Why evaluating the sound of a single speaker is essential

[ToppingSMSL]

Interesting thread on ASR started by well respected author Floyd Toole:

Why evaluating the sound of a single speaker is essential

Note from staff: this content was move from another thread for better overall access and organization… A forum member has just alerted me to this discussion, and my name is being circulated, so I have decided to add some clarification. The topic of sound quality is of fundamental importance...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I've never done that, and have never been unhappy with what I've had. I reckon that 'advisable' might be less clickbaity than 'essential.'

 

[ToppingSMSL]

I've never done that, and have never been unhappy with what I've had. I reckon that 'advisable' might be less clickbaity than 'essential.'

He knows what he's talking about: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/113892136X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SOEWTJOWLVJ1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mJuaOrlbFORoVZTT0eoSiGGSVDsQtQ5JFwM-iTqW7kf6xhTp1to3JVXS3Vn_ek2o7x86vp38LDKtygv6qJBtaA.rZS5j1jhYGbph5PN6cACPPL48w0UYT-qgI3ZWQ--Kes&dib_tag=se&keywords=Floyd+Toole&qid=1751285837&sprefix=floyd+toole,aps,513&sr=8-1

Just because you've never done something doesn't mean you shouldn't.

 

[manicm]

Linn espoused this in the 80s. Times and technology have changed.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

He knows what he's talking about: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/113892136X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SOEWTJOWLVJ1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mJuaOrlbFORoVZTT0eoSiGGSVDsQtQ5JFwM-iTqW7kf6xhTp1to3JVXS3Vn_ek2o7x86vp38LDKtygv6qJBtaA.rZS5j1jhYGbph5PN6cACPPL48w0UYT-qgI3ZWQ--Kes&dib_tag=se&keywords=Floyd+Toole&qid=1751285837&sprefix=floyd+toole,aps,513&sr=8-1

Just because you've never done something doesn't mean you shouldn't.

I didn't say you shouldn't - I said that 'essential' is probably over-egging the pud.

 

[Jasonovich]

For the purpose of balance, the article below addresses some of the short comings in Floyd Toole's research.

https://www.hometheatershack.com/threads/a-response-to-floyd-e-tooles-aes-article-the-measurement-and-calibration-of-sound-reproducing-systems.130122/

 

[matthewpianist]

'Essential' is over-egging the pudding. To be quite brutally honest, I don't care how my system measures or how it would behave in a single speaker configuration. I care how it sounds to me, when I'm listening to my choice of music, in my room. I want balance between equipment which allows well recorded material to shine, without making great music that is badly recorded virtually unlistenable. That inevitably means some compromises in fidelity to the source material, but does that really matter? Is this a science experiment, or is it all about the music?

 

[Jasonovich]

'Essential' is over-egging the pudding. To be quite brutally honest, I don't care how my system measures or how it would behave in a single speaker configuration. I care how it sounds to me, when I'm listening to my choice of music, in my room. I want balance between equipment which allows well recorded material to shine, without making great music that is badly recorded virtually unlistenable. That inevitably means some compromises in fidelity to the source material, but does that really matter? Is this a science experiment, or is it all about the music?

Exactly Matthew, people don't want to be rescued, they just want to listen to their music!

 

[nopiano]

Exactly Matthew, people don't want to be rescued, they just want to listen to their music!

Although the thread is about assessment rather than enjoyment, and if one needed to make an assessment - maybe choosing for a studio - then I think it’s valid. Indeed by page two these points have been aired, and I’m not sure how much I should read , lest it becomes another rabbit hole!