Interesting Site on Speaker Design

[davecandialex]

Loudspeakers: Objective evaluations - Part 2: Measuring the essential properties of loudspeakers

The EEtimes online magazine "Analog Planet" has been running some sections of a book by Floyd Toole. This section measuring speakers is a good summary of topics that are discussed in this form.

[mige0]

"Frequency response is the single most important aspect of the performance of any audio device. "

Plain wrong - right from the beginning, IMO

Michael

[holdent]

Originally Posted by mige0

"Frequency response is the single most important aspect of the performance of any audio device. "

Plain wrong - right from the beginning, IMO

Michael

I skimmed the entire article and the statement quoted really is not a fair synopsis of the article even though its used at the begining by the author (it seems to be a teaser used to get the reader to look at the article). He discusses a number of issues about what flat frequency response means including the in-room and power response issues.

[planet10]

There is a huge amount of context in Toole's work. One really needs to read the entire book.

dave

[djn]

Originally Posted by mige0

"Frequency response is the single most important aspect of the performance of any audio device. "

Plain wrong - right from the beginning, IMO

Michael

I think it is the single most important aspect if you look at it from a "use a tweeter for midrange" aspect. You have to use the right driver for the job or everything else is moot.

[MiiB]

linearity is just one of the parameters concerning loudspeakers....loudspeakers is the sole audio equipment that targets the human ears and psychoacoustic brain.....liniarity rides on the assumption om minimal phase networks..and that all SPL contributions sound the same...
Speakers can't be linear...if the are they simply sound wrong.....our ears (psychoacoustic brain) are extremely sensitive to phase information.. this is how we recognize if sounds are subtle and close or powerful but far away...Where drivers meet there must be a small dip in the frequencyresponse.. or the area will standout as being too loud...

apart form that.. linearity is prone to change dramatically with the SPL.. linearity Wrong way...target curves wrong way....driver behavior and carefully tuning....much much better way...but in speaker design theres no absolutes and no such thing as no compromise....but terms like low compromise and common sense in understanding that theres is just some thing we like and somethings we dislike....ever wonder why we share rytem and tune across the continent.. why African native singers blend in just fine with the Eskimos singing in Greenland...??

[c2cthomas]

Originally Posted by MiiB

ever wonder why we share rytem and tune across the continent.. why African native singers blend in just fine with the Eskimos singing in Greenland...??

Hi Miib - Your points are well stated and well taken - but I missed the one with the African native singers blending in with the Eskimos singing in Greenland. The Eskimos I met in Greenland couldn't sing worth beans - so I fit right in.

[mige0]

Originally Posted by djn

I think it is the single most important aspect if you look at it from a "use a tweeter for midrange" aspect. You have to use the right driver for the job or everything else is moot.

That may well be, but my statement regarding Floyd's statement actually was meant slightly more fundamental:

Audio and Loudspeaker Design Guide Lines

http://www.kinotechnik.edis.at/pages...ts_of_View.pdf

(I finally found the time to update and link the paper)


Michael

[MiiB]

He..he..singing is one thing.....listening and hearing is something eles....I have extremly good sens of rythm and timing and car hear tune and pitch to the nerve...but i can't sing a tune....
Ever thought about the coexistence of hifi, speaker-tuning..and the symphony keynote....or even more puzzling why the harmonics of the scalar-pulses of our world seems to fit exactly that...!!