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While looking at the Preference ratings that @MZKM keeps up to date for us I noticed a few things that stuck in my mind.
https://sites.google.com/view/speakerdata/preference-ratings-graphs
DISCLAIMER: yes I know we have discussed the foibles of this rating formula and that it can't be a one stop quality number for choosing speakers. Also all my ratings in this post are your regular anecdotal sighted listening long term ownership ratings of a purely subjective nature.
Since I have a couple JBL LSR305's I noticed the rating for them with a sub is better than any stand alone speaker tested thus far except for the top spot Genelec 8341a. So does this really seem likely? I know why the sub addition boosts the preference rating as the low end counts for 30% of preference as perceived by listeners. Still that is quite a boost. It means for less than $700 I could eclipse all stand alone stereo pairs with one exception of those tested by ASR at this time. Or maybe I need a sub for each channel in which case it goes to $1000. I'm assuming use of the matching JBL LSR310 here. Maybe it requires a more capable sub to get full benefit. Also there are some choices not much more expensive than the 305s which would get you a rating with sub above the Genelecs.
I have some Revel F12's in a video system. They are clearly much preferred for music over the LSR305s. If the 305s warrant an acceptable rating of 65 on a scale of 100 then the F12 should get a 75% rating. I have an LSR310 sub. When paired with the 305s they in some ways begin to approach the F12s, but in other important ways never do. Maybe they get 72% rating. I rather doubt the F12 spin-o-rama would get a preference rating from the formula equal or nearly so of the Genelec 8341a's.
Also I can, and have paired the F12s with the LSR310 sub. It elevates the result of those too. Buy not by as much. Maybe half the gain. Still would I be getting near top of the heap results this way? I don't quite think so. Yet the preference formula would have us believing maybe it could.
And what to make of the recent LRS Maggie with a rating of -.25........?????? I'm one who thinks Amir's listening description is about right and his measurements surely are. Yet a negative .25 seems really down there. What would a 6x9 car speaker in a properly sized box or baffle score? Just for kicks maybe those of you up to date in the car world could suggest a good 6x9 car speaker we could screw to a trapezoidal shaped 1/2 inch plywood open baffle and see if it beats an LRS. Oh, and an LRS jumps to 5.01 with a sub? I expect a big jump with a sub on that speaker. But that seems like something is off in the low end ratings of the formula.
I am not sure what I hope to come from this thread. The Preference formula seems to work okay at 4 and above to me. Below that I'm doubting it considerably.
The CEA2034 spin graphs seem quite good at pointing out a good speaker from a poor one. Yet sometimes a great looking spin graph gets a lower Preference score than I expect. Something just isn't right about that preference formula though.
https://sites.google.com/view/speakerdata/preference-ratings-graphs
DISCLAIMER: yes I know we have discussed the foibles of this rating formula and that it can't be a one stop quality number for choosing speakers. Also all my ratings in this post are your regular anecdotal sighted listening long term ownership ratings of a purely subjective nature.
Since I have a couple JBL LSR305's I noticed the rating for them with a sub is better than any stand alone speaker tested thus far except for the top spot Genelec 8341a. So does this really seem likely? I know why the sub addition boosts the preference rating as the low end counts for 30% of preference as perceived by listeners. Still that is quite a boost. It means for less than $700 I could eclipse all stand alone stereo pairs with one exception of those tested by ASR at this time. Or maybe I need a sub for each channel in which case it goes to $1000. I'm assuming use of the matching JBL LSR310 here. Maybe it requires a more capable sub to get full benefit. Also there are some choices not much more expensive than the 305s which would get you a rating with sub above the Genelecs.
I have some Revel F12's in a video system. They are clearly much preferred for music over the LSR305s. If the 305s warrant an acceptable rating of 65 on a scale of 100 then the F12 should get a 75% rating. I have an LSR310 sub. When paired with the 305s they in some ways begin to approach the F12s, but in other important ways never do. Maybe they get 72% rating. I rather doubt the F12 spin-o-rama would get a preference rating from the formula equal or nearly so of the Genelec 8341a's.
Also I can, and have paired the F12s with the LSR310 sub. It elevates the result of those too. Buy not by as much. Maybe half the gain. Still would I be getting near top of the heap results this way? I don't quite think so. Yet the preference formula would have us believing maybe it could.
And what to make of the recent LRS Maggie with a rating of -.25........?????? I'm one who thinks Amir's listening description is about right and his measurements surely are. Yet a negative .25 seems really down there. What would a 6x9 car speaker in a properly sized box or baffle score? Just for kicks maybe those of you up to date in the car world could suggest a good 6x9 car speaker we could screw to a trapezoidal shaped 1/2 inch plywood open baffle and see if it beats an LRS. Oh, and an LRS jumps to 5.01 with a sub? I expect a big jump with a sub on that speaker. But that seems like something is off in the low end ratings of the formula.
I am not sure what I hope to come from this thread. The Preference formula seems to work okay at 4 and above to me. Below that I'm doubting it considerably.
The CEA2034 spin graphs seem quite good at pointing out a good speaker from a poor one. Yet sometimes a great looking spin graph gets a lower Preference score than I expect. Something just isn't right about that preference formula though.
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