Erin is spot on regarding the ignorance by those who speak out against the usefulness of audio measurements. I think people either forget or are just ignorant to the fact that the utility of measurements is backed by decades of published listening experiments within a controlled environment. It's like the Audio Engineering Society (AES) doesn't exist.

🤔I'm a retired engineer, and I can tell you unequivocally that measurements are very important.. the more data you have, the better; sure, you can't always capture everything with data, but, best practice captured data goes a long way into helping solidify whether any component, electronic or otherwise, is decent or not.🥁

You and some others changing the 'tune' about the usefulness of data in this hobby gave me back my interest and passion for this subject. Measurements are not everything, but we should measure everything.😅

I noticed a pattern in the high fidelity and audiophile circles years ago. You can find speaker A, an absolutely excellent 8 ohm high fidelity speaker with a nearly perfect set of measurements that sounds so clear and amazing and will be preferred over other speakers in blind testing. It will simply be ignored by audiophiles. While a speaker B, that has an impedance that dips to 1.8 ohms and has a weird dispersion pattern and is made of exotic expensive materials and weights half a ton is the audiophile darling. Why, because you can sell lots of different expensive cables and amplifiers and other junk to go with speaker B that will make it sound different and dealers will convince customers that they can take pride in solving the puzzle to make a system that's the best with this years parts in it. Speaker A already works great and sounds the same with different amps and cables and doesn't need any special junk added to it, so it's not the basis for an "audiophile" hobby.

You should publish a book/script "Speaker Measurement for Beginners" With chapters about what matters and what not. Stereo, Surround, Atmos setup etc. Then two tree real life examples. Maybe how to measure speaker/driver distortion ! You have unique set of skills/professional experience/educational talent.

I have been in this hobby for decades and the missing ingredient has been good measurements. I agree, an on-axis response graph, a waterfall plot (when available), and an impedance curve, are insufficient. Very grateful to you, and others, for providing good faith accurate measurements. I learn something every time and can now identify characteristics that I like in a speaker, and why.

1) Why you cannot subjectively evaluate any part of an audio system. (Don't even think about arguing with me until you try this simple experiment.) Take any stereo setup in any room, no matter how good or bad, then play monophonic pink noise through the speakers, at a "conversational level" ... Find the spot where the sound is directly straight in front of you. Now, slowly move your head about 3 inches left or right of that ideal centre position... What did you hear? When you moved off of the dead centre between the speakers, you heard the sound get a little brighter and a bit louder; what an audiophile would describe as "presence". As you moved further from centre by the first tiny bit, if you went left, the apparent sound source went right, then as you move further it will suddenly jump to the left; "soundstage". Then if you continue by moving your speakers, you will notice, the further apart your speakers are, or the closer you sit to them, the worse this gets. This is a phenomenon known as "Mid-Field Cancellation" and there is absolutely nothing anyone can do about it. It is caused by the difference in distance from you left speaker to your left ear and to your right ear. Of course this also happens with the right speaker, as well. At about 1600 to 2200hz, depending on the size of your head, the sound in the far ear is behind that in the near one, it is late and it's out of phase... and it cancels. Now we know that a move of just an inch or so off of perfect centre changes what you hear. The question is, how often, when evaluating a new speaker, cable, device... have you plopped your butt back down into your chair an inch off from your previous listening position only to judge the new wateveryacallit as being "more open and present with a better soundstage"? What are you actually judging... the device or your current listening position? 2) Why you cannot subjectively judge tonal balance: (And again ... don't even bother disagreeing until you try this) Play a monophonic tone at about 10khz from both your speakers. This will be very piercing so keep the volume down. Now slowly rock your head a little bit toward one speaker then the other. What do you hear? Yep, you heard the tone get louder and quieter as you moved. You probably also noticed that it's left-right balance shifted cyclically as you moved, first favouring the near side then the far side. This is "Treble Cancellation" and it is caused by differences in the distance between your head and the speakers. At 10khz the in-room wavelength is about 1.3 inches or 3.3cm ... a move of just half that much will actually put your tweeters out of phase at your ears causing a dip in level and a shift in direction. Again... even the slightest shift in listening positions will change your perception of the sound. 3) The BIG question.... Now ask how many millions of dollars have been spent because of these simple facts of life? Measurements would have confirmed these simple differences are or are not real. Erin saying both measurements and listening being of equal import is completely on point.

