sweetmusic
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- Apr 23, 2022
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(Apologies for newbie question!)
I'm researching speakers for a possible purchase, and I trust science more than my ears during a 10 min demo at an audio shop. That's led to me spending a lot of time looking at the measurements on sites like Stereophile and SoundStage Network. I feel like I understand the frequency response and impedance plots, and cabinet resonance, and dispersion. But I'm wondering if it's possible to tell if one speaker ought to actually sound better based on the measurements.
Here's an example:
A. Stereophile measurements of the Dynaudio Focus 200 XD
B. Stereophile measurements of the Dynaudio Special 40
These seem to be very similar speakers, from the same manufacturer, with very similar tweeter and woofer, similar sized cabinets. The Special 40 has 1st order crossovers, and the Focus XD has digital crossovers at 4.2 kHz instead of 2 kHz.
When I look at the step response of the Focus 200, it has a sharper point and smoother decay than the step response of the Special 40. IIUC, the Focus 200 has a textbook shape to its step response and is measurably better.
In the cabinet resonances, the Special 40 has a retro cabinet that's maybe too square, and has cabinet resonances. The Focus, despite jamming in the amplifier and DSP, manages to mute pretty much all of the cabinet resonances. The plot looks so clean that it looks like a mistake, TBH. But based on the plot, the Focus just ought to sound better.
Can someone who understands the science of things explain to me if there's any reason why the Special 40 might sound better than the Focus XD? From the data, it seems like no contest.
This is relevant to me because the Focus costs more at MSRP ($6000), but it's available online for 20% off. The Special 40 is $3600 and requires a separate amp, which brings it to the same price or higher. I get that audio enthusiasts like to buy gear and mix and match. But if I want to decide based on audio science, is the Focus the clear winner in this particular matchup?
I'm not stuck on Dynaudio necessarily. It's just that these are speakers that have gotten good reviews, , are about the size of what I'm looking for, and are an indulgence but not completely impossible to afford if I splurge. I mean, getting the next higher trim on a car costs that much, right, so it's not that crazy ;-?
I'm researching speakers for a possible purchase, and I trust science more than my ears during a 10 min demo at an audio shop. That's led to me spending a lot of time looking at the measurements on sites like Stereophile and SoundStage Network. I feel like I understand the frequency response and impedance plots, and cabinet resonance, and dispersion. But I'm wondering if it's possible to tell if one speaker ought to actually sound better based on the measurements.
Here's an example:
A. Stereophile measurements of the Dynaudio Focus 200 XD
B. Stereophile measurements of the Dynaudio Special 40
These seem to be very similar speakers, from the same manufacturer, with very similar tweeter and woofer, similar sized cabinets. The Special 40 has 1st order crossovers, and the Focus XD has digital crossovers at 4.2 kHz instead of 2 kHz.
When I look at the step response of the Focus 200, it has a sharper point and smoother decay than the step response of the Special 40. IIUC, the Focus 200 has a textbook shape to its step response and is measurably better.
In the cabinet resonances, the Special 40 has a retro cabinet that's maybe too square, and has cabinet resonances. The Focus, despite jamming in the amplifier and DSP, manages to mute pretty much all of the cabinet resonances. The plot looks so clean that it looks like a mistake, TBH. But based on the plot, the Focus just ought to sound better.
Can someone who understands the science of things explain to me if there's any reason why the Special 40 might sound better than the Focus XD? From the data, it seems like no contest.
This is relevant to me because the Focus costs more at MSRP ($6000), but it's available online for 20% off. The Special 40 is $3600 and requires a separate amp, which brings it to the same price or higher. I get that audio enthusiasts like to buy gear and mix and match. But if I want to decide based on audio science, is the Focus the clear winner in this particular matchup?
I'm not stuck on Dynaudio necessarily. It's just that these are speakers that have gotten good reviews, , are about the size of what I'm looking for, and are an indulgence but not completely impossible to afford if I splurge. I mean, getting the next higher trim on a car costs that much, right, so it's not that crazy ;-?
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