Car audio test. Test of mid-priced bookshelf Hi-Fi speakers
The price category of 3-4 thousand dollars is quite densely populated - here you can come across acoustic solutions that are very different from each other both from an ideological and design point of view. “Music-design” speakers, distinguished by their attractive appearance and high degree of integration into any interior (which sometimes leads to functional limitations), are adjacent to large and quite high-quality speakers. However, if you still adhere to strict hi-fi requirements, then according to a number of criteria, “micro-speakers” from respected audio brands are in the lead in this range. The price balance definitely works in favor of just such options. Within a rather limited budget, a manufacturer rarely manages to make solid floor-standing units, providing the necessary rigidity and damping for large-capacity cases. A small body requires less manufacturing effort and, accordingly, lower costs. And although there are pleasant exceptions (we will look at them in the test), the general rule of thumb is that in the specified price range, small floor-standing speakers are characterized by better quality cabinets, components and workmanship, are equipped with better speakers and, ultimately, provide a more reliable and exact sound for the same amount. Of course, the usual restrictions for small forms also do not disappear. Small woofers installed in narrow enclosures are most often not able to withstand significant input power for a long time; they have a very moderate lower bass limit and, in general, a much smaller sound than their more respectable counterparts. Whether musical expressiveness will suffer in this case largely depends on the specific company and design school. Compact, but well-tuned speakers have every chance to win over large ones, but not free from compromises in terms of quality. And, let’s say, in conditions of limited living space, the ability to create big sound will not be so in demand and even problematic from the point of view of obtaining accurate sound in a small room.
Test system
1. Source - CD player Bryston BCD-1
2. Integrated amplifier - Bryston B100 SST
3. Cables - Analysis Plus
Test records
1. G. Purcell, “King Arthur” (Harmonia Mundi, 195200)
2. Empire Brass Quintet and William Kuhlman, "Baroque Music for Brass and Organ" (Telarc, 80614)
3. N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov, Symphony No. 2 “Antar” (DG, 423 605-2)
4. Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor “Appassionata” (DG, 457 296-2)
5. W. Baumgratz, “Organ Landscape” (MDG, 319 0962-2 MDG Gold)
6. Tory Amos “Little Earthquakes” (Atlantic, AT82358)
7. Blackmore’s Night “Beyond the Sunset” (SPV, 087-69900)
8. Rammstein “Mutter” (Motor Music, 549 639-2)
9. The Who "Quadrophenia" (MCA MCAD2-11463)
10. Helloween “The Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part 2” (Victor Ent. Japan, VICP-63364-5)
11. Dark Tranquility “Haven” (Century Media Rec., 77297-2)
Page 2 - Rega RS 7
Page 3 - Audio Physics Spark
Page 4 - KEF XQ30-AA
Page 5 - Heco Celan XT 901
Page 6 - PMC GB1i
Page 7 - System Audio Mantra 60
Page 8 - Results
Prices shown are indicative only.
Rega RS 7
Price - 90,000 rub.
From 1973 to the present day, Rega has been associated with its founder and permanent leader, Roy Gandhi, a passionate fan of vinyl and analogue sound. The change of lines and products of the company occurs in English conservatively - with the preservation of family values and without revolutionary changes
The new RS model differs from its predecessor with the R index not so significantly. The main change (besides design improvements) is the use of a modified 19mm silk dome tweeter HF20-ZRR (Zero Rear Reflection - dampening the contribution of reflections of sound waves emitted by the rear side of the speaker) with an anti-resonance chamber. According to the manufacturer, this has significantly improved frequency response at high frequencies. The midrange driver has a 90 mm cellulose diaphragm, a phase-correcting body in the shape of a truncated cone and a rubber surround. A 15cm woofer made of the same material is placed on the side of the narrow but deep cabinet. Thanks to the design of the woofer and coil, which provides strong attenuation at mid frequencies, there is no separating filter between the low-frequency and mid-frequency bands at all, and the most minimalist one is used for the high-frequency driver.
All emitters have cast aluminum baskets and operate in a common chamber. The cabinets are covered with white piano varnish. The appearance of the acoustics is slightly spoiled by the huge rectangular hole on the side wall next to the woofer, which serves as a bass reflex port. However, it is not visible behind the protective grill.
The speakers are distinguished by a calm, smooth and slightly soft character, very coherent and with a slightly smoothed attack. This style is preserved when performing recordings of any genre and at any tempo (acoustics can play subjectively quickly, but without chaos and fragmentation), which sometimes is clearly beneficial, and sometimes, depending on the musical material, and vice versa. The situation is also affected by the somewhat limited bass depth, which remained despite numerous attempts to optimize the position of the speakers in the room. The softness of the low-frequency range, coupled with a general reduced response, sometimes led to a decrease in the expressiveness of the lower notes of the organ and piano and to the muted lines of the large orchestral drum. The speakers need additional heating, which was strongly recommended by the distributor's representatives. A few days of work in our laboratory conditions was clearly not enough for them.
From a soundstage point of view, loudspeakers always provide a large foreground in which vocalists or solo instruments stand out perfectly. In large multi-layered and multi-plane forms (BSO, choir, etc.), the backgrounds were not always drawn convincingly; sometimes in tutti they overflowed into the foreground, and the scene as a whole unfolded in depth in a moderate way. However, the overall presentation was melodious, comfortable and not at all loud; only occasionally (especially in dynamic peaks) could a slight hint of roughness be detected, for example, in high academic vocals, violin and brass instruments. In a number of tracks of an overly aggressive nature (modern metal), on the contrary, at times some softness appeared and a feeling of insufficiently free sound arose. Rega RS7 speakers deliberately avoid extremes and drama. At the same time, they show themselves at their best in non-academic vocals and ensemble music. In moderately fast recordings, the rhythm was maintained very well, and attack was practically absent, and therefore the impressions of classic old metal, rock and various pop music were the most positive.