I am old enough to remember the Carver campaign where they boasted that their products measured so well, that they didn't need to listen. Many, me included, did not care for the sound of their products. I agree, I think there is a lot of misunderstanding on how important measurements are as well as how they apply. I have seen folks do both with either an over reliance on them or disregarding them all together. I feel each extreme can lead to disappointment.

Wow, this is real useful information! Meaningful measurements have been missing since ages... That's very refreshing to have somebody doing this and having the knowledge to explain it. Kudos!

Measurements are not everything, right. But our ears can fool us, so we need measurements to keep us in the right path. Nice talk, Erin.

I've grown accustomed to reviewers liking and recommending loudspeakers and amplifiers that measure badly or don't meet published specifications. These products are usually very expensive and have a cult following. I want to have my cake and eat it too, so for my hard earned cash a component must sound good and measure well. "A fool and his money are lucky to get together in the first place".

Appreciate that you share measurements and your listen impressions. Research is important when I make a buying decision. So measurements are part of the research. So is my listening in my room with my equipment over time. Keep up the good work!

I totally agree that measurements are soo important. These companies ies is out here selling so-called high end , using these cheap parts such as a $10 dollar crossover inside a $1500 speaker. That's insane! KZfaqrs like you is a gem 💎. And is very appreciated. There's nothing like getting jumped for a lit if money for something you didn't get your money's worth. These companies makes money of people's ignorance and not experienced enough to know better. That's why I'm glad you're here. I rather have quality over hype! GREAT VIDEO

As a retired electrical engineer I love data and enjoy your reviews. I would like to see some data comparing any differences between AVRs/processors/amplifiers on the sound you measure coming out of a speaker.

Erin- you are the #1 person I trust for measurements! I feel like others out there have lots of biased, situational or incomplete measurements but want to be treated as end all be all conclusions. I think it’s all those people that give measurements a bad name especially because they tend not to listen and are unwilling to admit that something not measured can be going on. Early in my audio journey I went off opinions because 18 years ago their wasn’t a lot of published data. Later, when more people started showing measurements I used that but quickly found that problematic. The bottom line is use personal experience, Erin’s data or strong word of mouth about products….. Another thing I’d like to point out which I think is highly overlooked is speaker placement/setup, processing, amps, dacs play a huge part in anyone’s systems yet we all seem to be fixated on speaker upgrades. If the start of your chain is weak don’t expect any speaker to magically improve it. It can only reproduce what’s given.

Erin...Friend...dismiss the haters! Without your measurements, you're just another guy on YT giving subjective opinions on speakers. Nothing wrong with that, I subscribe to some of those channels, too...especially the ones who've been in the business for decades and have the credentials. But the investment you've made in that equipment and the education to use it SETS YOU APART in this business and I watch your videos with great interest! Keep up the great content, don't change a thing, you're crushing it!

Over the years I’ve owned many pairs of speakers, with each upgrade the result of me having more disposable income. The only measuring tools I’ve ever employed are my auditory system and of course a tape measure. I need to know prior to purchase that they will fit into my room’s allocated audio space. Ivehad my current pair for almost 3 years. I’ve no plans to replace them, anytime soon. Post purchase, I’ve watched, listened to and read multiple reviews of these speakers. All brimming with positivity. Those reviewers that bothered to measure them, all remarked that they were the most linear response speakers they had ever measured. That having been said, I recently upgraded my DAC. All reviews said that it measured near perfect. I wasn’t impressed by it. In my listening environment, so I traded it in for a similarly priced, R to R DAC with far from impressive measurements. It sounds phenomenal!

Your work and work done by people like Amir at Audio Science Review have done a lot to explain how measurements relate to how a product sounds and that is all to the good. The dark side of this is many proponents of measurements are absolutely strident in their belief that our present ability to measure tells us everything we need to know about an audio product. That notion is just as ridiculous as persons that insist either 'measurements don't matter' or 'you can't tell how something sounds based on measurements'. The rational middle ground seems to be there are many things we can measure but only some are really important to how something actually sounds AND there are many things that do affect sound but we don't have a way to measure them yet.

