"Speaker in the room" comparison using binaural on-ear mic recordings - practical tips are welcome.

[tengiz]

I’m considering setting up some casual, unscientific speaker comparisons using in on-ear binaural recordings - SP15C mics worn at the listening position, one speaker pair at a time, set up with what seems like the "best" position/orientation/EQ.

For each speaker, I’ll probably try a few slight variations on that "best" setup too - treating each as a separate configuration - and then do AB or ABX tests on the recordings through headphones.

Pretty straightforward, of course, but it might get a bit elaborate. Just trying to keep things reasonably consistent and repeatable, at least within what’s practical. Mainly making sure I’m not overlooking anything obvious before I get too deep into it.

Curious if anyone’s got practical tips, lessons learned, or things you wish you’d done differently if you’ve tried something similar.

Thanks!

 

[Salt]

With in-ears this would be only spefical for you(r's ears).

 

[tengiz]

With in-ears this would be only spefical for you(r's ears).

These are more like on-ear? But, yes, that's the general idea - it's for my personal use only.

 

[Curvature]

I’m considering setting up some casual, unscientific speaker comparisons using in-ear binaural recordings - SP15C mics worn at the listening position, one speaker pair at a time, set up with what seems like the "best" position/orientation/EQ.

For each speaker, I’ll probably try a few slight variations on that "best" setup too - treating each as a separate configuration - and then do AB or ABX tests on the recordings through headphones.

Pretty straightforward, of course, but it might get a bit elaborate. Just trying to keep things reasonably consistent and repeatable, at least within what’s practical. Mainly making sure I’m not overlooking anything obvious before I get too deep into it.

Curious if anyone’s got practical tips, lessons learned, or things you wish you’d done differently if you’ve tried something similar.

Thanks!

A head/chinrest for consistent position. Small deviations in position and constant (involuntary) head movement will introduce artefacts.

Put your headphones over your mics to measure for a baseline control FR. Make a few measurements to check for consistency of FR and seal across reseatings.

 

[tengiz]

sorry, I just noticed that my initial text said in-ear. It's on-ear:

 

[Curvature]

sorry, I just noticed that my initial text said in-ear. It's on-ear:

View attachment 467719

I would still try a few measurements with headphones on, just to have something to compare to.

You can also try measuring one speaker channel at a time with these microphones suspended at the general listening position for another baseline. Would also be good to stick a measuring microphone in the same spot for a calibrated comparison, if you have one.