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Speaker measurements vs. actual perceived audio characteristics

Kain

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Sorry if this is a newbie question, but say that two different speakers from two different brands have the same measurements. How come they still end up sounding different? If measurements don't fully indicate the audio characteristics, why place so much weight on them? Or maybe they do sound the same? I'm not sure. But I do know that two different subwoofers with identical measurements definitely don't sound the same.
 
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Kain

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Didn't know that. So are you saying that if the measurements were identical, they would actually sound the same? How come that doesn't work for subwoofers?
 

FrantzM

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Didn't know that. So are you saying that if the measurements were identical, they would actually sound the same? How come that doesn't work for subwoofers?
It does work for subwoofers. Same measurements, same position in room? Same results...
 
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Kain

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It does work for subwoofers. Same measurements, same position in room? Same results...
If a ported and sealed subwoofer have the same measurements (along with position in room and everything else), they will sound the same? I thought ported subwoofers offered more tactile response compared to sealed subwoofers.

How does a subwoofer sounding "thick" or "bloaty" vs. "clean" or "precise" show up on measurements?
 

FrantzM

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THD, IMD, FR, level, etc ... you know ... measurements.
 

pozz

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How does a subwoofer sounding "thick" or "bloaty" vs. "clean" or "precise" show up on measurements?
In almost all cases this is do with room effects and not the subwoofer. Subwoofers are remarkably similar apart from output capability vs. frequency (according to CEA 2010) and footprint (i.e., size), as well as features. I like DSP in mine, for example.

The other thing to say is: no speaker measures the same as another. There is always some level of difference.
 

Frgirard

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Sorry if this is a newbie question, but say that two different speakers from two different brands have the same measurements. How come they still end up sounding different? If measurements don't fully indicate the audio characteristics, why place so much weight on them? Or maybe they do sound the same? I'm not sure. But I do know that two different subwoofers with identical measurements definitely don't sound the same.
Could you define the same measurements?
 

Mosquito

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Sorry if this is a newbie question, but say that two different speakers from two different brands have the same measurements.
It never happened that two loudspeakers of different brands measured the same.
 

Frgirard

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Not sure two same model of passive speakers have the same measurements.
 
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Kain

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Okay, there seems to be a slight confusion regarding what I meant. When I stated "measurements", I really meant frequency response graphs such as the following:

index.php
 

Katji

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Listening spaces acoustics vary and heads [neurology, psychology --> perception] vary.
 

Katji

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How does a subwoofer sounding "thick" or "bloaty" vs. "clean" or "precise" show up on measurements?

Can you define the meaning/s of those adjectives, so that all persons will understand them the same? ...You might need to define them in terms of [ranges of] test measurement results.
 

Frgirard

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Okay, there seems to be a slight confusion regarding what I meant. When I stated "measurements", I really meant frequency response graphs such as the following:

index.php
The distortion is a great part of the sound speakers.
As inter modulation distortion IMD
The step response.
 

preload

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Okay, there seems to be a slight confusion regarding what I meant. When I stated "measurements", I really meant frequency response graphs such as the following:

index.php
Which two speaker models did you think have identical cea2034 measurements?
 
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Kain

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Which two speaker models did you think have identical cea2034 measurements?
It's a hypothetical question. But I've seen JBL and Genelec speakers with similar "flatness" in CEA2034 measurements but with comments stating that Genelecs are considered bright.
 

preload

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It's a hypothetical question. But I've seen JBL and Genelec speakers with similar "flatness" in CEA2034 measurements but with comments stating that Genelecs are considered bright.

The ability of the internet experts to "interpret" a complete CEA2034 suite of measurements is greatly exaggerated.
 
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