Anechoic on-axis and sound power responses suffice to predict perceived loudspeaker quality

Evidence

Starting with my earliest listening tests in the late 1960s, through a prolific research period in the 1980s (see Figure 5.2), up to the present (see Chapter 12), it has been a monotonous truth that in double-blind listening tests, the highest rated loudspeakers had the flattest, smoothest on-axis and listening-window frequency responses. Listeners liked neutral, uncolored, direct sound. Beyond that, loudspeakers that exhibited similarly good behavior off-axis achieved even higher scores—reflected sounds would then have similar timbral signatures. These findings have remained valid in many different rooms over the years. — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1292

Categorization

• XREF: Consistent with the direct-sound-dominance mechanism discussed throughout the book, and with the finding that listeners perceptually stream source from room sound. — connects to: Real loudspeakers show flat magnitude response only below 800 Hz with a midrange dip — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 505; Perceived loudspeaker sound quality depends only on amplitude responses — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 711; Sound power alone cannot predict listener preference for loudspeakers — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1204 (+13 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1292

Related

• Perceived loudspeaker sound quality depends only on amplitude responses (similarity 0.92)
• Sound power alone cannot predict listener preference for loudspeakers (similarity 0.92)
• On-axis response alone cannot predict how a loudspeaker sounds in a room (similarity 0.91)
• Highly regarded loudspeakers measured far from flat in anechoic response (similarity 0.91)
• Loudspeaker directivity determines which curve predicts the room (similarity 0.90)
• On-axis curves alone cannot predict loudspeaker sound quality (similarity 0.90)
• Flattening sound power via bass-shy or treble-hot designs harms perceived quality (similarity 0.88)
• Perceived spectral balance matches on-axis response more than sound power or room curve (similarity 0.87)
• The direct, on-axis sound dominates perceived loudspeaker quality in rooms. (similarity 0.87)
• Smoother, flatter, wider-bandwidth on-axis curves predict higher subjective loudspeaker ratings. (similarity 0.87)
• Real loudspeakers show flat magnitude response only below 800 Hz with a midrange dip (similarity 0.86)
• Leaving the first side wall reflective reveals off-axis loudspeaker behavior in tests (similarity 0.86)
• Directivity, not equalizable response, is the fixed determinant of loudspeaker sound. (similarity 0.85)
• Buffered listening environments mask off-axis loudspeaker flaws and bias evaluations (similarity 0.85)
• Single-axis measurements misrepresent multidirectional loudspeakers like Bose (similarity 0.85)

Broader Connections

• Sound power alone cannot predict listener preference for loudspeakers #contradicts (0.85) — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1204
• On-axis curves alone cannot predict loudspeaker sound quality #contradicts (0.85)
• On-axis response alone cannot predict how a loudspeaker sounds in a room #qualifies (0.85)
• Bass extension at −10 dB cutoff predicts loudspeaker fidelity ratings best #qualifies (0.80)
• Distortion rarely drives subjective ratings of consumer loudspeakers #complicates (0.70)