The problems with stereo recordings

[sandyk]

11 hours ago, kirkmc said:

I’m afraid you’re missing the point. I’m talking about exaggerated stereo separation, which is done in mixing and mastering. I’m not talking about “flat“ imaging.

 Perhaps some of this was done originally in the Vinyl era , due to the poor channel separation of most cartridges, with around 35dB being close to as good as it gets back then ? Some may have also been due to the fascination with Quad sound back then also ? (Enoch Light etc.) 

[sandyk]

2 minutes ago, fas42 said:

Much stereo playback is flat as tack - there is hardly any perceptible depth to it .

 Speak for your own setup Frank .😋

[sandyk]

4 hours ago, John Dyson said:

Separation at 20dB or so doens't make such a huge difference.  

 It may not in your setup, but with the dual mono type construction (even the PSU area) used in my DIY gear which has way better than normal channel separation, the differences are very obvious with good material.

[sandyk]

13 minutes ago, John Dyson said:

 

Sure, on a more fine level -- 15dB vs 25dB can make a difference, and pretty sure that I could detect it.

As it is -- my digital setup probably has 90dB separation.

 

John

 

And it's more likely around 70dB at 20kHz 😉

[sandyk]

51 minutes ago, John Dyson said:

cannot hear 20kHz :-).   Geesh, who can hear -70dB at 20kHz? :-).

 Nether can I, but I can hear the difference between genuine Hi Res material such as from Barry Diament and other well recorded albums where most of the genuine musical content of >20kHz is well down, and 16/44.kHz as I have reported back  to you on quite a few occasions where you have made available the >48kHz versions of the same files. So has fellow A.S. member Chris with the same material.