Frequency response tolerances are meaningless without specifying the bandwidth of deviations

Evidence

Any tolerance applied to a frequency-response curve needs to take into consideration the bandwidth/Q of the deviations that are being described. The conventional ±3 dB tolerance can be misleading unless one is able to see the curve(s) that are being described by this generous tolerance number. Such specifications are useful only if the tolerance is small and the measurement resolution is high, e.g. 1/20-octave. At ±1.5 dB sound quality is promising, but seeing the curves is more revealing. Some widely used international standards also use simple tolerances in 1/3-octave band measurements, the low resolution of which further hides resonant misbehavior (e.g. ITU-R BS.1116-3, 2015). — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 509

Categorization

• XREF: Resonance bandwidth (Q) governs audibility — the same Q-dependent audibility theme running throughout this chapter.