Microphone choice in recordings biases subjective loudspeaker ratings

Evidence

It explains that loudspeakers produce sounds allowing us to form opinions of microphones that are used in making the recordings we use to evaluate the microphones by listening through loudspeakers. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 134

Subjective evaluations of loudspeakers and other audio equipment therefore inevitably incorporates a measure of microphone evaluation, yet this is a factor frequently not recognized. A second part of this paper intended to address this aspect, but other work took priority, and it was never completed. Preliminary tests indicated that the choice of microphone in a recording could affect subjective ratings of loudspeakers in predictable ways, an unsurprising result, as they are part of the circle of confusion—unless its peculiarities are compensated for by the recording engineer. — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 269

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the ‘circle of confusion’ concept that recurs throughout the book.
• XREF: Relates directly to the ADDENDUM article ‘On Sacrifice’? No — rather connects to general circularity/self-reference problems found in calibration loops and validation of instruments elsewhere. — connects to: Perceived loudspeaker sound quality depends only on amplitude responses — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 711; Brand, cost, and prior exposure bias subjective audio judgments; Subjective experience dictates which measurements matter in audio research (+6 more)
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 134; Toole, Floyd E, Sound reproduction- the acoustics and…, 269

Broader Connections

• Ear-level microphone measurements capture artifacts inaudible to human listeners #qualifies (0.82) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 1355
• Microphone directivity in impulse response recording controls perceived reverberation amount #expands (0.80)
• Consumer Reports loudspeaker ratings inversely predicted perceived sound quality. #complicates (0.75) — , Toole, Floyd E - Sound reproduction-…, 583