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Announcement: ASR Will Be Measuring Speakers!

VMAT4

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Quite the pleasant surprise! Many Thanks!
 
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amirm

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3. There are some some important technical qualities which the Klippel system does not measure (correct me if I'm mistaken) harmonic distortion being the main one.
Oh, it readily measures that. It is a 2 second test. It doesn't need the robotic system and so has been part of their standard measurements for a long time. I ran it the other day and it nicely separates each distortion product per frequency.

To expand, to get the robotic scanner, you first need to buy the main Klippel analyzer. This is the same analyzer used for qualifying drivers and such which has been the traditional business for Klippel. The robotic scanner is an addition to this system. You can read more about the baseline analyzer, the KA3 here: https://www.klippel.de/products/rd-system/analyzer-hardware/ka3-klippel-analyzer-3.html

csm_KA3_voll_6a40ddbd9c.png


It is their version of "Audio Precision" analyzer but tailored for acoustic products. It has an internal amplifier, laser interface, speaker interface (for measuring impedance, phase, etc.) and general in and out for interfacing with microphones and external amplifier.

It also is the main interface to the PC so it is also responsible for ADC conversion up to 192 kHz for wideband measurements.
 
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amirm

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4. If you're measuring subs, output is pretty much the only important metric, besides extension. At LF I think the Klippel is overkill although I'm sure others know more about measuring subs than I do.
You can still characterize their response. Traditional measurement involves going to big field and making ground measurements (putting the microphone on the ground to most eliminate floor reflections). None of this is necessary with Klippel. I can measure them like regular speakers. The nice thing is that it can be done indoors so weather outside makes no difference.
 

bobbooo

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"We also measure the Quad ESL63 as a reference point. Being a full range diaphragm, this should have the highest levels of doppler.
The level of sidebands were lower but not greatly so. From this we made a simple conclusion. If the ESL sounds as good as it obviously does, with these levels of doppler, then it is a distortion mechanism we do not have to worry too much about!!"

Unless "the ESL sounds as good as it obviously does" is based on a large double-blind ABX listening study or some such, this is not good scientific reasoning. Expectation bias is highly likely to influence any sighted listening tests, and must be eliminated before making claims about 'obvious' subjective sound quality.
 

Xulonn

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Congratulations, Amir. This new addition to your audio testing and measurement capabilities is truly exciting.

One thing that has not been mentioned is the "consumer protection" aspect of such testing. I have a feeling that you will find some truly awful speakers that no amount of DSP and room treatment could improve significantly, are should be avoided to avoid the old problem of ending up trying to "polish a turd." As with DACs and Amps, I assume that there are idiots out there who have no business designing and selling speakers, and some of those will be "outed".

And of course, those who prefer the sonic characteristics of speakers that measure poorly will be able to satisfy their curiosity about what distortions and sonic irregularities appeal to them - just like "tubers" and "vinylists".

From the "fun" perspective, It will be interesting to see how your tests compare with other internet and magazine tests, and how the data from your testing and measurement correlates with "ease of integration" into reasonably "audio friendly" listening rooms via DSP and proper room treatments.
 
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elchupahueso

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Since the boss man is in the Seattle area... maybe Gig Harbor Audio would want to get in on the fun with their array of high end speakers that they have on hand. Just a thought.
 

Labjr

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Wow! This a whole 'nother field of testing! Should be interesting. I hope we can understand what the tests mean?

One thing for sure, the panthers will be staying in shape. No more slacking off!
 
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amirm

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Wow! This a whole 'nother field of testing! Should be interesting. I hope we can understand what the tests mean?
My goal is to make them understandable.

One thing for sure, the panthers will be staying in shape. No more slacking off!
Have to get an all new set that is lifesize to go with large speakers. :)
 

decoRyder

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OMG NO - I just bought ton's of speakers, I don't need to be buying more! :)

Seriously though - that's fantastic news, thank you Amirm - looking forward to the speakers tests.
 

twofires

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Fantastic!

What's interesting to me is not necessarily which speakers measure most flat over all, but which ones are better at what specifically (if such differences exist) - might help people see whether there's a pattern to what they like, or whether it's just all psychosomatic based on ad copy.

Really curious to hear how various Klipsch models measure. Specifically treble distortion at high SPL versus other makes.
 

napilopez

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@amirm , this is fantastic news. I think it's really going to change the industry for the better and I applaud you for taking this initiative and making this big investment.

In case anyone here doubts the effectiveness of the Klippel system by the way. Check out this spinorama of the Revel F228be (provided by Harman to Secrets). See the watermark on the upper right?;)

fig-12-revel-performa-f228be-loudspeaker (1).jpg

If Harman thinks the Klippel is good enough for their speakers when they have access to a full anechoic chamber, it's pretty clear the Klippel is the real deal. Unless they're just using Klippel's software for some reason, but I'm not sure why they'd do that.

Anyway, personally, I would like to see some more detailed directivity data too, for example, at least the ceiling and floor bounce curves as defined in CTA-2034A. I think it's useful for figuring out placement and how a speaker will work in your particular room.

As someone who's had over a dozen speakers go through his apartment this year, I think you'll find the measurements are the easy part. Receiving and shipping the speakers is where things get annoying :)
 
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pacdpm

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Mr M....you're NUTS!!...I wish you lotsa luck..Speakers? WOW in my experience that opens up A whole lotta problems...speakers (and I've owned many over the years) are not listened to in an anechoic chamber...I think you know the rest....I am worried about your well-being...your site is VERY important to us....I will pray for you!!! ps can't wait for your reviews!!!
 

August

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Amazing stride!!!Thank you amirm for your contribution to the audio community.Facing the waves and sailing,ASR!!!
 

Blumlein 88

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Just saw this. Great news, and very exciting. I just upgraded my account to help a little bit with the cost. ASR has already become a touchstone among audio forums for real information. This can only help advance the forum even more.
 

infinitesymphony

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This is amazing and exciting.

Will you be testing studio monitors?

For floorstanding speakers with multiple drivers possibly oriented in different directions, how will the measurement sweet spot be determined?

boston-acoustics-vr975_0.jpg
 
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amirm

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