There's a video somewhere on Audioholics channel with someone (can't remember who) that said measurements won't be exactly what we hear due to us having two ears pointing to the sides and how human's perceive sound. Measurements are fun and help a lot but ultimately if it sounds good it is good. I appreciate everything you do, Erin. This channel has helped me make better buying choices and also has taught me a lot in terms of why certain speakers sound good and some don't. I had Micca MB42X's for years, and when I started watching you and saw you hated them I knew I had to look into it. I learned about ERDI and how it impacts the sound, and ultimately after looking through all your reviews I ended up buying the Polk XT20s for my mains. They are a MAJOR upgrade and I 100% would have NEVER bought them if it wasn't for your measurements and review. Thanks!

Statistically you’re reasonable person with 90 % confidence . 😊 . I am learning lot of things which will help for next upgrade

Of late I am constantly amazed at the sheer volume of hard facts about electronics and stereos that exist only in the audiophile hobby. Either we're the smartest people on Earth or the biggest dumbasses going ... Sadly I suspect it's the latter.

I really apreciate what your doing, kudos! When ever I need new gear, I will look for "reviews" with hard data, if there are no measurements in a "review" I will 99.9% of the time dismiss what that "expert" is telling me about that specific product. No measurements equals worthless. All tests and reviews without measurements come down to nothing more than subjective projection of an set op opinions, period. That is why I read and watch tests that are performed by people like you Erin. So yes data is important, as I can make an informed decision based on facts!

If it was up to me, your videos would make you rich. I wish your subscriber count was as high as some other reviewers, who are fine, and I like to watch, but what you do is infinitely more valuable than opinions alone. We need more people to realize that. A great side effect would be (and already is) that the manufacturers will have to do a better job, and use the tools they should be using. Hats off to Ascend and some others in that regard.

A review without measurements is like the beer without alcohol

I've got a bit of a unique perspective on this topic. I've been into audio for about 14 years now. I never had experience with anything very high-end, but bookshelf speakers changed the way I listened to music. I also realized that consumer-grade options like smart speakers and soundbars are pretty garbage compared to a real Hi-Fi system. I never paid much attention to measurements, except with headphones where I started to make note of frequency response to see if the tuning would suit my preferences. I heard some deeper dives on this topic, but I figured I may as well trust the reviewers I'd come to like, and not get too in the weeds about specifics. Well, a few months ago I started building my own speakers. It was so interesting to see how much of the outcomes you want can be tailored by design. Making a good speaker doesn't just mean getting lucky by picking a few parts that "match" together in some kind of fun way. The building and design process is engineering heavy, and you need to have a grasp of psychoacoustics and the physical properties of soundwaves. All this to say that a good speaker must take these measurements into account. However, the issue that I think we all need to keep in mind is that most people won't even know where to start with this information. It's comparable to someone looking to buy a car having a grasp of chassis design, engine characteristics and suspension types. Most people will not learn what these things mean, and the rest will be forever frustrated at the lack of technical understanding. I think the only solution is finding reviewers that have this technical background and distilling the information down in a digestible way to 'normal' shoppers.

Do you have plans to review the large Arendal THX towers? I definitely want the data! Having the data reduces the chance of returning speakers that weigh over 100 lbs. each. Love the channel ! Keep up the great work!

I've listened to a ton of speakers over the years, and the ones I cherish the most all measure well using Erin's methods. I value every bit of objective measurement you can give me, Erin. Thanks for all your work---we really DO care!

Dr. Floyd Toole, when he was at the NRC, established that the majority of listeners (e.g., non-audiophile) preferred the sound of a speaker with a smooth frequency response. This means measurements are important. Unfortunately, there are some "science" forums where some members seem to think that measurements are the be all and end all and forget that in the end.

I remember someone seeing my two channel setup and giving me grief about how close to the rear wall my speakers were and lack of toe-in. The manufacturer said to place them 4-12” to the back wall with a 5 to 10 degree toe for best sound lol! The manufacturer was right. Measurements help inform the consumer. They are not the end all be all of course cause you still need to like what you are hearing as well but it certainly can steer you in a good direction.

So other Swissonic models laying around, any measurements soon? A305 perhaps?

Knowledge is the best and education is a life long process The only way to buy a speaker unheard is to have as much scientific data as possible as it is impossible to always get the speakers at home! Thank you so much for all your reviews it is so refreshing to see better quality reviews and also keeping the manufacturers honest!

