solderdude
Grand Contributor
Not really. Every headphone amplifier subjective review I read comes with description of how its soundstage is different. Just finished a review and watched two videos on them and both were talking at length about supposed soundstage differences.
When we are to believe Rtings sound stage measurements (which are done in the acoustic plane, not electrical) then soundstage would be related to substantial (well over 5dB) deviations in FR in the 4kHz, 6khz and 9.5kHz ranges. Amplifiers (and DACs) usually have no deviations in FR at all.
Imaging is rated by (again acoustical) phase response in the 5-15kHz band.
Given that the HD800S images pretty well, it already shows very steep and substantial (120 degrees) phase differences over a small frequency band.
I think/believe only steep phase differences over very narrow bands may be audible.
Then it would make sense that amplifiers, which usually have little to no phase shifts and certainly not steep ones, also can not affect this aspect.
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