From: crgoc@orlando.uk.cray.com (Gary O'Connor)
Subject: Re: Golden Ears?
Organization: Cray Research (UK) Ltd
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 02:40:47 GMT
X-Posted-From: orlando.uk.cray.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

 IMHO Mr Pierce,
                what do you do in the loudspeaker consulting company, if it's
 dealing with customers in any way, and loudspeaker recomendations, your company
 is up shit creek. A more arrogant reply I have rarely seen. Reply's like
 the one you've given do nothing except discourage open ended discussion.


 In article <Bvnx26.9H8@world.std.com>, DPierce@world.std.com (Richard d Pierce) writes:
|> David Wright asks some questions? Are they serious or is the lack of
|> smileys real?
|> 
|> In article <1992Oct5.092831.26359@walter.cray.com> daw@cray.com (Dave Wright) writes:
|> >
|> >With all this talk about audibility of cable effects that can't be
|> >measured, let's talk about measurable audible effects.
|> >
|> >Why does that AM car radio sound so good after weeks in the wilderness?
|> 
|> To whom? AM radio sounds pretty dismal to me all the time, especially
|> after weeks in the widlerness!
|> 
|> >Why does a high end audio system sound better through an open door where
|> >you are outside the stereo image of the speakers? 
|> 
|> Who said it does? Does it sound better to you? Doesn't to me!
|> 
|> >Who in this group can here if the speakers are reversed polarity?
|> >what are these audible effects.
|> 
|> Maybe audible, may not be.
|> 
|> >What if only one speaker has polarity reversed?
|> 
|> Easily audible, especially when switching the polarity back and forth
|> 
|> >Can you tell if your speakers are matched pair?
|> 
|> To what degree?
|> 
|> >Can you tell if the drivers are time aligned(phase coherent)?
|> 
|> Maybe
|> 
|> >Is the flat response/ perfect measurement speaker really desired?
|> > Sound production vs sound reproduction
|> 
|> First, no such speaker yet exists. Secondly, let's trun the question
|> completely around: why would you NOT want flat response?
|> 
|> (NOTE: While flat frequency response in and of itself is not a sole,
|> necessary and sufficient condition for perfect reproduction, it is
|> certainly arguable that it represents a bare minimal criteria)
|> 
|> >Why does a shower with terrible acoustics by sound reproduction standards
|> >sound so good?
|> 
|> Does it? I think it sounds like sh*t!
|> 
|> >Seems people can't even agree on the audibility of measurable effects!
|> 
|> How might you expect people to agree on the audibility of measured effects
|> when you postulate audible examples than many are going to disagree on the
|> quality of.
|> 
|> Your questions, and the premise toward which you are driving, are flawed.
|> You make some assertions (sound in showers are great) that are highly
|> suspect and disputable.
|> 
|> Take the last example and turn it into something that has a chance of
|> teaching us something:
|> 
|>     The sound in showers is certainly very different than elsewhere (some
|>     might even like it). Shower stalls exhibit certain verifiable and
|>     measurable acoustical characteristics. Let's propose a hypothesis:
|>     Are the acoustical measurements of all shower stalls enough alike to 
|>     suggest that there is a correlation between measurement and 
|>     perception? Do, in fact, do all shower stalls that measure alike
|>     sound alike? Is the common acoustical characteristics of similar
|>     sounding shower stalls something which can be simulated using the
|>     right kind of electronics, DSP algorithms, etc.? Does the resulting
|>     sound of a normal voice sound similar to that which a person would
|>     hear in a shower stall?
|> 
|> Here we've turned it into a series of questions, each of which has a range
|> of answers. Some predictions and assertions are made that are testable and
|> verifiable. SO we have a chance at gaining some real insight IF AND ONLY
|> IF WE KNOW HOW TO ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS.
|> 
|> The way you originally asked the questions are, at best, ambiguous and not
|> a little contentious.
|> 
|> -- 
|> |                Dick Pierce                |
|> |    Loudspeaker and Software Consulting    |
|> | 17 Sartelle Street   Pepperell, MA  01463 |
|> |       (508) 433-9183 (Voice and FAX)      |

-- 

 Gary O'Connor (crgoc@uk.cray.com) :)-8