About audio response curves

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
I emailed a friend, who is a well know writer for some stereo magaznes.
His response:


Generally speaking if you measure a full-range speaker system that is perfectly flat in a perfectly anechoic environment you'll find that when you place that system in a space @ a reasonable listeninf distance you'll find that it exhibits a natural roll-off as frequency increases. The degree of fall-off is dependent on the size of the space.

For a car, where there is no 'near-field', a natural sounding curve has a reduction of approximately 3 dB per octave between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. In a listening room that falls to approximately 1.5 dB per octave.

However the fall-off also has a shape to it that includes a flattening in the middle. I'm surprised that there hasn't been more said about this in the literatue. One place where you might find some history is in the literature about movie theater house curves.

Another important factor with car audio systems that has been completely ignored in the popular press is that you really need a different EQ curve when the car is being driven. Many people just EQ the car in the bay and leave it at that but a car in motion is a completely different acoustical environment that the same car sitting in the bay with the engine off.
 

BrokenVisage

Lifer
Jan 29, 2005
24,771
14
81
I have a seperate Graphic Analyzing EQ in a DIN underneath my CD player, it has 3 presets that I switch back and fourth between constantly.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
And I for one don't want a house curve. Sounds too fake/bassy and unnatural.

:)

No tone controls and proper speaker positioning FTW!
 

glen

Lifer
Apr 28, 2000
15,995
1
81
Originally posted by: spidey07
And I for one don't want a house curve. Sounds too fake/bassy and unnatural.

:)

No tone controls and proper speaker positioning FTW!
How do you know?
Do you own a 1/3 or better EQ?
Do you own an RTA or better?

 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Yes I do.

You'd think with being into audio as much as I am I would have those things just laying around the house along with all the other stereo parts/gear.

:)

I tried it, I didn't like it. And I would need tremendous amounts of power to make it happen well.
 

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Hmm... the degree of roll-off would also depend on the characteristics of the room other than its size.

-30dB @ 20kHz in a car and -15dB in a home? :Q