Measurement results
The low-frequency driver and mid-frequency driver located on the side surface of the speaker body have a fairly extended zone of intersection of operating frequencies, in which they act together. Therefore, the bass level and uneven sensitivity at the interface between the bands will greatly depend on the position of the speakers - both in the room and relative to each other and the listener (Fig. 1). In general, the installation opens up prospects for creativity. Rega RS7 demonstrate the highest levels of unevenness in the amplitude-frequency response and the level of nonlinear distortion in the test. In the measured range from 100 Hz to 10 kHz, the average SOI value was 0.84%, and closer to the lower limit it exceeded the 2% barrier (Fig. 3). The behavior of the impedance module cannot be called stable, but the minimum does not fall below 4 Ohms, and the average value is 8.1 Ohms (Fig. 2).
Passport details:
Type - floor-standing speaker systems | Name - Rega RS7 | Frequency response, Hz - not specified | Number of bands - 2.5 (LF - 15 cm, paper, LF/MF - 10 cm, paper, HF - 1.9 cm, silk dome; crossover frequencies not indicated) | Acoustic design - bass reflex | Resistance, Ohm - 6 | Sensitivity, dB - 89 | Dimensions of one column, cm - 98.8 x 24.6 x 34.6 | Weight of one column, kg - 17
Ratings:
Design - 90%
Workmanship - 85%
Sound - 85%
Ergonomics - 90%
Final grade - 85%
pros: solid melodious sound, calm comfortable manner, large images of soloists
Minuses: slightly limited resolution, not the deepest bass
Conclusion:
Not too busy music “without drama” is played smoothly and musically, very rhythmically and quickly. Small compositions, rock, good old metal and various calm compositions are produced well and expressively by the speakers.
Audio Physics Spark
Price - 90,000 rub.
Manfred Diestertich, chief designer of the German Audio Physic, is known for his dislike of “wonderful modern materials” and his adherence to traditional paper speakers. Nevertheless, the reincarnation of the rather old Spark model carried out by him in 2005 turned out to be by no means conservatively vintage
Thin, tilted-back “Leaning Towers of Pisa” have bodies that are smoothly curved in cross-section and are approximately equal in depth and width. An inch soft dome with special impregnation ensures reproduction of high frequencies. Two identical midrange/bass drivers with 95-mm diffusers made of coated paper and concave-shaped protective caps are equipped - this is the company's know-how - with a double chassis: cast aluminum outer baskets and plastic inner ones. The drivers, called HHCM (Hyper-Holographic Cone Midrange), are driven by neodymium magnets and operate in a 2.5-way circuit. Small oval black grills cover only the upper part of the front panel with the speakers. Excellent quality dark maple veneer, which has retained the living wood texture, greatly enhances the appearance of the acoustics. The large round neck of the bass reflex port faces backwards, and underneath is a solid steel terminal block with one pair of rhodium-plated WBT terminals. The cross-shaped stands end with sharp steel spikes, which are adjustable from above and covered with round plastic pads.
Being placed straight, without turning towards the listener, the speakers demonstrated a very smooth and accurate sound, which I always wanted to characterize with the words “perfectly appropriate and proportionate.” A constant competitor to the RMS acoustics (they were almost on par for almost the entire test, ahead of each other by half a length in terms of subtle effects), this model clearly outperforms the British in microrhythmic nuances and surprisingly clear, almost graphic, melodic lines drawn in ink, although it lags a little behind in subtle details and fullness of instrument timbres. The sound signature is distinguished by impeccably integrated tones and noises that accompany sound production, so that neither the first nor the second is separated or dominant anywhere. In addition to outstanding rhythmicity, the speakers are characterized by excellent mastery of any musical material. Baroque sounded delicate and delicate, as if it was perfectly laid out in the smallest rhythmic beats and patterns, visible as if under a microscope. The same applied to the large orchestral form and to the choir (the diction of the choristers and vocalists was simply exemplary, even if you write a dictation). The only minor quibble concerns some lack of density in the timbres of the strings, and they could use a little more pressure. The dramatic roll of a large orchestral drum, with all its rise and fall, was also presented rhythmically ideally and in extreme detail, but I just wanted it to be thicker in timbre. But the HF resolution and detail in this frequency range exceed what RMS acoustics provide, as well as the ability to withstand the impact of dynamic peaks.
In all non-academic genres, including very extreme options, the speakers demonstrated a very free, problem-free and energetic sound with a fair amount of comfort (in a good sense, without imposing, overheated timbres or softening). There is no need to talk about the rhythm and its retention - this is the signature feature of the brand, in which it has few competitors.
Measurement results
The impedance modulus and electrical phase of the Audio Physics Spark speakers demonstrate excellent stability across the entire frequency range (Figure 2). The difference between the maximum (10.6 ohms) and minimum (4.2 ohms) resistance is slightly more than 6 ohms, and the average value is 6.2 ohms. Thanks to this, this speaker system will easily work with any amplifier. The amplitude-frequency response measured at the tweeter axis has a serious and unpleasant dip in the middle of the HF range (Fig. 1). But the picture is completely transformed and the unevenness indicator becomes commendably small, as soon as you turn the speaker away from the listener. The value of the nonlinear distortion coefficient is consistently low in most of the audio frequency range, increasing only at the lower limit (Fig. 3). The average THD value in the range from 100 Hz to 10 kHz is 0.4% at a sound pressure level of 88 dB.
