The King of speakers measurement.

[ginetto61]

Hello Everybody !

Leaving apart the obviously fundamental frequency response, in your opinion which is the most important measurement to assess the quality of a loudspeaker ?

I would say the distortion measurements.
I strongly believe that in the end every shortcoming in a speaker's performance results in a bad performance in a distortion test.
Having this in my mind, I cannot understand why distortion measurement are almost non existing in audio magazine

Thank you very much indeed
Regards,
gino

[ratitifb]

in your opinion which is the most important measurement to assess the quality of a loudspeaker ? ...I cannot understand why distortion measurement are almost non existing in audio magazine

from my point of view there isn't only one important measurement to assess quality but a multidimentional space (frequency response (pressure, power), impedance, distortion(s), directivity, linearity, time responses, delay ...).

According to our hearing the frequency response is the basis characteristic but not the only one (psychoacoustics) ...

Distortion measurements are not always the most simple to carry out due to the background noise floor in the surrounding room ...

My 0.02

[pos]

If you go to diyaudio.com you will find plenty of (endless (but very interesting and sound)) discussions on those subjects.
For example: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi...-speakers.html

You can also read Floyd Tools' "Sound Reproduction" that focus on this subject (this book is a must read) : http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduc.../dp/0240520092

According to all those discussions, the most important criterias would be:
- flat on-axis response
- smooth power response

Distortion comes faaaaar away in the list...

[4313B]

Distortion comes faaaaar away in the list...

That's because JBL already has that part nailed. Their transducers are ultra-low distortion by design.

[ginetto61]

That's because JBL already has that part nailed.
Their transducers are ultra-low distortion by design.

That's the point ! at least for me
Speaking of JBL drivers minimal distortion figures are taken for granted
It is not always the case with other brands, I am afraid.
I still believe that human ear is very sensitive to distortion
The problem may be that nowadays very few talk of distortion
They talk of haze ... mist ... veil ... blur ...
A world of poets ...

[Mr. Widget]

I still believe that human ear is very sensitive to distortion
The problem may be that nowadays very few talk of distortion
They talk of haze ... mist ... veil ... blur ...
A world of poets ...

Not to get all semantic on you, but any deviation from the original is by definition a distortion. Therefore too much clean well articulated bass or far too much crystal clear midrange reproduction is still distortion.

I agree with your premise though... the human ear is more discerning than the sum of our measurements. Maybe someday we will have a graph that plainly shows a good from a bad system, but today listening is still key. NEVER buy a loudspeaker based on ANY measurements. The measurements are of supreme importance to the gifted loudspeaker designer... as well as for the less gifted, but at the end of the day, listening will be the key for the designer as well as user.


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[ginetto61]

Not to get all semantic on you, but any deviation from the original is by definition a distortion. Therefore too much clean well articulated bass or far too much crystal clear midrange reproduction is still distortion.
I agree with your premise though... the human ear is more discerning than the sum of our measurements. Maybe someday we will have a graph that plainly shows a good from a bad system, but today listening is still key. NEVER buy a loudspeaker based on ANY measurements. The measurements are of supreme importance to the gifted loudspeaker designer... as well as for the less gifted, but at the end of the day, listening will be the key for the designer as well as user.
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I understand Mr Widget.
But still I think that the superiority of a driver, to stay on a less complex level, in respect to another one can really be measured in some way
And a driver that for the same SPL gives better distortion figures than another one I am pretty sure that, in the end, will sound better, exactly because as you say will deviate less from the original.
I am not an expert but I am quite sure that if anyone takes some of the drivers most universally respected and famous in terms of sound quality and measure them he will found exceptional distortion figures.
It cannot be another way.
Personally I was shocked by the amazingly clean and powerful sound of two 375 drivers at a friend's house. I had never heard them before. It was like opening a door with an hurricane. They changed my perspective of music reproduction entirely.
And I think that their distortion must be extremely low.
The world of compression drivers is entirely another world respect to traditional drivers.
Where the traditional drivers stop they start. Very very impressive.
Thanks and regards,

gino

[Mr. Widget]

Personally I was shocked by the amazingly clean and powerful sound of two 375 drivers at a friend's house. I had never heard them before. It was like opening a door with an hurricane. They changed my perspective of music reproduction entirely.

I think many members here know exactly what you are talking about... however, it is so much more complicated than that. Simply taking a wonderful driver (say a 375 with a Beryllium diaphragm or a TAD 4001.. even better than what you experienced)and using it in a less than ideal system will not achieve a better system than a well designed entire system.


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