"a large, localized image - a big guitar, maybe 10 feet long, being plucked in the vicinity of the right speaker, and a big snare drum, maybe two or three feet across, being brushed in the vicinity of the left speaker. Does that coincide with your recollection of the Gallos, and how would it compare with the imaging of the Ohms?"
With good gear the OHM soundstage will generally extend from wall to wall and from speaker to ceiling vertically and may also have depth extending beyond the rear wall, depending on room, setup and listening position. Comparing a large soundstage to a small one is like comparing a detailed big screen TV to a detailed small screen TV. Some might prefer the smaller screen because the same picture appears sharper. Some will like the large screen because the image is still sharp but they can also make out more details because things are bigger and there is more space separating features of interest.
The perceived size and location of things will vary from recording to recording depending on how the piece was miked and produced. The OHMs will essentially just reproduce in your room what the producers capture in their recording and production process, which is really the best any system can do.
Accordingly, if you heard a "10 foot guitar", that may be due to very close miking during the recording process, kinda like the audio equivalent of a close zoom of the player doing his thing on a music video.
With good gear the OHM soundstage will generally extend from wall to wall and from speaker to ceiling vertically and may also have depth extending beyond the rear wall, depending on room, setup and listening position. Comparing a large soundstage to a small one is like comparing a detailed big screen TV to a detailed small screen TV. Some might prefer the smaller screen because the same picture appears sharper. Some will like the large screen because the image is still sharp but they can also make out more details because things are bigger and there is more space separating features of interest.
The perceived size and location of things will vary from recording to recording depending on how the piece was miked and produced. The OHMs will essentially just reproduce in your room what the producers capture in their recording and production process, which is really the best any system can do.
Accordingly, if you heard a "10 foot guitar", that may be due to very close miking during the recording process, kinda like the audio equivalent of a close zoom of the player doing his thing on a music video.