Passport details:
Type - floor-standing speaker systems | Title - Audio Physic Spark | Frequency response, Hz - 38—33,000 (level not specified) | Number of bands - 2.5 (LF/MF - 2 x 15 cm, coated paper, HF - 2.5 cm, silk dome; crossover frequencies not indicated) | Acoustic design - bass reflex | Resistance, Ohm - 4 | Sensitivity, dB - 89 | Dimensions of one column, cm - 98 x 14.7 x 22 | Weight of one column, kg - 17
Ratings:
Design - 95%
Sound - 95%
Ergonomics - 90%
Final grade - 95%
Pros: excellent macro- and microdynamics, outstanding rhythmic resolution
Minuses: some natural timbres and voices could use more richness and fullness
Conclusion:
The speakers reproduce the finest rhythmic structures with the same perfect precision as Swiss chronometers. In addition, they have a fast, free flow that is as comfortable as it is emotional, and has outstanding genre versatility.
KEF XQ30-AA
Price - 132,400 rubles.
The English company KEF has several secrets of success. Among them are the Uni-Q point emitter with a coaxial arrangement of midrange and tweeter speakers, control magnets made of an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron, as well as experimental plastic diffusers, the development of which began almost half a century ago in collaboration with the BBC
The elegant narrow cabinets of the compact microfloor units do not have a single parallel wall; all their edges are smoothly curved. Inside, they are reinforced with ties, the location of which was optimized using computer modeling. The branded patented Uni-Q module in the new version has a Tangerine waveguide for high frequencies. It is argued that this ensures a smoother frequency response in the HF region and a smooth junction between the high-frequency and mid-frequency ranges. Two characteristic features of these speakers are borrowed from the top-end Reference series - an elliptical (rather than hemispherical) aluminum tweeter in cross-section and rather cool fourth-order filters that cross-link the high-frequency and mid-range ranges. The tweeter is mounted in the center of the plastic cone of the 130mm midrange driver, and the entire module is driven by a magnet made from a neodymium-iron-boron alloy. For a low-frequency driver of the same size, low distortion and a wide power range are claimed. The two pairs of speaker terminals are equipped with jumpers made of wire rather than metal strips. The white piano lacquer finish goes well with the black brushed aluminum front panel, which has a nice moire pattern.
KEF XQ30-AA are another speakers that definitely prefer direct, no-turn, installation in the room. In this disposition, they demonstrate a homely and calm character, and listening to music becomes like long, leisurely conversations with good old friends, which later leave some kind of warm feeling. The classical music as a whole was played a little softly, sometimes muffled, sometimes a little more thoughtfully and less dramatically than necessary, but generally true, with the right timbres, beautiful voices, in a good mood and, as they say, in tune. The BSO was slightly lacking in scope and scale, however, taking this caveat into account, everything was presented very harmoniously and pleasantly. Audiophile characteristics, such as resolution in frequency subranges, transparency, holographicity, are not provocative, do not dominate or are not emphasized (with the exception of surprisingly subtle and simply magnificent in texture HF, which is simply impossible not to pay attention to). Objectively, in almost all genres there was a slight lack of sharpness and spontaneity, the angles and pressure were a little smoothed out, but the general sincerity and good mood for the positive, which mysteriously arose during listening, discouraged any desire to criticize the speakers over trifles.
The recordings of Tori Amos and Blackmore's Night sounded very airy, atmospheric, with simply crystal plucking of the strings and all the instrumental lines, softly but clearly written and perfectly audible. The acoustics played beautifully and comfortably, but at the same time true, emotional and energetic, when needed. All rock and old-school metal were performed quite well, sometimes a little intelligent and soft (the most killer tracks), but always rhythmic, exciting, not one gram hard or flat. This material showed commendable heaviness and weight, but lack the bass practically did not attract attention.
Measurement results
The unevenness of the amplitude-frequency response of the KEF XQ30-AA at medium frequencies and in most of the low-frequency range is extremely small (Fig. 1). The graph only occasionally and slightly falls outside the 3 dB corridor. However, a narrow but very deep dip in sensitivity at the beginning of the high-frequency range (due to the coaxial design of the speaker) leads to a deterioration in this indicator for high frequencies. The minimum resistance value lies around 140 Hz and is equal to 3.2 Ohms (Fig. 2). Although the nature of the load in this region is not purely resistive, such a value will not cause problems with the selection of the amplifier. The average THD value at a sound pressure level of 88 dBSPL is 0.39% (Fig. 3). The peak surge in the mid-frequency range, almost up to 2%, will most likely not appear when listening to musical compositions.
Passport details:
Type - floor-standing speaker systems | Name - KEF XQ30-AA | Frequency response, Hz - 48—55,000 (level ±3 dB) | Number of bands - 3 (LF - 13 cm, paper, MF/HF - Uni-Q coaxial speaker, 13 cm, polypropylene cone, HF - 1.9 cm, aluminum dome; crossover frequencies 450 and 2500 Hz) | Acoustic design - bass reflex | Resistance, Ohm - 8 (minimum 3.2) | Sensitivity, dB - 87 | Dimensions of one column, cm - 85.6 x 19 x 29.3 | Weight of one column, kg - 14.8
Ratings:
Design - 90%
Sound - 90%
Ergonomics - 95%
Final grade - 90%
Pros: precise rhythm, excellent highs, wide and deep stage, good headroom
Minuses: slight lack of bass
Conclusion:
Harmonious, beautiful externally and internally, the speakers are conducive to long-term comfortable listening to music of a wide variety of genres. Some lack of sound volume is compensated by excellent presentation - slightly soft, light and very soulful
Heco Celan XT 901
Price - 100,000 rubles.