Your integrity is why I subscribed after watching a single video.. I could tell you weren't like the others. Would love to see how you recommend doing these measurements on site. A REW tutorial at least.. So I can characterize my current setup and know where the gaps are..

Spot on. Spot on. I would want to know a bunch of measurements for speakers I like to make the correlations and make more educated choices in my future. Great video

As someone who agrees with you completely, let me play devil's advocate for a minute. If the way data is created/collected is bad, the data itself is, at best, useless and possibly actively harmful. In the minds of the people who argue against data, that is what's happening. If I believed that measurements were useless or more likely, just a deeply incomplete way of determining performance, I would advocate against measurements as a means of determining performance, as, in my mind, they would be introducing inaccuracies into my evaluation of a product. I think what's happening here is mostly the result of a lack of education (as you stated) as well as a fundamentally different mindset that is very difficult to argue against, especially when the two sides can't even agree on the premise that audio equipment can be evaluated scientifically.

I have called your name on measurements in a positive way MORE than I call anyone's name in this whole audio space.. Im glad when I can relate my sense of sound to what you've measured. That reinforces my confidence in speaking to the sounds without misleading people in the community. I value what you are doing MORE than any other reward from this space =) - I HOPE that knowledge is valued more as a trend =)

Brother, this video is why you are my " point " man before purchasing / and I go through A LOT of speakers in search of the best sound for my listening environment. If you hadn't indicated a certain speaker you covered was rated at 6 ohms, but you found dips as low as 3,6 ohms I would have destroyed my AVR some time ago. And placement for optimal sound lol ets me know if my room can comfortably accommodate them. Always use your links and I'm a Patreon subscriber.

Great video! Thanks. I believe that proper measurements provide the best possible information about a speaker (for anyone who knows how to read and interpret them)

I love you channel and in my mind, measurements do matter. That being said, let me give you an example of another hobby that I love (cars). Unlike most audio reviews, good car reviews have a lot of specs tested, from acceleration (both from standing still in-gear), stoping distances at different speeds, cornering speeds, and many other real-world specs. What I’ve found out is that the car that is technically better on paper, and even some with a lot of 1st place in comparisons don’t necessarily line up with the car that I ended up buying. Why? Because there are certain aspects of performance that you can only evaluate for yourself when you’re actually driving the car, and sometimes, that extra 10% in power an acceleration doesn’t translate in regular roads, and even less in what you _feel_ behind the wheel. 😉 That’s the downside of measurements, and I can’t tell you how many times I was positively and negatively surprised after driving cars that on paper seems to be the exact opposite of what I felt in real life. Another downside can be seen by the comments on places like Audio Science Review, with so many “knowledgeable” guys talking about a great or terrible loudspeaker just by looking at measurements. Unless a loudspeaker is terribly broken on its design, there’s likely a good reason why the manufacturer(s) made certain design choices, within the compromises that all speakers are made of. Revel makes textbook loudspeakers (for the most part), but they’re rarely the loudspeaker that an audio reviewer (or even mastering engineer) buys for himself. That’s kind of strange, if all that loudspeaker design theory is 100% correct, and we do know that Revel delivers the goals according to the Floyd Toole school. But according to a growing number of theory followers, Revel speakers should be sold like hotcakes within their price range, which couldn’t be further away from the truth. As a matter of fact, the brand is mostly irrelevant on many regions of the globe, and I can only tell you to pay attention to it’s own future. 😉 Let me be clear that Harman is likely the number one loudspeaker manufacturer in the world in all the knowledge and resources that it has. 😉 I have nothing but the biggest admiration for the harman group, and I’m certainly not trying to say anything bad about it. What I’m trying to say is that loudspeakers are a bit more complex than having a great on and off-axis response. There are solid reasons why different (good/great) manufacturers voice they loudspeakers so differently. For instance, I couldn’t live with the Sonus Faber that you recently reviewed, and it was great that you measured them, as it confirmed what I was strongly suspicious about them (they’re too bright). It must be said that some subjective reviewers said exactly the same about them. But while they would be way too bright for me, some people find that the KEF’s os lately are way too reserved on the top end. 🙂 I have several loudspeakers around my apartment, and if you ask me which one I like the most, I can only give one honest answer: - it depends! It depends on the recording that I’m listening to, and even on my own mood. 🙂 There’s a common misconception that records were mixed or mastered on similar sound environment, and that can’t be further from the truth. Studios always sounded more different from each other than similar, and it was on those conditions that most recordings were made from the start (and until this day). That’s why some recordings sound way brighter or bass heavy when compared to others (often from the same age). And loudspeakers never play alone, they also play with the room (and we all know how a room can make or break a speaker performance). In the end, loudspeaker measurements are very important (imho), and manufacturers are mostly useless in the information they provide - this is where real good measurements can help. But the final evaluation must be made with the ears, because even the Wharfedale Lintons that you loved had several crossover configurations until they were approved by _listening_. 😉 Wharfedale is one of those companies who could measure the loudspeaker and tune it to be as good as it could be on data, but data was only the starting point. The final tuning (or voicing) was done by listening to them playing music, not test signals. 🙂 Like you mentioned, you actually loved some loudspeakers that have some issues in how they measure, and IMHO, that’s the right approach. The problem is when other objective reviewers start by measuring a loudspeaker, and _then_ listen to them. 😉 That’s the best way to be extremely biased towards what they’re actually listening, while claiming how unbiased they are…🤷 Keep up the great work on this channel.

