Hi all

Really silly questions here but it's been on my mind for a while bugging me.

If a man and a woman both sing the same musical note at the same SPL, would they both have the same frequency response? And yet still sound different?

If so, is this the same reason that if you have two different pairs of speakers, both with flat frequency responses (using the same amp etc), they often sound different? Is this what they refer to as "speaker voicing"?

Apologies again if I am way off the mark. Feel free to correct me.

Part of this Hi-Fi journey is the fun in learning :)

Thanks again!
 

davedotco

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Miles said:
Hi all

Really silly questions here but it's been on my mind for a while bugging me.

If a man and a woman both sing the same musical note at the same SPL, would they both have the same frequency response? And yet still sound different?

If so, is this the same reason that if you have two different pairs of speakers, both with flat frequency responses (using the same amp etc), they often sound different? Is this what they refer to as "speaker voicing"?

Apologies again if I am way off the mark. Feel free to correct me.

Part of this Hi-Fi journey is the fun in learning :)

Thanks again!

The fundamental of the note may be exactly the same but the harmonic structure will be different. That is why two voices (or two different instruments) will sound completely different, even playing the same note.

Voicing a loudspeaker can be as simple as modifying the frequency response or as complex as shaping the harmonic distortion in such away that it makes the music sound more convincing.

Some people are very good at that, a handful so good that their speakers makes every type of music sound 'better', that is a very clever.
 
K

keeper of the quays

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If you hear voices from your speakers and the hifi isn't switched on? You have gone audio crazy! There is no cure...well ? Maybe a new cable? What about a dac! That's gonna cure me isn't it?
 

davedotco

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David@FrankHarvey said:
davedotco said:
Some people are very good at that, a handful so good that their speakers makes every type of music sound 'better', that is a very clever.

Any examples spring to mind?

Two of the best, and most 'exotic' that I have met in fairly recent times are Franco Serblin and Mark Levinson.

The british hi-fi industry has produced some pretty good ones over the years, Spencer Hughes, Peter Comeau, Martin Colloms for example.
 
keeper of the quays said:
If you hear voices from your speakers and the hifi isn't switched on? You have gone audio crazy! There is no cure...well ? Maybe a new cable? What about a dac! That's gonna cure me isn't it?

Hilarious! *biggrin*

And thanks for all the input guys. I was indeed way off with my analogy.

Some more googling and learning for me to do then :)
 
davedotco said:
Miles said:
Hi all

Really silly questions here but it's been on my mind for a while bugging me.

If a man and a woman both sing the same musical note at the same SPL, would they both have the same frequency response? And yet still sound different?

If so, is this the same reason that if you have two different pairs of speakers, both with flat frequency responses (using the same amp etc), they often sound different? Is this what they refer to as "speaker voicing"?

Apologies again if I am way off the mark. Feel free to correct me.

Part of this Hi-Fi journey is the fun in learning :)

Thanks again!

The fundamental of the note may be exactly the same but the harmonic structure will be different. That is why two voices (or two different instruments) will sound completely different, even playing the same note.

Voicing a loudspeaker can be as simple as modifying the frequency response or as complex as shaping the harmonic distortion in such away that it makes the music sound more convincing.

Some people are very good at that, a handful so good that their speakers makes every type of music sound 'better', that is a very clever.

Thanks especially for this Dave! Good starting point for me.
 
Miles, for a start, a man and a woman might well not be able to sing exactly the same note. They could, but female voices tend to be higher pitched. That equals a higher frequency.

The reason voices sound different is partly the pitch, but voices aren't a pure sine wave, and therefore a single pitch. Human voices are rich in harmonics and these are what gives each its own character. The same applies to speakers, as each has their own distortion fingerprint

Voicing of loudspeakers, is a short hand term that tries to describe an overall balance. It can refer to speakers with a notable suck-out (I.e. Frequency dip) or boost at a particular small range, which has the effect or creating a depth of acoustic, or conversely make the sound more exciting.

As others have said, there is lots to read on this subject. A start might be a magazine that does technical tests and listening reports. You can google Stereophile, amongst others.
 

Vladimir

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Audiophiles are typically (not all of course) acoustics and psychoacoustics illiterate, electronic engineering illiterate and musical theory illiterate. Yet we know somehow to extract the best sound from music using a combination of electronic components. We are indeed a special bunch. :)
 

Frank Harvey

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It doesn't matter how well educated you are in any of those subjects, it can be extremely simple to choose the better sounding combination to one's ears, in any given room (once we become accustomed to it). All the education will give you is a better understanding of why it sounds the way it does, something that most people aren't interested in (more men than women, would be my guess). Those that are, knock yourself out, do the tests that have already been undertaken to make the product to what it is. Everyone else can sit down, relax, listen to it with their favourite tracks, compare it to something else, and choose whatever they desire.

All the technical stuff we don't understand is taken care of at the factory during the design stages, so all you need to do is choose what you like. Are all cars the same? Mountain bikes? Razors? Lawn mowers? If they were all designed to a predetermined specification, you could argue yes, but they're not. They use differing technologies and are built to a budget, which is where a manufacturers ability to do the best they can for the intended budget comes into play.
 

Vladimir

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The ideal hi-fi forum does not discuss contraversial concepts or sciency stuff. It's just a social club for shoppers who segregate in subgroups according to brand, aesthetics, value and concept preferences. The top cocks are those with deepest pockets (or at least willingness to spend more) and those that spent most time on shuffling and auditioning gear.

In the eyes of the forum owner, advertisers, dealers and marketing staff.

In the eyes of the audiophiles.
 

tonky

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David@FrankHarvey said:
It doesn't matter how well educated you are in any of those subjects, it can be extremely simple to choose the better sounding combination to one's ears, in any given room (once we become accustomed to it). All the education will give you is a better understanding of why it sounds the way it does, something that most people aren't interested in (more men than women, would be my guess). Those that are, knock yourself out, do the tests that have already been undertaken to make the product to what it is. Everyone else can sit down, relax, listen to it with their favourite tracks, compare it to something else, and choose whatever they desire.

All the technical stuff we don't understand is taken care of at the factory during the design stages, so all you need to do is choose what you like. Are all cars the same? Mountain bikes? Razors? Lawn mowers? If they were all designed to a predetermined specification, you could argue yes, but they're not. They use differing technologies and are built to a budget, which is where a manufacturers ability to do the best they can for the intended budget comes into play.

Couldn't agree more!

tonky
 

Jota180

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Vladimir said:
The ideal hi-fi forum does not discuss contraversial concepts or sciency stuff. It's just a social club for shoppers who segregate in subgroups according to brand, aesthetics, value and concept preferences. The top cocks are those with deepest pockets (or at least willingness to spend more) and those that spent most time on shuffling and auditioning gear.

In the eyes of the forum owner, advertisers, dealers and marketing staff.

In the eyes of the audiophiles.

4.40

Inrerviewer after being given a demonstration of the audiophiles suspended rack -

"So, do you think you can listen to music in an earthquake?"

Audiophile with glasses (very seriously) - "Yes, I think so"

10.44 -

Check the poor guys wife out when she hears the prices of all the components!
 

Electro

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Vladimir said:
In the eyes of the audiophiles.

No matter how many times I watch this video it still fills me with awe. *smile*

I like the bit just after 17 mins when they are listening to the music and they are in a different world, I must look just like that which to me is a touch unsettling . *mosking*
 

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