The reputable German company Heco, with almost sixty years of history and rich traditions in the design of acoustic systems, recently presented a new model range for 2010-2011, calling it a landmark for itself. As usual with the company, innovation is combined with tradition, and quality with a reasonable price.
Massive speaker bodies in the form of hexagonal prisms are covered with walnut veneer. For strength, two ties are installed inside them. The high-frequency spectrum is reproduced by a traditional Heco fabric dome coated with nanoparticles (carbon-based particles 10-8 cm in size), providing strength and flexibility at the same time. The material of the diffusers for the midrange and bass speakers is the same and also typical for the company - kraft paper, made from a mixture of northern pine wood pulp and wool fibers (in a ratio of 95 to 5). The mid-frequency head is mounted on a coated fabric suspension and placed in a separate chamber in the upper part of the housing. Under the tweeter there are two identical low-frequency woofers on wide and soft rubber surrounds.
All speaker baskets are cast aluminum. The design is solid to the point of paranoia; the outer edges of the baskets, polished to a mirror shine, are tightly attached to the body with self-tapping screws. Two large round bass reflex ports, also made of cast aluminum, are directed towards the rear. Below them is a wide steel terminal plate with five distinct, widely spaced acoustic terminals: four of them are bi-wired, and the fifth is designed to increase HF output by +2 dB. The stand follows the shape of the body and ends with small rubber hemispherical legs.
In the classics, the model was noted for its weighty sound with some emphasis on the lower frequency range. However, this was done in a manner that excluded static or sluggishness. It’s just that the lower notes of cello, double bass, and piano (as well as drums in non-academic genres) became noticeably more tangible and acquired a deep velvety quality. Calm and transparent, like the heavy surface of a large lake, the sound pleased with its freedom and ideal rhythm. And instead of technical tempo, a living pulse, appropriateness and natural liveliness of musical events appeared.
The scene that caught my attention was wide and deep, unfolding according to the plans very freely and naturalistically, with excellent positioning of the sources. The midrange and high-frequency range at first seemed a little soft, as if in a slight haze, but the longer you listen to these acoustics, the more subtle details and timbral relationships and differences are revealed. Still, a small dip in the middle, which always leads to a desire to turn it up louder, is partly noticeable here too. But the speaker's power reserve is so impressive that this happens absolutely calmly, without the slightest harshness or loudness.
A separate tasty feature characteristic of the speakers is the development of after-sounds: with short intense tails, which, depending on the hall, instrument and recording, end in completely different ways. The same applies to the scattering of cymbals in non-academic music, so that the real quality of the high frequencies that initially seemed soft and smoky is simply amazing. In rock, metal, and pop numbers, the voices are so alive, and all the instruments are drawn so tangibly, large-scale, almost physically felt, that the effect of presence immediately arises.
Measurement results
Heco Celan XT 901 acoustic systems are leaders in a number of parameters, and not only weight and size. The speakers start operating at 23 Hz (at a level of -10 dB) and have a very significant margin of safety - the average SOI value in the region of medium and high sound frequencies (0.24%) does not undergo significant changes over a much larger range of input powers than that of opponents (Fig. 3). The fly in the ointment of these achievements comes from frequency fluctuations. The graph of the amplitude-frequency characteristic can be divided into 2 sections, each of which has enviable stability (Fig. 1). The separation between them occurs at the border of the mid and high frequency ranges and is accompanied by a noticeable decrease in sensitivity. Perhaps this decline will be partially leveled out with increasing distance from the listener to the speaker.
Passport details:
Type - floor-standing speaker systems | Name - Heco Celan XT 901 | Frequency response, Hz - 20—52,000 (level not specified) | Number of bands - 3 (LF - 2 x 20 cm, paper, MF - 17 cm, paper, HF - 2.5 cm fabric coated with nanoparticles; crossover frequencies 250 and 3400 Hz) | Acoustic design - bass reflex | Resistance, Ohm - 4—8 | Sensitivity, dB - 92 | Dimensions of one column, cm - 120.5 x 28.8 x 41.8 | Weight of one column, kg - 41
Ratings:
Design - 90%
Workmanship - 95%
Sound - 95%
Ergonomics - 90%
Final grade - 95%
Pros: fundamental bass, excellent resolution of highs and mids, excellent rhythm and stage
Minuses: academic vocals can sometimes be harsh
Conclusion:
Excellent all-round speakers that perform above their price. They are especially good at large-scale symphonic classics - in them they demonstrate a very large and serious sound, a luxurious multi-faceted stage and deep interesting timbres
PMC GB1i
Price - 100,000 rubles.