There's currently 4 or 5 audio channels that have videos that's disputing other content creators. I think measurements are great. I also think about people that i know who love music but aren't going to even know measurements are even a thing. The speakers are loud and sound good is all some people need.

One of the things I appreciate about what you do, is trying to put some things in context, pointing out a particular peak, or resonance, may not be noticable to everyone. You heard it, it is there in the measurements, it's would be nice if it wasn't there, but doesn't necessarily mean the speaker should be written off because of one (or more) imperfections. Thanks for what you do.

Preach it. Appreciate your honesty in reviews.

Excellent work!

Thanks for explaining some of the different considerations involving measurements and in-room performance.

Great Video!

Thank you for what you do sir, it's greatly appreciated 👏👏👏

Yes audio measurements are bad. If I hadn't watched Erin's videos or found ASR I would've been satisfied with a $50 speaker even though I get a headache from time to time. I wouldn't have known they were being caused by the speakers and would have just blamed myself for staying in front of my computer too long. Now I feel bad for giving my brother-in-law a PreSonus Eris 3.5. I'm also miserably anxious waiting for the B1+ to go back in stock. Lastly, I'm out a few hundreds of dollars buying a DAC, subwoofer, upgrading my amp, and more expensive cables. In all seriousness, speaker buying to me before I've known about measurements was basically looking for the one with the best rating in the Amazon. I still don't know what kind of sound I like but now I know that I can look for a speaker that is neutral and will respond well to EQ, so I can tinker with it if I want. For the meantime my Neumi BS5 is serving me well while I wait for the B1+. I plan to give the BS5 to my brother-in-law so that he can replace the PreSonus after I get a replacement.

Less people know more they talk , lets ignore the ignorant, agree with you 100 percent 👍

Great video Erin. People with a proper respect for science and engineering appreciate your stirling work. Would you consider doing a series teaching good measuring technique with a klpple rig? By all means put it behind your patreon pay wall. Cheers mate.

I have no patience with loitering tweeters!

I'm still loving my KEF R3 and R2C combo thanks to your reviews a while ago.

Nicely done. You and Amir have taught me a lot about what to look for in measurements and which speakers that aren't worth the trouble to audition.

Without measurements, True Target by Magic Beans Audio doesn't exist!

In-room tests might have used a bigger space, w/ a higher ceiling, than average rooms. Greatly helping the bass results. Also w/ Klippel, I now doubt the integrity & accuracy of magazine tests for the past 50 years. Maybe the anti-measurement crowd was right after all, but NOT NOW w/ Erin's excellent work...

Another informative take on speaker measurements, spinorama is the way as your other very important metrics as compression or Multitone distortion (where intermodulation takes a part). But I am still not sure if we can say the same about amplifier measurements. Every other AVR has fantastic measurements but still sound worse then basic integrated stereo amp. Can you talk about it? Thank you Erin

Another viable tool is the Harman how to listen test. It helps on how to identify were possible flaws are in frequency response and how to eq your speakers to a sound you might enjoy on certain genres of music. I like to eq in the added snap into snare hits😊

I agree with Erin. I’ll be honest I tend to be in the subjective camp compared to the measurements camp but I value and appreciate how Erin goes about it. I strongly am against the pure measurements only camp but it’s a data point to help inform what you’re hearing.

