It refers to stage hieght across the width of the stage. The images in the center of the stage will be at a hieght at or above the dash. But as you listen to sound sources coming from the outer ends of the stage, the hieght of that image starts to drop the closer they are to the outer boundries of the stage. Thus creating a stage that is not flat across the dash but high in the center and lower on outside ends of the stage. Or 'rainbow' effect.
Typically an issue with drivers being under the dash. Vehicles with big center consols are the worst. Where as cars with no consol will be easier to deal with. It relates primarily to the interaction of the left and right channels. Or the lack of. Placing tweeters in the a-pillars will help remedy this but then create different problems. Ussually with focusing of the images because of the seperation of the drivers.
So it's truely a balancing act. Advantages and drawbacks. Like bdubs says .. pick your poison.
Last edited by gkitching on Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Use ur kicks to get a nice stable image, in most cases what is on the end of the stage is high cymbals or reflections of the original instruments, I have a slightly wonky set up , but then my car is small and not as big as a yank tank.
I had to be vreative but got
Mibass in the floor, just in front of the seats firing towards the point where the windscreen meets the roofline.
Midrange in the kick panels and tweeters in the a-pillar,
Car is a E30 BMW.
Try the Imaging tweeters , I found if you runn them off the rear channel u can fade them in and out to increase the height and width , face them towards eacdh other and wire out of phase with your other speakers.
Another trick to use is to bump 16k and 20K , it picks the stage up and gives a good illusion to rainbow effect.