The next PMC model - the junior floor-standing speakers in the line of home speakers - is a miniature two-way speaker. As befits this English company, they are equipped with proprietary acoustic design - a four-section transmission line with an effective length of 2.4 m
These are the second emphatically miniature acoustic systems in the test after the KEF acoustics. The appearance and decoration of the cabinets are immediately recognizable and typical for RMC - just look at the traditional front panel, the rectangular output of the transmission line, which is covered with acoustic foam, and the standard terminal block at the back (the company promotes multiwiring, so the number of pairs of acoustic terminals always coincides with the number of working strips; in this case we have bi-wiring). The speakers are also already familiar to us from the PMC DB1i bookshelf model: this is a 27 mm soft fabric dome tweeter impregnated with SONOLEX™ (a joint development of PMC and SEAS, used throughout the entire line) and a fabric impregnated bass/midrange driver with a diameter of 140 mm on a cast alloy chassis and soft rubber suspension. The cabinets, finished in natural cherry veneer, rest stably on spiked legs protruding from the sides. Two-way micro-floor speakers look a little touching, but those who know this brand a priori have a fair amount of confidence in the design, and the design of the speakers is very nice.
Since the role of test acoustics in our editorial system is played by the floor-standing pair of RMCs, and in general representatives of the glorious English brand have repeatedly been guests of our magazine comparisons, the general character and sound style of the GB1i seemed more or less clear to us. In particular, we expected to hear accurate and fairly low bass with good texture (thanks to the acoustic design of the transmission line), well-balanced, full-fledged timbres and excellent rhythm. It was also assumed that these speaker systems would be among the leaders in sound quality. In general, this is how it all turned out. And although this time they had to compete for the palm with strong competitors, with whom it was difficult to compete in the jewelery rendering of rhythmic patterns and the clarity of drawing melodic lines, in a number of other indicators the British couple was still preferable. Firstly, of course, with its commendable timbres of natural instruments and voices, rich, but not overheated, in academic and non-academic genres. In baroque, refined compositions, the proportions of timbres and their interrelation seemed to be weighed down to the gram, with perfect balance. Needless to say about separating instruments that are close in height and other express checks for minor differences - RMS representatives always pass this test with extraordinary ease. The BSO seemed to be a slightly smaller copy of reality (the large form still turned out to be too small), but again all the proportions of the instruments lined up perfectly and in proportion, and the general mood and movement were very correct. Like an excellent microscope, the speakers pulled out an exceptionally large number of details and musical events from the general sound canvas, without losing musicality and fascination. And the emphasis was invariably on timbral variety and resolution. The voice delivery deserves special praise - it’s extremely soulful and meaningful, just right on point in terms of mood and conveying emotions.
Measurement results
The behavior of the graph of the impedance module of the PMC GB1 speaker systems allows us to characterize them as high-impedance (Fig. 2). The value of this parameter does not fall below 5.5 Ohms, the maximum is almost 41 Ohms, and the average value is 11.3 Ohms. The amplitude-frequency response with deviation from the radiation axis has a very stable course with a very slight increase in sensitivity in the upper bass; unevenness in the high-frequency (and partly mid-frequency) region is completely leveled by the rotation of the speakers (Fig. 1). The lower limit frequency at the level of -10 dB is 40 Hz. Nonlinear distortion is low over almost the entire audio frequency range, even at high input power levels (Fig. 3). In the range from 200 Hz to 10 kHz at a sound pressure level of 94 dBSPL, the nonlinear distortion coefficient does not exceed 0.5%, and its average value is 0.38%.
Passport details:
Type - floor-standing speaker systems | Name - PMC GB1i | Frequency response, Hz - 29—25,000 (level not specified) | Number of bands - 2 (LF/MF - 14 cm, impregnated fabric, HF - 2.7 cm, fabric; crossover frequency 2000 Hz) | Acoustic design - transmission line | Resistance, Ohm - 8 | Sensitivity, dB - 87 | Dimensions of one column, cm - 87 x 15.5 x 23.4 | Weight of one column, kg - 10.5
Ratings:
Design - 90%
Workmanship - 90%
Sound - 90%
Ergonomics - 95%
Final grade - 90%
Pros: exceptional information content and timbre detail, natural sound, excellent rhythm
Minuses: overload capacity was slightly less than expected
Conclusion:
Excellent speakers with the expected high sound level, once again confirming the status of the company. Musicality, timbral richness and expressiveness are beyond praise. Although some of the usual restrictions for a two-way system are still present
System Audio Mantra 60
Price - 90,000 rub.
Dane Ole Witthöft's mantra, which he has been repeating for over 25 years, is, of course, fast sound, produced by a multitude of identical, super-light, long-throw drivers, and precisely calculated and modeled narrow cabinets. You will always find both of these features in any System Audio product.
Rigid, narrow, but deep bodies inside are divided into sections by seven partitions, five of which are through, placed horizontally between the bass drivers, and two are blind, forming closed chambers at the top and bottom. The upper one is intended for the tweeter and midrange speaker, and the lower one, with a volume of 3 liters, is for filling with sand.
The soft dome of the tweeter, according to the company's engineers, is characterized by a wide radiation pattern (XS, or increased sound propagation surface). Five identical 11cm woofers have 12mm travel, two voice coils each and cast aluminum baskets. The weight of the paper membranes is only 0.8 g. The letters XL in the marking of the W1108XL speakers, in accordance with the manufacturer’s idea, mean “increased sound size.” One of these drivers works as a midrange driver, and the remaining four are responsible for the low-frequency spectrum. The working bands of the emitters are separated by the simplest audiophile crossovers.
The parallelepipeds of the cases are finished with a very beautiful, smooth and silky to the touch cherry veneer with light transverse striping. At the rear there is a large bass reflex port and one pair of excellent gold-plated terminals mounted directly into the slot of the stand.
