1) Tonal balance
2) Tonal balance
3) Tonal balance
You start there. Once you have that, Everything else falls in place.
2) Tonal balance
3) Tonal balance
You start there. Once you have that, Everything else falls in place.
... hence the measurments into the listening rooms to set up our loudspeakers... thanks to all the good shared soft as the cost reduction of measurment devices needed. last decade is really a great one for audio enthusiasts to understand more what they love/need/trade off.
I think tonal balance is all that important too.
Although i end with it, rather than begin with it.
For me, getting flat frequency and phase response is mandatory prerequisite tuning.
Then once i have that established, I adjust tonal balance in real time, track by track.
Best way i've found so far is to use separate volume controls for each speaker section, to set relative levels between the sub, mid, hf, and vhf sections.
(4-way active system)
The DCA snip (digitally controlled amplifier) shows the speaker section's slider layout on a X-32 mixer. The red DCA Master slider is the main volume control.
There are very few tracks that can't made to be sound tonally pleasing, despite how they were recorded.
Sometimes i ask myself if i could only have one, the precise frequency and phase response initial tuning i work so hard at, or the ability to manipulate tonal balance like shown but with a haphazard initial tuning,...... which would i choose?
I believe i'd have to go with the tonal balance setup..it's a real pleasure giver...
But good thing i don't have to choose... that would no doubt drive an audioholic nuts 😀
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Lights off, dark autumn night cold outside warm inside
Maybe a candle or the fireplace preferably
Wearing just a robe and slippers
Red wine and cheese
Wife gives a rub massage
No neighbors anywhere to see
In this setting almost any music and sound system will do.
But the bigger the better almost always is the case for me.
Dynamics body size clarity full range crisp and smooth.
BRB need to get some more wine.
Corona isn’t all that bad when you have gear.
Maybe a candle or the fireplace preferably
Wearing just a robe and slippers
Red wine and cheese
Wife gives a rub massage
No neighbors anywhere to see
In this setting almost any music and sound system will do.
But the bigger the better almost always is the case for me.
Dynamics body size clarity full range crisp and smooth.
BRB need to get some more wine.
Corona isn’t all that bad when you have gear.
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It's interesting to read the preferences and ideas of other people. Almost all of them are important for my enjoyment (Shiraz included) but my order of importance is different, as are the orders of so many who've posted. We all listen for and like the same things, but with various importance. 
It's interesting to read the preferences and ideas of other people. Almost all of them are important for my enjoyment (Shiraz included) but my order of importance is different, as are the orders of so many who've posted. We all listen for and like the same things, but with various importance.
Indeed, you don't want a front stage that throws Shiraz bottle in the Head
(PeteMck is liking the direct sound of bars live events 😀 🙂.... pianist is still playing while the bottles flie 😀 ... must confess all those pianist plays the same after one bottle)
In no particular order:
- Flat frequency response
- Good time domain response (little diffraction, well damped resonances)
- Controlled dispersion (not necessarily wide, but it has to be consistend over wide frequency band and should be symmetric on all axis ideally).
- Low modulation distortion (AM/FM/PM and low IMD, though this is probably more of a problem in electronics).
- Good room acoustics! (low reverb, but not fully absorbant such that it feels dead).
There's obviously much more that comes in play when we look further than just technical parameters. Playing music that you like would be a great start 🙂
- Flat frequency response
- Good time domain response (little diffraction, well damped resonances)
- Controlled dispersion (not necessarily wide, but it has to be consistend over wide frequency band and should be symmetric on all axis ideally).
- Low modulation distortion (AM/FM/PM and low IMD, though this is probably more of a problem in electronics).
- Good room acoustics! (low reverb, but not fully absorbant such that it feels dead).
There's obviously much more that comes in play when we look further than just technical parameters. Playing music that you like would be a great start 🙂
..which is more of a "live" presentation feature, and doesn't have a lot to do with tonal balance.
I personally think the correct tonal balance/flat freq. response has more to do with wanting "accuracy", not really things that ultimately provide the greatest sense of enjoyment (..unless the tonal balance is so bad that you just can't deal with it).
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This is more of a list of good design, not necessarily resulting in actual enjoyment. 😉
If any particular factor does so, in what manner does it increase enjoyment?
- Frequency response is KING. And I don't mean just equal level of octave bands. I mean FLAT FLAT FLAT. Very MINIMAL peaks and/or dips (+/- 1 db) at ALL frequencies between 30 Hz and 18KHz.
- Imaging. Some call it sound-stage.
- Let me know if you find such a speaker!
I've heard very flat in-room results from lower-line Revel brand loudspeakers in a treated room at a dealer.
Not at all enjoyable. Flat dimensionally, stunted "dynamics". About as boring as you can get. As Cal mentions: wouldn't have generated a single "goosebump" no matter how good the recording even though the result had a much higher degree of accuracy than most designs.
Flat freq. response is great, but does it really create substantial enjoyment (in-and-of itself)?
Not at all enjoyable. Flat dimensionally, stunted "dynamics". About as boring as you can get. As Cal mentions: wouldn't have generated a single "goosebump" no matter how good the recording even though the result had a much higher degree of accuracy than most designs.
Flat freq. response is great, but does it really create substantial enjoyment (in-and-of itself)?
I find that many systems are not tonally well-balanced, but they may still have other desirable qualities, such as imaging, etc. On such systems, some music sounds phenomenal, other types only so-so. The biggest jump in enjoyment, which is the title of this thread, on a wide variety of music comes from an even tonal balance. Obviously, this is linked to a flat perceived (in-room) frequency response. The speaker's on-axis response must be flat, but the in-room response should have a tilt in the upper frequencies otherwise it can sound too bright. Too much or too little absorption in the room can make a speaker with a flat response sound too lively or dull. In the end, it is the speaker's on-axis response (axis to your ears), it's off-axis response, and the room's absorption at different frequencies that together contribute to the perceived tonal balance.
Flat or linear phase is less important, or not important at all, in my experience. The relative phase between the left and right speaker is important though and you can do some cool things with it.
Flat or linear phase is less important, or not important at all, in my experience. The relative phase between the left and right speaker is important though and you can do some cool things with it.
Regarding music, if George Winston's piano sounds good I'm happy. Regarding home theater, it's 1) dialogue intelligibility, then 2) envelopment.
Low expectations leads to high satisfaction.
Low expectations leads to high satisfaction.
I disagree. If tonal balance is right, then the speaker will sound enjoyable to me. It doesn't even have to be full frequency range to be enjoyable. I certainly don't think "Wow, that's accurate!" when I hear a speaker with good tonal balance.
Also, lumping together "correct tonal balance/flat freq. response" doesn't work for me. A correct tonal balance might not be a flat on-axis frequency response. But it might be a fairly flat in room power response.
There is certainly more to enjoyment than tonal balance, but it's the first thing I hear. And for me it's the first thing to get right - otherwise it will always sound like a speaker. 😉