The helicopter starts right and forward. Then I hear it end flying low overhead, slightly to the left. Paul, you should look into the new Sophia Electric Aqua II tubes. Highly detailed, sharp imagery, and airy. Sounds great only after the second day. How good will it sound two to three weeks from now?

[@hamidrezahabibi8111]

But I guess the person was listening through headphones 🎧

[@user-cq6fk5go3s]

I think Apple with the head tracking thing and music. It’s just subtle enough make me feel like the band is playing in front of me. Specifically where the drums are concerned. Snares, kick drum ect have a specific height and position in to relation to what I perceive as my location in the space. I’m probably describing it in a way that makes no sense to anyone but me but either way I enjoy the gimmick.

[@ianbigsand7]

Sitting in our garden, I hear birds all around in a hemisphere, L, R, in front, behind and above. I imagine that this perception is partly to do with the shape of the outer ear.

[@mrenard1953]

You have all this info, and only two ears….

[@ianbigsand7]

@@mrenard1953 it is quite remarkable

[@dangerzone007]

If you don't eat your meat you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat.

[@danbuffington75]

Hilarious ❤

[@alejandrorigonatto694]

I don't think point microphone up is the right way to go to record that... I actually think if you point to the front so the mic capture the reflexted sound from the floor an the "direct" sound too... I think thats the way brain create the "height", based on the reflected sound in the floor...

[@steveodian6008]

Drooling over those BHK 600’s😄

[@martinlindberg1983]

Yes, I experience height in my rig, but it always make me wonder how that is possible. Some well recorded tracks has certain instruments, like a sax way above the speaker height and it is both scary and very exciting. I am still not sure how this can be possible Paul, but it surely has to do with clever mixing and a well treated room...

[@Artemis_Prix]

Miles Davis' song, "So What", provides a really nice soundstage, as well as height. When Miles plays, his trumpet appears to be about 7 feet off the floor which is quite impressive from my Heresy IVs. I believe it conveys that way because he's standing up on stage, whereas his fellow band members are all sitting down. Enjoy.

[@chuckmaddison2924]

Psycho acoustics.

[@endrizo]

micophones in stereo recording only know left and right. the studio console pan control is only left middle and right. whaterever else you hear is an ilussion.

[@francois-xaviergonnet7216]

If you are not interested in this illusion... just buy an headphone ! Headphone = 2D Stereo = 3D ......................... because the room is you third speaker !

[@Fastvoice]

There's much more in a stereo mixing environment than just the pan control. You can shape the virtual room with volume level, EQ (proximity effect), reverb, delay, compression and phase shifting. What also works is a dummy head recording that you listen to with your decent headphones and gives you a good 3D impression.

[@alejandrorigonatto694]

Not necessarily... As you will also record the reflected sound in the room, so your brain may actually catch these reflections to calculate the "size" of the room and also the "source" or "point of origin" of each sound...

[@endrizo]

@@francois-xaviergonnet7216 as i said ..an ilussion

[@endrizo]

@@Fastvoice as i said ..an ilussion

[@SlotHits777]

Hey Paul, How do speaker manufactures create height vs width of sounds.. such as SVS Ultra Towers sound wide stages imaged, where as Revel F36’s sound stage is more narrow and height or tallness is heard comparatively

[@AnimusInvidious]

Dolby Atmos / DTS for headphones both do a good job of psychoacoustically conveying height information (for audio that has it). As for heighth? Not sure what that is 😂

[@cubinn149]

It's called atmos

[@tubefreeeasy]

I’m probably receiving my Schumann Resonance Generator 7.83 Hertz this week. This is supposed to be to offer great amounts of 3D effects and clarity. That, plus I just got my new Sophia Electric Aqua II 274B. This has already tickled me with focused imagery. Got to see how these develop within the next two weeks.

[@bayard1332]

Are you joking or did someone actually make a Schumann Resonance Generator? I was (half) joking a few weeks ago that in order to really be able to recreate live sound as if it's live sound the system playback will have to be synced to the Schumann Resonance of Earth....

[@djl8710]

Those are some BIG amps....

[@ryanschipp8513]

Which track is the writer referring to? I know he said The Wall album, but what track?

[@aliulviagan8770]

The happiest days of our lives

[@hoobsgroove]

i was watching this clip the other week about the guy who invented the special effects machine for pink Floyd.the guy has autism and American it was very interesting sorry I forgot his name. yeah you can do it with special effects expanders and I like

[@francois-xaviergonnet7216]

Most people doesn't understand stereo imaging is an effect created by your listening room ! From what I understand, the reflection of the sound on the walls around you (especialy behind the speakers) create a little echo resulting in the fact that your brain can't determine precisely where the sound is coming from... Your brain mix all the informations and that's why you ear a wider or deeper soundstage. This echo depend of the frequency so it doesn't work all the time with all the musics... And well, your amp and speakers need to by pretty fast to create this effect. Planar speakers are the best in this category.

[@Fastvoice]

You can also have stereo imaging with headphones and no room involved.

[@francois-xaviergonnet7216]

@@Fastvoice : No, headphones add no extra imaging to the music. The only imaging you get is from the mixing...

[@Fastvoice]

@@francois-xaviergonnet7216 You didn't read my comment. I wrote nothing about headphones *adding* imaging. They provide the imaging which was already created in the recording and mixing process - e.g. with a dummy head recording.

[@francois-xaviergonnet7216]

@@Fastvoice : I saw your comment... Well, when I talk about imaging, I talk about what is added by the system and the room, and not what is already in the recording. With the same track, a system can produce a poor imaging, and another one with a meticulous setup can add a satisfying 3D space to the music. An headphone can't create any extra imaging to the one already present on the track... no matter how good it's.

[@rudolfglaser9664]

Your own imagination has a lot to do with where you hear a sound event. Only very few people have ever experienced or heard a helicopter below them ... your own subconscious places it where you "know" it ;)

[@dangerzone007]

To have a realistic image height you need to have good speaker cables. My speaker cables are so good whenever the pink Floyd helicopter comes on my dog looks up to see if he can see the helicopter.

[@stevengagnon4777]

Naw...it's mostly the speakers...we listened to this way back when we would just use heavy guage speaker wire. Some speakers clearly could do it and others not so well. It wasn't even necessarily a function of price so many higher priced speakers had a half dozen drivers filling a big empty box...not good for imaging.

[@funny0000000]

FIRST COMMENT!!!

[@endrizo]

that is not a comment. write something worth reading

[@xaviermontalban717]

Who cares

[@funny0000000]

@@endrizo Being jealous is a not a really nice trait to have. I was going to say I love Pink Floyd but I was worried a loser might comment before me. Have a nice day, Paul.

[@funny0000000]

@@xaviermontalban717 I should have you blocked for being a bad guy that doesn't know the first is the best and PS Audio is the best.

[@xaviermontalban717]

@@funny0000000 are you 5?