future content

[0321]

It would be nice to see more measurements in the future. Below some ideas:

-actual driver size (rather than quoted suspension)
-frequency response at low volume
-phase response/group delay
-cabinet vibration/damping/interaction with surface below it
-self-noise
-standby, idle, load power consumption
-load backplate temperature
-output latency (matters with DSP inside)

 

[MZKM]

Why does driver size matter if you have the measurements of the finished product? If it doesn’t beam, has bass, and gets loud, why does it matter if it’s a 7” or a 6.5”?

Erin’s measurements do show frequency at different volumes, very little difference between say 76dB & 86dB. It’s at higher volumes where changes are more prevalent.

Phase and group delay for powered/active setups; it doesn’t matter for passive speakers.

Resonances show up in the frequency response and in the impedance/phase plots. But I do like it when I see it in Stereophile’s reviews.

Don’t know if Amir or whoever has a quiet enough room to test this reliably. An audibility statement is good enough.

Power consumption would be nice to know. Not sure how much of an issue it is (offset it buy getting LED bulbs, ~10W instead of 60W).

_______
The more one has to do for each review, the longer it takes to get reviews out there. For speakers, it’s Spinoramas that have been very rare and not easy to get, so that’s the main thing. Anyone can purchase a speaker and do what John Atkinson does to measure cabinet vibrations.

 

[dfuller]

-cabinet vibration/damping/interaction with surface below it

I actually would like to see this measured as it doesn't really show up in spin data particularly well.

 

[NTK]

I actually would like to see this measured as it doesn't really show up in spin data particularly well.

Quote from a Floyd Toole post in AVSForum (source).

...
Putting an accelerometer on the wall of a cabinet is not a reliable indicator of the audibility of a resonance (sorry John Atkinson). For example, some panel resonances radiate sound effectively and others do not, but both exhibit vibration at a point on the panel. Harman and other advanced designers use scanning laser vibrometers to reveal patterns, polarity and amplitude of panel movement which guides the placement of structural reinforcements to reduce acoustical radiation from the resonance. When it is below the audible threshold in the anechoic frequency responses all is well (see the paper, or my books). It is not necessary to have foot thick concrete enclosures to eliminate audible resonances, good engineering can do it in rectangular wooden boxes.
...

 

[Head_Unit]

I'd like to see response to bass tone bursts. YES that is all implicit in/derivable from the frequency/impulse response, but that is not at all as visual.