Few things in the world are more subjective than evaluating a speaker based on hearing alone. One audiophile's meal can be another audiophile's poison. But for experienced listeners—that is, those who have spent hundreds of hours comparing several speakers under controlled conditions and who agree that there should be a set of guidelines—their methods and conclusions should be There are some common basic points.

But that doesn't mean we have to force consensus. If you think the most beautiful Audio is the strongest bass punch at the dance, that's it! The advice to "buy what you love" is straightforward and can never go wrong, but if you agree to "accuracy" as the desired quality of a speaker, you will find that the following knowledge goes a long way in finding a Accurate speakers. The definition of "accurate" here is to reproduce, within the unavoidable constraints of price and size, the details of the original recording's timbre, dynamics and ambience in the widest possible frequency range, with as little variation as possible. Of course, this definition is also roundabout and indirect, because if it is not played by a certain speaker, how can you know what its original Audio is like? Neither you nor I know how much the world famous painting "Mona Lisa" resembles the real lady of the 16th century, but we believe that Leonardo da Vinci, a skilled painter, It was determined that his paintings were accurate, plus artistry. Similarly, if we choose an artistic record, we should assume that it can be played back almost as realistically as the original performance. Although recording equipment (such as microphones) can inherently differ in Audio quality as well as speakers, the substantial Audio quality difference between several good recordings should be much smaller than the difference between one good and one mediocre speaker much more.

Auditor's Responsibilities 

Nothing can replace experience, so listen and compare speakers at every opportunity. Remember that the listening environment is critical, and you should always use a good amplifier or receiver and good source components when listening to reduce variability. But you can be sure that even with similar speakers, there are far more differences in Audio when listening to them than there are differences between amplifiers and turntables.

If you use an A/B comparison test set, it has a set of switches that connect directly to two or two pairs of speakers. Be careful to balance the comparison when conducting the test, that is, keep the volume of the two sets of test speakers within 0.5dB (this can only be determined with an accurate Audio pressure meter). It's a psychological fact: if one speaker is more sensitive than the other, and therefore a little louder, people will perceive that speaker as "better". 

Another important thing to know is that speaker placement can have an unexpected effect on Audio, so listen with the pair or set of speakers being compared, even if they are placed side by side. You will be able to hear the effect of position on the Audio. But you don't just rely on A/B comparison tests, but also listen pair-by-pair (or group-by-group) to understand their sonic characteristics.

Obviously listening to the material is very important. To choose some demo recordings, the point of selection is not that it is musically beautiful, but that it is recorded accurately and at the same time shows a particular aspect of Audio quality. There are many ways to choose a record for evaluating speakers, and I often cycle through a few familiar pieces so that I can test a key Audio characteristic in a targeted manner. (See the appendix below for Audio recordings). The good thing about this method is that you'll quickly get to the point where you don't listen to it as music and just focus on how accurately the music is replayed.

Audition Project List

What sonic characteristics do you want to hear from your speakers? Different experts may have different answers, I offer the following points:

1. Timbal uniformity - I think this is primary, it means timbal uniformity over a wide frequency range from bass to treble. In fact, timbre unity is difficult to judge as a whole, so I divided it into four sub-categories:

A. Vocal-range smoothness - this part of the human voice (including singing and speaking) in the mid-frequency part is polluted by the tone of the speaker - this is a part of the shortcomings of ordinary speakers. The most common "mistake" is to look the same for different vocals. It manifests as a trumpet or nasal Audio, or a Audio made through closed palms. I think that's the biggest downside that can be heard. It distorts the singing of vocalists such as Janis Joplin and Gordo Inghtfoot who Audio fundamentally different.

B. Low/Mid Low Frequency Disorders - This is easier to hear. The usual sign is that the voice is humming or shallow (a tendency to accentuate or shorten certain notes), or a hollow voice (lower male voices are overly bossy or weak).

C. Roundness in the lower treble - I usually test this aspect with a group string performance. I listen to stringed instruments whether the Audio is abnormally sharp or dry (lifeless Audio) or overly sweet. This is the most stringent requirement for the listener, unless you have some experience listening live to the string section of a band. Due to the different acoustic conditions in the hall and the playing style of the band, even the best strings can sometimes have a rough or stiff Audio. Pay attention to whether there is often a screeching or metallic Audio, and at the same time pay attention to whether the Audio is too full and unnatural. Try listening to a few records to see if the bad quality is caused by the record itself.

D. tip-top treble - in most music there is hardly anything above 13 kHz, if we do hear this frequency it is just a "flash of electricity" rather than a musical tone. Listening to the hits of the cymbals in jazz or rock is an easy way to master this Audio. Pop high-hat rides combine jazz and rock, and these naturally recorded records are excellent test material, containing clean, repeating bursts of high-pitched highs. You want to focus on listening to each of these momentary high notes for dullness (lack of top octave), too sharp (too many top octaves), and blur (some kind of indistinct, inarticulate non-metallic) Audio, real cymbals will not have this Audio).