Getting imaging right is easy compared to getting the music right.
I’ve heard countless systems that can pin a violin dead-center or place a voice with precision, yet still fail to sound convincing. The spatial cues are there, but the music feels flat. That’s because the hardest part of system tuning only begins with imaging—and everything else comes next: tonal balance. Natural transients. Harmonic accuracy. When even one of these is off, the illusion breaks.
The challenge lies in how complex our perception of timbre is. You can nail the soundstage and still be left with a tone that’s too dry, too warm, or worse—lifeless. Instruments don’t just sit in space; they speak through the air. Their weight, texture, and energy have to feel real. That’s not a simple trick of placement—it's the result of everything working in harmony, from the source to the speaker to the room.
Transients are another place where systems often fall short. A piano hammer should bite, not blur. A snare drum should pop with tension, not softness. If transients are smeared or overly rounded, you lose that connection to the performance. I’ve spent entire afternoons fine-tuning crossover slopes or repositioning speakers just to restore the snap of a single drum hit.
I’ve found that many systems reach about 90% accuracy with relative ease. But it’s the last 10%, where tonal truth and transient integrity live, that takes real work. That's where tuning becomes less about gear and more about listening deeply. You stop asking "Does this sound impressive?" and start asking, "Does this sound like music?"
When everything aligns—the room, the speakers, the electronics, and the setup—you hear it instantly. The sound no longer comes from the system. It flows freely, naturally, like you’ve walked into a performance in progress. That’s the goal. And while it’s rare, it’s always worth chasing.