The concept of fast sound achieved by using several small and lightweight long-throw woofers, for all its advantages, also has obvious expected disadvantages. In particular, the speakers clearly avoid busy music, large symphonic works and extreme modern genres. At the same time, there is no feeling of compression, the volume scale in dynamic peaks is not compressed, and the level of distortion is, in principle, at a low level. However, the sound lacks scale, richness and depth (at the extreme - weight, detail and pressure). BSO plays too easily and superficially, turning into formality, the tense dramatic vocals are boring, the piano is too smooth, although it sounds at an accelerated, cheerful tempo and very good rhythmically. Of the academic genres, columns do well in Baroque - it is presented gracefully, quickly, easily, and a little fragilely. Sometimes I wanted the performance to be sharper and a little brighter, but overall this presentation can be considered successful.
As far as we could understand, the optimal genres for these acoustics are rock, jazz, blues and other popular things. It is to them that the manufacturer’s “mantra” is fully applicable - to bring your favorite musician as close as possible to the listener, to literally bring him into the room. The distinctly pop-club style offers not the feeling of a large concert hall, but rather the intimacy of a club, large musical images at close range, a small well-lit stage, an almost physical feeling of contact with the performer. Here everything is oriented and focused on the voice or solo instrument with a slightly muted accompaniment in the background. This acoustics should certainly appeal to fans of non-academic small groups and pleasant relaxation after a hard day at work.
Measurement results
Four identical bass drivers of the SA Mantra 60 speaker systems bring the lower limit frequency to a respectable (for speakers of this size) 44 Hz. Their working area, with a smooth and slight decrease in sensitivity, extends to the mid-frequency range up to the middle (Fig. 1). This is followed by an area of high stability of the characteristic provided by one mid-range speaker. In the middle of the high-frequency range, a tweeter is connected and the sensitivity begins to increase. Optimal sound with a minimum of frequency fluctuations is achieved by turning the speakers away from the listener. The SA Mantra 60 exhibit low harmonic distortion (average 0.38%; Fig. 3) and a very stable impedance modulus curve (Fig. 2). The average resistance is 8 ohms, the minimum is 4.3 ohms. The measured sensitivity of the speakers gives a moderate value of 87 dB / 1 m. 1 W.
Passport details:
Type - floor-standing speaker systems | Name - System Audio Mantra 60 | Frequency response, Hz - 40—35,000 (level ±1.5 dB) | Number of bands - 3 (LF - 4 x 11 cm, paper, MF - 11 cm, paper, HF - 3 cm, silk dome; crossover frequencies not indicated) | Acoustic design - bass reflex | Resistance, Ohm - 8 | Sensitivity, dB - not specified | Dimensions of one column, cm - 113 x 14.5 x 27.5 | Weight of one column, kg - 22
Ratings:
Design - 90%
Workmanship - 90%
Sound - 85%
Ergonomics - 95%
Final grade - 90%
Pros: good tempo, textured foreground, expressive non-academic vocals
Minuses: not the highest timbral resolution, BSO lacks intelligibility of instrumental lines
Conclusion:
Relax class speakers, they love close-ups, club presentation in close contact between the performer and the listener, and effective emphasis on the voice or solo instrument. Dramatic multi-layered orchestral form or hard modern metal are not their thing
Results
First, I would like to note a couple of interesting points related to the measurement results. Firstly, the majority of test participants demonstrated optimal sound and a more even frequency response when they stood in the room without facing the listener, with a rotation of 30-40 degrees from the radiation axis. One gets the impression that the manufacturers deliberately tuned the acoustics, assuming direct installation. Secondly, almost all competitors (except Heco Celan XT 901) have very limited lower bass, modest even by shelf standards. The lower limit of 60-70 Hz at a level of -3 dB is an inevitable harsh price to pay for being super compact and undemanding in terms of room size. The results of the sound examination look like this.
Heco Celan XT 901, the largest and most serious speakers in design, was noted for the largest and largest sound. Strictly speaking, it is not entirely correct to compare them with microfloor units, which are mainly presented in the test.
On the other hand, if some company (and in the introduction it was mentioned that there are pleasant exceptions) considers itself capable of making much less compromise speakers with a decent sound for the same amount, then why not compare. We vote with our wallets. The German pair's weighty and physical, yet transparent and lively sound, naturally pulsating rhythm and excellent timbres are certainly worthy of the Best Buy title. Although all potential buyers should keep in mind that these speakers need a fairly spacious room for installation (a requirement that is completely irrelevant for the rest of the test participants).
All the way, two models - the Danish Audio Physics Spark and the English PMC GB1i - competed for who would get second place and the Hi-Fi Recommended award, ahead of each other in various parameters by literally the slightest. When performing classical music, the situation reached the point where the only way to make the final choice was to flip a coin. The Danes were filigree precise and rhythmically proportionate, showing ideal diction and tempo. But the British demonstrated better timbral resolution and overall sound density. Some instruments turned out to be more interesting with one pair or the other. For example, the needle-like pauses in the “Appassionata”, cutting through the flesh of the music like silver threads, and the light diamond passages of the piano clearly spoke in favor of the Danish couple. But vocals, especially female ones, and string timbres were preferred by the British. This status quo was only broken by listening to rock and metal, when the RMC speakers turned out to be somewhat harsh and produced an unexpectedly flat and tiring sound. But Audio Physics Spark performed here in all their glory - freely, comfortably and perfectly clear. And they ultimately deserved second place.
