"Sometimes I'm a little unsure of peoples' reviews when they talk about a soundstage that easily enables you to envision the band members on stage...even down to who is in front or to the rear of the stage. That instrument is wherever the recording engineer panned it to.... there is no "realness" to it at all."
Yeah that's what I was thinking. Thanks so much for your generous responses. The quote below is what got my attention.
"On the title track, Ed Robertson’s voice was easily discernible slightly to the left of center, with Cole’s voice on the right, the strings and woodwinds filling in behind. On "’Zat You Santa Claus" Cole’s voice was dead center, the orchestra again filling in the back of the soundstage. The distinctive "blat" of the trombone was firmly in the right speaker and beautifully rendered."
I thought to myself that trombone wasn't being 'played' on the right of the stage, the engineer simply put it there to leave room for other instruments in the mix. And I suppose a good amplifier/speaker would tend to leave that trombone, and all the other instruments, exactly where the engineer placed it in the mix.
I wonder why so many speaker reviews repeat the cliches as if there was a real sound stage?
Again thanks so much for the comments and insights.
Larry