I agree Erin. I think measurements are very useful, but it has to sound good too. Most people just don't understand measurements or they don't have enough. Do they think KEF or JBL doesn't measure their speakers?

Having watched your testing video I can honestly say I trust your information and it helped me get a pair a speakers that are perfect for my use. I do not hold other youtube " personalities" in the same esteem because the information is purely opinion based and their "years of experience" is still subjective to their taste. You do a great job of disseminating very technical information to practical application. Thank you. Good video.

To all the speaker reviewers. We either need the speakers measured, or the measurements for your last hearing exam. Only way to get an accurate representation.

I bought a pair of Monolith B6 bookshelf speakers because of your review.

Erin, im very happy you exist on youtube. I dont like ai or voice generated videoes. So without you in them i probably never would have watched your videoes. And now you are in my top tier trusted audio related youtubers. I find your balance between subjective and data driven information excellent. You are very consistent, and that matters, because then i know where i have you. And then i dont even have to agree with you on everything, but still find your subjective information useful. And ofc, your objective data is hard to beat too. (not many has an Klippel NFS). There are some big subjective audiofile youtubers with 0 data, and every product is better than the last, even tho the last also apparently was "perfect" lol.

Commenting for the algorithm, but also to say thank you for continuing to drop knowledge bombs on us and educate us! Your videos have helped me not only to be a savvy consumer, but to improve my own designs when I make speakers for fun

I’m always telling my girlfriend that measurements don’t matter.

Measurements helped me set up my speakers better.

Great video! Very well said.

Damn, spot on and well said. The loudspeaker/room interface is everything ... and Erin you're right there.

Nice clarifying video and a lot of condensed information. Also... nice to see another Thomann speaker in the pipeline! Is it a Swissonic A203BT or a Swissonic A204BT?

Excellent

Well said man!

First of all, thank you Erin for making our sound journey (at least mine) much easier to navigate, for bringing honesty to this audio world where honesty is actually pretty scarce, and for taking the time to walk us all through why measurements do matter. Yes, they matter a lot. Let me share my case. I love sound, you could qualify me as an audiophile if you like. I used to have a pair of Danley SH50s in my living room connected to a low power Single Ended tube amplifier and a DHT tube preamplifier. Those speakers did not image that well, at least I could never make them image as I am used to with bookshelf speakers. But, and it is a huge but, what a sound the SH50 put out, amazing!!! Anyway, long story short, I sold it all because I moved overseas. Now, I am slowly rebuilding my system. So, I needed a subwoofer for the system and that is how I found your youtube channel, weeks ago. I have watched a lot of your videos, and I learned a lot. And in this recent part of the journey, there is a specific case where your measurements made a big difference for me. I bought a Rel T Zero MKIII and I loved its sound in my medium size living room (paired with my NHTs Classic 2s, and also with my NHT SuperZeros.). I was about to keep the Rel. And then, I watched your video about the Rel T Zero MKIII and understood the measurements and the response curves. I questioned myself and I wondered if a ¨real¨ subwoofer, one that could really cover the lower frequencies would sound better in my particular situation. So, I bought a Rythmik L12 subwoofer and I tested it on my system. And surely enough, there was a lot of information that was not portrayed properly by the Rel. I did testing by plugging the Rel and then the Rythmik. And, it could have been easier to be fooled and keep the Rel. Clearly, due to it not reaching properly in the lower frequencies (or reaching without much power). It was way easier to blend it with my speakers. The Rythmik was way harder to set up but much better. And yes, you have not measured the L12 but your measurements of the Rel sent me in this direction. And I am happy I took the measurement of the Rel into account in my decision. And it was totally true what you mentioned, that due to the measurements and your listening test, the Rel is more of a mid-bass subwoofer. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for all your effort and the time you put into this. You have a big supporter here. By the way, I was thrilled when I saw you actually met Tom Danley!! Wow, what an honor!

I would love to see a blind test compared to your measurements. I am guessing that they would line up quite well. This would unequivocally back up your reviews as THE gold standard for audio interpretation. Support your data with data.

