A flawed consumer loudspeaker’s sonic flaws became entrenched studio convention across decades

Evidence

The distorted sonic signature of the Auratone 5C became so entrenched that it reappeared years later in the Yamaha NS-10M Pro, as shown in Figure 3.12. Its on-axis frequency response was a smoothed version of an Auratone, but with more bass. It became a popular near-field monitor in recording control rooms around the world. The origin of the NS-10M is a separate story and it had nothing to do with the recording industry. It was a flawed consumer product, but because of its acceptance by recording engineers, Yamaha built a sturdier Pro version. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 348

Categorization

Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims

• ADDENDUM: Reinforces the ‘circle of confusion’ theme: entrenched acquisition of flawed references persists across generations of recording equipment.
• SEED: Article angle: ‘the accidental standard’ — how arbitrary technical flaws become professional convention through entrenchment and imitation.

Related

• A flawed consumer speaker became the recording industry’s standard near-field monitor. (similarity 0.91)
• The Auratone 5C reference speaker was objectively poor and inconsistent across samples (similarity 0.79)
• Selecting flattering monitors perpetuates the flaws of earlier generations. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Fixed reference loudspeakers can turn their flaws into sought-after virtues #expands (0.90) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 87