I recently ordered a pair of speakers after reading Erin's and a SoundOnSound review. Let's hope the in-room-response improves on my current living room setup. Otherwise my "faith" in measurements/spinorama would be shattered.
… we tend to overestimate the chances for satisfaction … when we select through uncontrolled listening auditions, and we tend to underestimate the chances for success from buying "blind" using measurements ...
… I didn't get "lucky" - I made an informed decision and the chances were very good that I would not be disappointed.
...
@napfkuchen and
@tmtomh it’s fortuitous your posts were sandwiched together given my recurrent concern re: speaker measurements and how consumers apply them.
Knowing measurements going into listening/purchase is a form of expectation bias just as consideration for aesthetics, manufacturer/brand, price point or any other form of sighted risk.
Only if the preference study leg of the [limited] underlying research for spins were (1) far more exhaustive of speaker models and/or (2) 100% consistent among a larger body of human subjects, might it be fully safe to assume “good measurements = good speaker for
me.” An individual could also have the actual study replicated on him/herself - that’d do the trick, too.
There are almost always outliers in a sample population; contrasting/syncing listening to a wide range of speakers/designs over some years with personal preferences, I came to realize I’m probably an outlier in stereo playback goals. … Dang?
What do “you” prefer? A study of measurements-predicted preference shows whether subjects in the test population deviate from a normal distribution and, if so, (hopefully) how; it won’t generally tell a reader of the study whether
he/she deviates from the normal distribution and, if so, how - that part is often just assumed by readers, and it’s a potential source of flawed (personal) interpretation for implications.
I know, I know, I’m pushing a chance exception to a much-touted rule of thumb. But that is an important part of any ROT derived with the scientific method - appropriate acknowledgement of all results and integrating them through meaningful discussion. And not overreaching with one’s own assumptions drawn from the study’s implications.
For that reason, the unequivocal answer to the survey is No, you cannot (
necessarily) “shop solely from measurements alone” if you intend to do so with individually robust results
and/or an aim to prevent expectation bias. That’s not the same as my saying it can’t work out in your favor, mind ya
(or even that all expectation bias is bad!)
It’s already clear how differently people can enjoy their hearing, so there’s no perfectly right way to skin this cat, just different ways.
Edit: couple minor grammar quibbles