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I often see people deride the use of the simple panning potentiometer for creation of stereo images. Since we use phase differences between our ears to localize sources, people expect that phase differences between the stereo channels need to be introduced to create a more natural and authentic...

Speaker testing is predominantly done with a single speaker, including the measurements and listening tests. We don't have quantitative ways to compare the imaging and soundstage potential of different speakers. We understand (or theorize) that level and phase matching between the stereo...

I have posted before about a small nested line-array speaker that I designed and built, which I call the Skylarks. These speakers are typically listened to vertically, where they have wide horizontal dispersion, but limited vertical dispersion. However, they are sufficiently small that they...

Many months ago Erin reviewed the Sony SS CS5 speakers. I had previously developed a modification for that speaker that included a DIY anti-diffraction frame made out of PVC, and a simple resistor short. After discussions with Erin, he agreed to test the anti-diffraction frame by itself. I...

I've been playing around with generating DSP tools, and made myself a new one. However, I don't know how others might perceive the effect of the tool. If you would be so kind, it would be great to hear some other perspectives. Even if your perspective is that the difference is too small to be...

No matter how good your audio reproduction system is, there's no denying that some recordings just have a poor spectral balance. It can really take away from the enjoyment of listening to some otherwise good music. Since there isn't consistency, these have to be corrected individually. I will...

I've been curious about the impact of lateral (side-wall) reflections from speakers. Some people treat them, others don't. I was pretty sure I preferred them. I had a hunch that the ipsilateral (same side) reflections were beneficial for adding breadth to the soundstage. After seeing the...

1) Use "selective hearing" to focus on the direct sound of the speakers to the greatest extent possible. Ignore the impact of the room. Evaluate speakers only on your perception of the sounds they actually make. 2) Evaluate the speakers on the sum total of sounds that you perceive: direct...

Challenge: Listen to the linked mp3 from the beginning (no skipping around, and no visualizers) and post how long it took you to pick up on what was changing. Warning: it's full scale (loud) so start softly. Please put any discussion about the actual change in spoiler tags. I can't...

It's rare to find well recorded rock music. For some sub-genres, spending a ton of money on a studio recording and trying to get a pleasant mix would be rather hypocritical. Still, I like rock music, and I like it to be well recorded. I am mostly interested in what other people will post, but...

I listen to a lot of classical music (the romantic period is my favorite) on my home audio system. I love the sound of a big symphony. It really stresses the audio reproduction in a way that few other things do, and it's so rewarding when everything falls into place, from the performance, the...

I am posting files to facilitate ABX testing for the types of phase distortions caused by crossovers. I have acquired samples that are royalty free, and that I find to be of good quality. I am not claiming that these are the ideal files to reveal differences, nor am I claiming that I have...

First a little background: I've been building speakers with limited vertical dispersion, but typical (to wide) horizontal dispersion. I accomplish this by using nested line arrays and careful crossover optimization for both on-axis and off-axis response. This typically makes the speakers very...