Stereo is more than just two channels.
There’s a third image—a phantom center—where voices, solos, and main instruments lock firmly in place between the speakers. Without it, music feels like a tug-of-war between left and right, with nothing solid in the middle.
Obviously, that center doesn’t come from a third speaker. It’s the product of precise balance in level, timing, and phase between channels.
And this is where speaker placement is critical. Equal distances to the listening seat, matched toe-in, and symmetrical surroundings allow the center to form naturally. When it does, the entire presentation gains authority.
Achieving a solid center is one of the great tests of system setup. When it’s there, stereo transforms from two sources of sound into one seamless stage.
