Consumer Reports rated loudspeakers using sone-converted sound power against an ideal target

Evidence

It is the publication of Consumers Union (CU) that tests and rates the performance of many consumer products. The process was based on a sound power estimate compiled from anechoic measurements in 1/3-octave bands. Avoiding the most problematic low-frequency room mode region, sound levels at frequencies from 110 Hz to 14 kHz were converted to loudness units, sones, in an attempt to get closer to what might be perceived. The sone-converted curve was then compared to an “ideal” target and an accuracy score calculated. Listening tests were conducted, and results are claimed to have supported the predicted ratings, although no details of those tests appear to have been published. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 1193

Categorization

• SHARE: For someone who follows testing methodology: CU’s 1/3-octave sone-based loudspeaker rating predates modern spinorama approaches and is an early ancestor of them.