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Well-balanced cheap PC speakers
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Jean-Paul Petrosyan
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Hi! Sorry to barge in like this...
Anyone has any idea on why would Erin (Erin's Audio Corner) prefer Edifier MR3 to M60? The latter seems to be more linear, with less narrow band aberrations in it's response, and with somewhat less distortion to boot. I'm not at all good at interpreting speaker measurements, though... Perhaps MR3 may have a more agreeable tonal character out of the box, but wouldn't that be very easy to fix with EQ, which is best to be employed anyway to correct for the placement related effects like bass getting messed up etc?
On that note, could anyone kindly tell me if there are any other good reviewers out there I could use to look for a decent pair of speakers at ≤$200?
As for pushing mu impudence even more with a total noob question....should I really be that concerned about narrow band FR features with room interaction effects in mind?
Anyone has any idea on why would Erin (Erin's Audio Corner) prefer Edifier MR3 to M60? The latter seems to be more linear, with less narrow band aberrations in it's response, and with somewhat less distortion to boot. I'm not at all good at interpreting speaker measurements, though... Perhaps MR3 may have a more agreeable tonal character out of the box, but wouldn't that be very easy to fix with EQ, which is best to be employed anyway to correct for the placement related effects like bass getting messed up etc?
On that note, could anyone kindly tell me if there are any other good reviewers out there I could use to look for a decent pair of speakers at ≤$200?
As for pushing mu impudence even more with a total noob question....should I really be that concerned about narrow band FR features with room interaction effects in mind?
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M60 is a brighter speaker, you can clearly hear that in the pink noise example in Erin's M60 video as well as the frequency charts that rises in the higher frequencies (use headphones/earphones if you don't have competent speakers). Sadly no pink noise example in his MR3 video, but given the difference in charts, MR3 likely to stay closer to the original sound. If you want more neutral sound, go MR3, plus you get ability to adjust the treble so it sounds like M60. Google if you need to know the other differences in their specifications.
Erin's one of the best speaker reviewers out there who describes both what he hears, as well as give hard, reliable data. Basically the difference between a car reviewer who gushes about how 2 cars 'feel', vs a car reviewer who not only can do the former, but actually backs up his words with clear reproducible numbers to show how a car truly performs.
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Jean-Paul Petrosyan
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Thank you very much for your response!
So the reason is a better broadband tonal balance. But shouldn't this be easier to correct than the larger amount of jaggies in the response?
In only have some experience with earphones and headphones, so the latter seem more problematic to me, with general tonal balance, while more readily apparent, also being considerably easier to correct for. But perhaps perceptual relevance of such features is significantly different in case of speakers? Or is the simply the case that Erin assigns them less importance out of consideration for the speakers' in question price range and expected target audience that's less likely to expect high quality reproduction and readily discern relatively narrow band issues in the mid frequecies; while also less likely to employ EQ correction?
So the reason is a better broadband tonal balance. But shouldn't this be easier to correct than the larger amount of jaggies in the response?
In only have some experience with earphones and headphones, so the latter seem more problematic to me, with general tonal balance, while more readily apparent, also being considerably easier to correct for. But perhaps perceptual relevance of such features is significantly different in case of speakers? Or is the simply the case that Erin assigns them less importance out of consideration for the speakers' in question price range and expected target audience that's less likely to expect high quality reproduction and readily discern relatively narrow band issues in the mid frequecies; while also less likely to employ EQ correction?
You can always ask him, but I think most recommendations do skew towards a neutral tonal balance first and foremost (which is why he does the pink noise, to reproduce the music as intended without coloration). There's no way he can anticipate everyone's preferences, and he also can't assume someone will want to bother with the extra effort of performing equalization.
If you are even concerned about narrow band jaggies and whether you can hear them, you're already considered an advanced consumer / prosumer. Then it's up to you to interpret his data and form your own conclusions about what to buy.
Yes, Erin's data show a beautiful anechoic response for the MR3's but once you put them in your room things will change dramatically. As I mentioned above in the thread I recently got a pair of MR3's and measured them in place and did EQ here. This is the before and after measurement, your graph would look different as the speakers are reacting to your space but good results can be had.
- Thread Starter
- #68
Oddly, the MR3 never got discount, and they disappeared from amazon (both colors) at once. However, on another app, I found the Creative Pebble Plus with a return window. I tested them. They are exactly the same as my current cheap chinese speakers. No difference. Except they sound with more details but only if I am paying really close attention to it. Almost 4 times the cost. Not at all worth it. They also made my desk a mess of wires. But they did look cute. I also found the 45-degree angle to be overkill. I had to place them really close and that made the desk setup even weirder. Could have given a swivel adjustment.
Mr. Swordfish
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I used to travel with the Logitech Z313 Speaker System that I bought while on a trip for about $50USD.
Not high end, but they sound ok and the whole thing was small enough to fit in my ski bag. Barely.
My unsupported hunch is that the designers were aiming for a neutral frequency response, instead of some colored sound that would make them "pop" out amongst the competition. "They're just PC speakers - nobody is buying them for the sound, so just do the best you can within the budget."
Not high end, but they sound ok and the whole thing was small enough to fit in my ski bag. Barely.
My unsupported hunch is that the designers were aiming for a neutral frequency response, instead of some colored sound that would make them "pop" out amongst the competition. "They're just PC speakers - nobody is buying them for the sound, so just do the best you can within the budget."
- Thread Starter
- #71
Nice. You would love Craetive pebbles if you like a 2.1 system that is light on travel.
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