The second English pair of the test - also compact micro floorstanders KEF XQ30-AA - demonstrated an exceptionally cozy, homely and calm sound, which, however, acquired a fair amount of weight and iron muscles in expressive and aggressive genres, but without losing comfort. Separately, it is necessary to highlight the extraordinary overload capacity of these babies and the clean, crisp forte without compression. The harmonious balance of advantages and inevitable, but very well-executed limitations is worthy of the title of Editor's Choice. System Audio Mantra 60 was noted for its fast, smooth sound, love and extremely effective reproduction of music of popular styles. Nice design and excellent veneer of the cases are another plus. Among the disadvantages is the speakers’ rejection of complex multi-faceted multi-instrumental recordings, in which the collapse of the stage, crumpling and creeping of shots on top of each other, and loss of intelligibility and detail become too noticeable. Club-intimate presentation is the true strength of this acoustics.
Rega RS7, in accordance with the usual concept of its creator Roy Gandhi, showed a coherent and rather agile sound, although not distinguished by high frequency resolution or outstanding microdynamics. It is hardly possible to examine the sound in detail with these speakers.
Among other things, they have a very small power reserve; in dynamic peaks, the volume scale is greatly compressed and loses many gradations, and as the volume increases, the distortion limit quickly comes. However, lovers of positive sunny music and calm presentation, who do not have spacious premises, may find this option suitable for themselves. The new model fully retains Reg's signature smoothness and melodiousness.
Maria Savina
Based on materials: hi-fi.ru
And just lovers of good music. I present to you excellently selected high-resolution albums, namely “Test discs for testing and listening on high-quality equipment”, these discs are the result of my carefully selected collection over several years, although I sometimes just listen to them, I advise EVERYONE to download, listen and enjoy the magnificent the sound of these discs:
1. K2 HI FI (2005) HIGH-END AUDIOPHILE TEST DEMO-download below 287.97 MB FREE!!!
2. Various Artists – Absolute Sampler ‘On The Fly’ downloadbelow437.3 MB FREE!!!
3. 1995 – Piano Gathering Light download below226.78 MB FREE!!!
4. Acoustic Mood Orchestra (2002) Interlude downloadbelow313.39 MB FREE!!!
5. AML Test CD+ download below255.81 MB FREE!!!
6. Audiophile Reference II download below415.95 MB FREE!!!
7. Best Of Chesky 1992 Classics & Jazz and Audiophile Test download below330.39 MB FREE!!!
8 . Best Of Chesky 1992 Classics & Jazz and Audiophile Test 2 download below255.02 MB FREE!!!
9. EMMA 2009-2010 download below221.11 MB FREE!!!
10. FIM Audiophile Reference IV (HDCD) downloadbelow368.79 MB FREE!!!
11. Various - High-End Test CD (1994) downloadbelow369.22 MB MB FREE!!!
12. HDCD Sampler Volume 2 downloadbelow368.58 MB FREE!!!
13. Sheffield Lab downloadbelow282.68 MB FREE!!!
14. MARANTZ KI Pearl Lite – Inspired By Desire downloadbelow668.18 MB FREE!!!
15. PULT RU Test CD downloadbelow134.22 MB FREE!!!
16. Japan Audio Society downloadbelow268.54 MB FREE!!!
17. Audiodoctor FSQ test CDpacked APE download below52 MB FREE!!!
18. Prime Test CD #1 packed APE download below334.62 MB FREE!!!
19. The Best of LINN Records test CD packed downloadbelow282.53 MB FREE!!!
20. + bonus Focal No. 8 Size: 448.39 MB downloadbelowFOR FREE!!!
Open a Word document, point to any link and press CTRL + left mouse button - the link will open in the browser, go and download, all files have been checked - there are no viruses!
By the way, test discs for audio settings will be replenished right here, so check back periodically...
Please leave comments below so I can get back to you. Don't be afraid of me and join me
IntroductionIt is unlikely that I will make a discovery by calling the topic of testing computer acoustics one of the most unpopular in the computer press. If we analyze most of the reviews, we can come to the conclusion that they are all purely descriptive in nature and consist, as a rule, of recompiling press releases with rewriting of the main technical parameters, admiring the body design, and extremely subjective final assessments, not supported by any evidence. The reason for this “dislike” is the lack at the disposal of testers of such specialized measuring instruments as audio analyzers, sensitive microphones, millivoltmeters, sound signal generators, etc. Such a set of equipment costs a lot of money, and for this reason not every test laboratory can afford it (especially that computer acoustics costs disproportionately little compared to similar measuring equipment). In addition, the tester, of course, must have the “right ears” and, preferably, have an idea of quality sound not from his home music center, but from the sound of a symphony orchestra in the conservatory hall, for example. Be that as it may, although computer acoustics do not pretend to take the place of hi-end and delight the user’s ears with a reliable transmission of timbres, accurately conveying the emotional content of the sound picture, they should at least not distort the sound of a number of instruments and not introduce discomfort into the listener’s consciousness. Objectively, the human ear, of course, neutralizes most distortions, isolating and restoring the sound picture even from the crackle of a radio broadcast loudspeaker, but when listening to the same work on higher-quality acoustics, the listener begins to distinguish new and additional details, some musical shades (like that “...if you look with the naked eye, you can see three stars!..”). Probably for this reason too, the choice of computer acoustics should be approached more seriously and consciously.