Interesting. Perhaps more information on who to use measuremnts when chooaing a speaker,

Measurements aren't needed if you simply like to hear (or think you hear) differences in audio equipment. Playing with gear. But if you're going for some kind of accurate sound, or even a certain sound, measurements will help you get there better over trying out random gear. I'm still tied up over if I would like a narrower or wider dispersion speaker.

I have found that no matter how much cash I throw at my gear I get a much better result when listening to something that was recorded well.

What's your take on Open Baffle speakers?

Thanks!

when buying anything else of value, we always want to know the details... Car: what engine size, MPG, 0-60, what colour, extras.. etc etc you wouldnt turn up to the dealer and guess what to buy without asking or knowing any data about what you buy... you could buy only on looks but as long as you know that you did that, and then not complain later when the car is slow and does 3mpg... now imagine the cars statistics can change depending on where you drive it (room modes etc) and you only saw it in one place... you get it home that nice green in the showroom may look totally different in natural daylight. saying measurments are worthless is dumb. saying they are everything is also wrong. its part of an overall picture that should help form your decision.

It sounded like you said "assumer" instead of consumer. Maybe appropriate.

Our ears are what are the last ones to choose. But I want my ears to choose from 5 well measuring speakers , rather than from 5 not so well measuring speakers. Why in the heck would I want to choose a speaker that has a major issue in some measurements?? Nope. I don’t even want to audition a speaker that doesn’t measure well.

Thanks for the vid. Have you ever considered putting together a 'stuff about speakers' tutorial, where you sit down and explain, with charts and graphs, what all the measurements are and how they'd be used? Something for general appeal or newcomers just starting out. Might be a good way to get people looking at your content.

Yep. I also hear people arguing against measurements as though "we" argue for measurements instead of listening. They don't seem to hear when anyone says measurements and listening. Strangely, I also find that those most loudly arguing "trust your ears" are the ones most likely to read all the magazines, trusting the ears of others. There's a half remembered quote somewhere in my head, by the SEAS head designer Bjørn Børja sometime back in the day: I've heard speakers measure well, but sound bad. I've never heard speakers measure bad, but sound good. Given the limited measurements available in those days (1980's?) that makes a lot of sense. No Klippel, and anechoic chambers were few and far between. The best one could reasonably expect from, say an audio reviewer, was gated measurements with a cut off somewhere in the mids. Knowledge outside the actual engineering community was, and still is, limited. The attitude of most reviewers seems to promote the idea that your (read my) opinion is worth more than aybody's knowledge. It's all a matter of taste and preferences. Maybe the industry depends on its "artistic liberties" in HiFi, and the resulting strange sounding speakers out there? How else can they get "high end" consumers to replace their equipment as often as they do?

Thanks for sharing! I think speaker measurements mainly are of use for manufacturers. With the help of data they can assess how likely it is that listeners like the sound of their products. On the consumer side I'm more pessimistic. Not many have made the practical experience what aspects in a frequency response plot sound like. And most won't simply understand what all that dispersion and reflection talk and room modes mean. I personally like the data that you provide. With single frequency plots I never know if they were taken at the right height or whether they're measured in-room or anechoic. Also keep in mind not everybody is so keen on the tonality of a speaker but they might focus on soundstage (e.g. fostex fullrange driver fans) aspects or abundance in sound details (Focal) or on dynamics (big horns like ALtec cinema speakers). And some buy speakers for $100,000 because they need to decorate a flat in London that they want to resell to a Saudi prince for $50 million.😅

Id love hear the effects of varying off axis response. I understand the concept of how it may affect timber butI I don't have sense of how impactful the effect actually is. How does room size affect t off axis impact ?

Thanks

Is that swissonic a203bt @9:53 ?

This is why I like Guru Audio / Ino Audio. You get exact descriptions with them, for instance Q10 which I own is supposed to be very close to a wall, toed in so that you just see the outer sides of the speakers. 60 cm up. This gives the correct bas response as well as the biggest horizontal area where the sound is correct. Distance of 1-4 meters. And obviously some tips on not having an empty echo-y room.

Great video. I don't know why people are insisting they can trash measurements. I have been wondering if my preference of the JBL Studio 590 wide stage over the Klipsch RP-8000f II means I know with confidence that I would prefer the Linton 85 over the Evo 4.4 towers. Its is a bit of a tough one because I like detail but also appreciate a nice big stage.

