Mesh
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I've spent considerable time working at high-end stores with well treated rooms. I've also played the trumpet extensively, largely within big bands and larger orchestras, so I know a good sounding room from one that isn't by ear (granted, more often from where the band/orchestra is sitting, which isn't as well sounding as it is for the audience!). But I know what instruments sound like, and I have spent quite a bit of time in recording studios. I have never really worked with mixing or mastering myself - just listened in and hung around a lot when that work was being done. Aside from being used to what instruments sound like live, I probably have the patience to be a decent second opinion, so that's probably why it turned out that way. However, I'm also a software engineer and researcher, so I know to doubt myself and never get caught thinking I know all there is to know. But I get a lot of the theory and understand what the measurements do.
If I am brutally honest, what I don't get is what measurements are likely to translate into. I usually get by quite well by figuring out what to have a listen to based on tests and reviews here and elsewhere. Most of the stuff, I never buy, and not because it isn't good. I'm just interested in listening and genuinely want to improve my own ability to go from reading tests to listening without getting surprised at what I am hearing. I suspect that many things I hear simply won't be easy to go from measurements to expectations on, and that's fine. What I do want to figure out is what is realistic to suspect hearing, even if the nuances may never be possible to pinpoint. Subjective reviews do their best to try and capture nuances with big words. I don't mind them doing so, but I personally don't even know if we are really speaking the same language when we are describing subjective experiences, so I prefer measurements when possible. And no, coming from the industry before, I never told my customers what they were hearing or should expect. It is better they form their own opinions. Talking about the music is np though, as a good trumpet is a good trumpet even through less than ideal stuff.
I personally have no problem with how I react to peaks or dips in frequency responses, but maybe others do. I know well how e.g. a tad higher levels of certain frequencies can bring out a voice on a particular recording. That can fool many into believing a speaker to be better than something else, when it really is just a coincidence that the recording worked well with that speaker and the preference of the listener (in that room, and so on...).
But what about distortion? Yeah, ofc we can hear it where there is significant amounts of it, but what can I really read out of a plot like this one for example? And please note I am asking about what it would likely translate to when listening, rather than how the graph works.
How are these key problem areas showing up when listening?
There are more graphs on https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...behringer-b2030p-studio-monitor-review.14719/ for instance, and I have no interest in that particular speaker. I am only using those graphs as examples.
There is just so many different ways to look at distortion, and I have to say I too often just end up going 'oh this one is better/worse than that one' but I have no clue as to how that would manifest itself during listening. Or maybe better worded: What I should be listening for to check if I am picking that up as a problem to me?
I mean, aside from comparing the graphs, what does this one tell me in relation to one on the Behringer monitor above?
And what should I be looking for when comparing the last one with this one?
I am sure there are a million more questions I have, and maybe others also have, but I wanted to start mainly with my confession as to not knowing how to translate distortion measurements into realistic expectations. I hope I didn't go blind as I didn't find a thread that helped ppl in similar situations to me (in which case, I'd appreciate the pointer to where I can read up more).
Cheers for reading, and hopefully someone can help me out.
If I am brutally honest, what I don't get is what measurements are likely to translate into. I usually get by quite well by figuring out what to have a listen to based on tests and reviews here and elsewhere. Most of the stuff, I never buy, and not because it isn't good. I'm just interested in listening and genuinely want to improve my own ability to go from reading tests to listening without getting surprised at what I am hearing. I suspect that many things I hear simply won't be easy to go from measurements to expectations on, and that's fine. What I do want to figure out is what is realistic to suspect hearing, even if the nuances may never be possible to pinpoint. Subjective reviews do their best to try and capture nuances with big words. I don't mind them doing so, but I personally don't even know if we are really speaking the same language when we are describing subjective experiences, so I prefer measurements when possible. And no, coming from the industry before, I never told my customers what they were hearing or should expect. It is better they form their own opinions. Talking about the music is np though, as a good trumpet is a good trumpet even through less than ideal stuff.
I personally have no problem with how I react to peaks or dips in frequency responses, but maybe others do. I know well how e.g. a tad higher levels of certain frequencies can bring out a voice on a particular recording. That can fool many into believing a speaker to be better than something else, when it really is just a coincidence that the recording worked well with that speaker and the preference of the listener (in that room, and so on...).
But what about distortion? Yeah, ofc we can hear it where there is significant amounts of it, but what can I really read out of a plot like this one for example? And please note I am asking about what it would likely translate to when listening, rather than how the graph works.
How are these key problem areas showing up when listening?
There are more graphs on https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...behringer-b2030p-studio-monitor-review.14719/ for instance, and I have no interest in that particular speaker. I am only using those graphs as examples.
There is just so many different ways to look at distortion, and I have to say I too often just end up going 'oh this one is better/worse than that one' but I have no clue as to how that would manifest itself during listening. Or maybe better worded: What I should be listening for to check if I am picking that up as a problem to me?
I mean, aside from comparing the graphs, what does this one tell me in relation to one on the Behringer monitor above?
And what should I be looking for when comparing the last one with this one?
I am sure there are a million more questions I have, and maybe others also have, but I wanted to start mainly with my confession as to not knowing how to translate distortion measurements into realistic expectations. I hope I didn't go blind as I didn't find a thread that helped ppl in similar situations to me (in which case, I'd appreciate the pointer to where I can read up more).
Cheers for reading, and hopefully someone can help me out.