AUDIO BASICS: Shopping for Speakers, by RALPH HODGES
SHOPPING FOR SPEAKERS
The difficulties of choosing a speaker system cannot be exaggerated. Although the electronic audio components--receivers, tuners, and amplifiers--may be prone to certain sonic shortcomings, none is likely to have faults of such number, diversity, and outright audibility as that last important link in the equipment chain: the speaker.
No wonder speaker selection is considered by some to be simply a process of settling for the sonic irritant that annoys you least! However, as you stand in the show room and ponder this sobering thought, it should be some comfort to know that there are recommended rules and procedures for listening critically to speaker systems. Perhaps they won't lead you automatically to the best choice, but they will improve your chances of spot ting it among the throng.
-- First, do not be led astray by peripheral design matters-the number of drivers, the type of conductor used for the voice coil, the weight of the woofer mag net, etc. What makes a speaker sound good (or bad) cannot readily be deter mined from these physical details. Also, do not immediately fall in love with some new design principle or development just because of its newness. Some old techniques may be just as effective as the newer ones.
-- Placement in a room affects a speaker's sound, particularly its bass-to-treble balance. When making a final choice between two candidates, try to arrange to hear them side by side.
-- Since louder sounds better, even a loudness difference too small to be perceived as such can lead you to conclude that the sound from the louder speaker is more "open" or better defined. If you can hear obvious loudness differences between speakers you are trying to com pare, hold everything until the levels are made equal. If you still suspect there is a level/quality problem after adjustment, fiddle with the level controls yourself.
--If you are fond of bass (and who isn't?), resist the temptation to go whole hog. The bassiest speaker in the store is probably a loser; there is nothing easier than designing a bit of temporarily impressive but false bass into a speaker system. Quality (not quantity) of bass is what counts. Also, be aware that a thin-sounding speaker may suffer not from inadequate bass but too much mid range-a condition that is often remediable via room placement or the speaker's controls.
--Be suspicious of any speaker that has a lot of something-a lot of zip, a lot of sock, or even a lot of bland, retiring qualities. A good speaker is the patient, non contributing slave of the recording, not an orchestrator of razzle-dazzle effects. Logically, the best speaker is the one that reveals the most differences among recordings, because it is so neutral.
--Expect that, for equal loudness levels from speakers of equal sonic quality, the physically smaller speaker will require more amplifier power. In other words, smaller speakers tend to be less efficient. This is not, however, a good or sufficient reason in itself for accepting or rejecting a speaker. If you're concerned that the amplifier you favor or own won't have enough power for speaker X, try out the combination in advance.
--You may be told that a good speaker is a merciless exposer of poor recordings. This is true only in part. A good speaker is highly analytical and will of ten reveal exactly what's wrong with a recording. But this may serve merely to make what you hear from it more plausible, more real-and that's a benefit. In any case, no matter how wretched a re cording sounds with a good speaker, a bad speaker can always be found that will make it sound much worse.
--Finally, if a speaker well reviewed by respected authorities sounds dreadful in a showroom, there are at least two possibilities: the manufacturer has sold out to Mammon or the dealer has, wittingly or unwittingly, sabotaged the works. In either case, look elsewhere.
==============
Also see:
CONDUCTOR CARLO MARIA GIULINI--"The orchestra is not an instrument! It is human beings who play instruments"