To me it’s not even a question. Designing a speaker without measuring stupid it’s like guessing if it’s okay. It is so much easier to measure and see what the impact is.

Measurements are a way of narrowing down a group of choices... but, if you are a audiophile you are seeking what is most pleasing to you. I'm a studio engineer, in the studio, I need to hear exactly what is going on... which is awful for a audiophile. I myself am a audiophile, so I do love to have speakers that sound as pleasing to me as possible. There's a bit of detail I can get from those also when mixing. How pleasing is what I made feeling like in comparison to other songs. If find such speakers are very good for for understanding if I'm adding too much or too little harmonic content. Much like having a bass heavy system to make sure the bass level is just right within half a db. Audiophile speakers need listening to... which ones to listen to still needs to come into a certain level of specs and measurements... seeing these measurements is essential to make the list shorter. In the end of the day, you shouldn't buy very expressive speakers without being able to test a few in your listening environment. You should at least order and return each pair or hopefully be allowed to have a few demo units sent at once to try out. Measurements I find, once a set sounds good to you, will ensure a greater verity of music sounds good on it still. So many "good sounding" pairs... sounds good with certain material and not so good with others.

Measurements are helpful to know how a speaker ‘performs’ but it wont tell you how it ‘sounds’. When buying a new car like a Ferrari for example you would want to now the stats and how it performs i.e 0-60 etc but nothing on paper will tell you how it ‘feels’ to drive. I personally love the ‘sound’ of open baffle speakers despite that they ‘perform’ badly in measurements. In short measurements get you interested in a speaker but you need to hear them for yourself before purchasing.

I wish that you would stress the importance of precise speaker positioning in room. The Sumiko method or Wilson method. Frequency response by itself or dispersion patterns by themselves do not show left ear vs right ear arrival time differences, not transient response measurements. Those factors are super important as well. 😊

Great Job! Actual, useful knowledge. Making the rest of the field look like babies, ha! ...but at the same time with respect. Rare

Hi Erin, how about the Phonar veritas m4.2 next?

I'm 100% certain that there is a pretty strong correlation between measurements and subjective perceived audio quality of speakers. However, if they were the be all and end all then a $100 speaker that measured really well would subjectively sound better than a $100k speaker. I'm very confident that would be wrong almost every time. So there are other variables that impact perceived audio quality that need to be considered. Some are objective, like price, and others aren't, like personal preference for certain music types of sound signatures. As a data scientist I'm always keen to consider the measurements but my buying decision also involves other factors.

Hi Erin I was wandering if you have any interest in testing Klein+Hummel speakers the documentation on them is pretty solid and personally i have good experience with them. I would like to hear and see your opinions and measurements on them :D PS: I like your videos, keep it up

Measurements are absolutely crucial yeah but when you review studio monitors you have to remember that stereo imaging and detail level of drivers are crucial aspects for a proper mastering/mixing t͟o͟o͟l͟. Therefor you have to step in with "empirical evidence/words", because otherwise, if you just evaluate on flatness of FR, measureable distortion and off-axis trajectory, you frequently end up advocating monitors that can't do the job.

Opinion vs Data? Data.

Agreed.

Huge fan here. I'd really to see you make more money than a few bucks from all your efforts. I've mentioned DIY before, but I'll do it again (I don't care for the DIY kits)! I think you should be able to make a nice profit if you design (a) good measuring/sounding speaker(s) and team up with Parts Express/Madisound to sell them as DIY kits with a kickback to you as a designer. Hell, maybe you could even team up with a carpenter/cabinet builder and sell complete speakers for all I know, for a lot bigger profit. Just don't try to make a budget speaker so you need to compete with mass produced Asian stuff... Stay in the >$1k zone so you'll actually make a decent amount per sale. 👍😁

There is no debate on weather or not measurements are useful. They are useful by definition. Any time they are used, they are useful. The problem presented by "those guys" is irrational, and fallacious, and they often exhibit the Dunning-Kruger effect. There is no argument to convince them. All we can do is present the data and explain it. If they choose to reject the data for some irrational belief system, cogitative dissonance, or some other fallacy, it's not something we can fix and they're not going to change. So just keep doing good work. Those of us who apply these measurements sure appreciate them. It's safe to ignore the rest.