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How do you know what a good speaker is?

Frequency response for high end speakers at every price level is usually relatively flat. The differences in audible sound quality reported by audiophiles is disproportionate to the differences in frequency response between different speakers therefore frequency response cannot be a very significant factor in what we're hearing.
Distortion is usually below 0.5% so again the same reasoning applies.
I'm not convinced that polar response is quite as important as is sometimes claimed. 

If you look at the specs of most ultra high end loudspeakers,  there's no hard evidence provided by the manufacturers to justify their claims that their speaker is vastly superior.
And if there was it would need to be independently verified.

So how does the consumer know how close any given loudspeaker is to the ideal loudspeaker? How do we know how close a loudspeaker is to recreating the sound of a violin, cello, piano, human voice, or anything else? 

What makes a magico vastly different from a yg or Wilson? On the other hand if the difference between these speakers is extremely small then why is there such a discrepancy in opinions and why do we need a yg and a magico and Wilson and tidal audio and b&w etc on the market if they're all so similar?  







kenjit
n80
1,227 posts
 
I think my speakers are good. They are largish tower speakers. They pass Tomcarr's smile test every time. And are a joy to listen to all evening long.

I don't know enough to explain why they are 'good'. But the two things you notice most when you examine them is that they are dense. Knock on them with your hand and it feels like they are made of a solid block of wood. Seriously. And the second thing you will notice is that they are heavy. Even heavier than their density and appearance would suggest. So heavy they are difficult to move around and re-position with just one person.

I have no idea if these are critical speaker features or not. But they are definitely noticeable and apparently very intentional.
cleeds
2,065 posts
 
kenjit
How do we know how close a loudspeaker is to recreating the sound of a violin, cello, piano, human voice, or anything else ...
If you know what real instruments sound like, you'll recognize them when you hear them through a speaker system.
erik_squires
5,268 posts
 
Frequency response for high end speakers at every price level is usually relatively flat. The differences in audible sound quality reported by audiophiles is disproportionate to the differences in frequency response between different speakers therefore frequency response cannot be a very significant factor in what we’re hearing.

I completely disagree. If you are going by specmanship, yes, this is true. You cannot look at a speaker’s numbers.

However, I have found repeatedly that the details of the FR matter a great deal. A lot of speakers which are purported to give details, or incredible imaging have tweaks in the FR and if you know what to look for you’ll see it. The tell is a reviewer making a claim like this:
I found myself going through my old record collection and I heard things I've never heard before!

That's usually a pretty good indicator of this.

It disturbs me greatly when I see audio critics calling these speakers transparent or neutral when their own measurements show otherwise. JA does this to the pint when he finds a neutral speaker he calls it deliberately altered. The point is, these critics set the bar as to what the community calls neutral.
Besides FR and distortion, dispersion and stored energy matter a great deal. Dispersion affects how well a speaker will sound in a particular room and where imaging will be best. Stored energy will affect the ability of a speaker to sound natural, transparent.

Another overlooked item which matters (more with some amps than others) is the impedance curve, and I know for a fact some manufacturers deliberately tweak their speakers to be more "discerning" of amplifiers.

I reiterate my position: Buy what yo like to listen to. You have that unqualified right. These are my technical observations.

E
orpheus10
5,988 posts
 

I can't count how many speakers I've heard that sounded good, but you were hearing the sound of the speaker and not the sound of the music.

I decided I wanted to hear the music and not the speaker; that's why mine are custom made (absolutely not recommended). A speaker design engineer assisted; he designed the crossover, and I chose the drivers. The cabinet was the hardest part, which is why I would never do it again.

Imagine crystal clear electronics, and you got my speakers; by not having a sound of their own, it makes them different from any speaker I have ever heard; they only reveal the sound of the music.

The bottom line is; do you want to hear the music or the speaker?


The speaker you choose is the best speaker for you.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
4,908 posts
 

Distortion is below 0.5%? In what universe?! On some speakers at some frequencies at some SPL, but nothing more. All speakers produce huge amounts of distortion at even 40Hz (10% is common), let alone 30 or 20. And while above bass and midbass frequencies the percentage is less, it is nowhere near as low as 0.5 at realistic SPL.

You don’t need specs or verification of them to hear the serious colorations in loudspeakers. Buy or borrow a recorder of some sort, a microphone or two, and make recordings of family or friends speaking. Play the recordings on your speakers to hear how much they change the sound of even voices! Do the same with an acoustic guitar, drumset, or piano. The most interesting thing you will learn is how much better (more lifelike) a homemade recording can sound in comparison with a commercial one (LP, CD, etc.).

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