Holographic imaging

I've also always believed that tubes were more 3-D. But, until a recent discovery of a digital amp (Spectron Musician 3 SE MKII). I'm now a converted old tube lover. Oh well, never say never! Not a tube in the rig anymore. Infact, everytime I introduce a tube somewhere it falls apart. One thing this has taught me. When it comes to audio, just when we think we got it figured out.Wham,bam! From now on I'm keeping an open mind. Wander how many times I've said that before! LOL!

DC,

If you read my second to last post here I think you'll see we agree that "holographic imaging", assuming this refers to transparency, is more of a room and acoustics thing and not an artifact of SS versus tube.

To my mind Newbee has given the best description of what is meant by "holographic imaging". What Mapman seems to refer to seems to me to have more to do with good soundstaging and placement of instruments therein. Bloom is something which is easy to hear in a live concert and devilishly difficult to reproduce at home even with the very best rigs. It has to do with the aura which appears around a played tone before it disappears into the next. It has to do with transparency but is not the same thing. It has nothing to do with reverberations of sound bouncing off the walls of a hall. It has nothing to do with a good reproduction of transients. That is again something different, which a transparent system can dissolve to good effect. To my ears it is the lack of bloom which distinguishes even the best systems from the real thing.
Besides, to my mind a well designed amp will give you a good 3D rendering, if all the points Mapman has mentioned are taken care of and it does not matter if it SS, digital amp or tube. To maintain that one technology clobbers the rest is not supported by what I have experienced so far.

Newbee, I think I generally agree with what you're saying but can you please explain the assertion that omni's are not inherently capable of holographic imaging? I have never heard a pure omni design, but I would expect them to be inherently more capable, when set up correctly, than more traditional designs.

By the way, holographic imaging is a somewhat vague term not commonly heard in these audiophile parts.

"Holographic Imaging" is a specific feature on Carver pre-amps that you can switch in and out as desired.

I am very familiar with this effect from living with a Carver pre for many years and through various system incarnations. The resulting sound, on a properly set up system, is much like Newbie describes.

I've found other ways to accomplish the same effect without using the holography feature on the Carver and do not use it at all these days. My system is all SS and no tubes (so far).