Recently, the number of users who want to equip their computer with truly high-quality speaker systems has been steadily growing. To make the task of choosing easier for you, we decided to develop this topic on the pages of our website, and in order for the reviews not to be purely subjective in nature and not based only on the personal preferences of the author-tester, F-Center equipped the test laboratory with a special device - the PRO600S audio analyzer produced French company Euraudio. Let's look at this device in a little more detail.
Audio analyzer Euraudio PRO600S
The Euraudio PRO600S audio analyzer is a compact mobile device designed for performing electroacoustic measurements in real time. Its body is made of durable plastic, and ergonomic protrusions on the sides provide a certain comfort when working “in the field.” For stationary installation on a tripod, a special mount is provided in the bottom of the device. In general, there are quite a lot of devices with similar purposes in the world, however, the main and advantageous difference between the Euraudio PRO600S is its complete autonomy. The audio analyzer has its own battery inside, which allows you to use the device away from electrical networks (the battery charge lasts approximately four hours of battery life). An interesting fact: this particular mobile audio analyzer is adopted by car audio installers, which is why there is an option to power the device from the cigarette lighter. For stationary use, an external 12V power supply is connected to the PRO600S.To measure acoustic parameters, either a built-in or a connected external microphone is selected in the audio analyzer settings, and for electrical measurements, a linear input is selected. The built-in microphone is used in cases where high measurement accuracy is not required (for example, during initial system setup). If the task is to take more precise parameters, or there is a need for special positioning of the microphone to the speaker, you can connect external highly sensitive microphones to the device. We have two such microphones at our disposal. The first is a microphone from Neutrik (a successful replacement for the built-in microphone), the second is a special Linearx M52 microphone designed for measuring high sound pressure levels (High-SPL Microphone). The connectors on these external microphones are AES/EBU (American Electromechanical Society/European Broadcasting Union, if I'm not mistaken) and connect to the audio analyzer's XLR connector via a special shielded adapter cable.
Neutrik microphone
High-SPL microphone Linearx M52
Jack for connecting an external microphone
The linear input of the audio analyzer allows you to measure electrical (and acoustic) circuits. This input can be connected to the line outputs of preamps, mixing consoles, CD players, equalizers, etc. The only exceptions are the outputs of power amplifiers, the high electrical potential of which can damage the electronics of the device. When making measurements using the line input, the levels are indicated on the LCD display in dBV.
Mode for measuring electrical circuits using linear input
The device is controlled using a basic on-screen menu system and a few buttons on its front panel. The five-inch monochrome LCD display has a resolution of 240x128 pixels, providing easy reading. In other cases, when the audio analyzer is not used in the field, you can connect a printer or computer to it. For this purpose, it has IEEE1284 (LPT) and RS-232 (COM) interface ports.
On the rear panel of the audio analyzer there is: line input (1), built-in microphone (2), power switch (3), connector for connecting an external power supply (4), COM port (5), LPT port (6)
The input source selection in the Input Selection menu is made between the built-in microphone (Internal Microphone), external one-third octave microphone (1/3 Oct External Microphone), external High-SPL microphone or Line Input.
Selecting the input source
There are several measurement modes: a mode for identifying the amplitude-frequency characteristics of an acoustic system, the maximum sound pressure level, a competition mode with scoring, and a mode for measuring electrical paths. The "weighing" or "weighting" method is selected from the Weighting SPL menu, which consists of the A-weighting, C-weighting and Linear items.
Selecting a weighing method
Sound competition mode
In general terms, in order not to bore the reader with theoretical material, it happens like this. The acoustic signal received by the audio analyzer from the microphone is sent to its bandpass filters, which amplify some frequencies and smooth (attenuate) others. These filters are a kind of load. There are two types of loading, which are designated by the letters “A” and “C” (A- and C-weighting). Curve "A" is determined by the approximate inverse value of 40 phon ("phon" is a unit of equivalent loudness equal to 1 decibel) of the equivalent loudness contour, and curve "C" is determined by 100 phon. Here, low frequencies are attenuated, and the frequencies of the speech range (1,000 - 1,400 Hz) are, on the contrary, amplified. Mode "L" (Linear) indicates no load.
Curves "A" and "C"
Next, I will try to explain in the most popular way the essence of measuring the frequency response.
Frequency response measurement using Euraudio PRO600S
So, the device allows you to measure the amplitude-frequency characteristics of acoustic systems by sound pressure in real time. If we take it purely hypothetically, then the process of measuring the frequency response could be organized as follows: by sequentially changing the frequency of the signal at the input, measure the current value of the sound pressure at the output. To obtain a “non-blurry” idea of the shape of the frequency response, it is necessary to carry out such measurements on at least thirty segments of the frequency scale of the sound spectrum, spaced no further than a third of an octave from each other. This “manual” measurement mode will take considerable time, which can only be done when testing a single speaker, and even then if you do not resort to any additional adjustments in the process (so as not to then run through all frequencies again). That is why acoustic laboratories use the method of measuring the frequency response by sound pressure in real time (RTA - Real Time Analyzing). Here, instead of separate signals, a single signal is supplied to the system input, uniformly saturated across the entire frequency spectrum of the audio range (from 20 to 20,000 Hz), which is called “pink noise”. To the ear, such a signal resembles the sound of an untuned radio or the noise of a waterfall. The acoustic system reproduces “pink noise”, which, in turn, is picked up by the microphone of the audio analyzer, after which it is sent to its bandpass filters, which cut out a narrow frequency band (each of its own) from the spectrum, the width of which is a third of an octave. For example, the first filter is set to a band from 20 to 25 Hz, the second – from 25 to 31.5 Hz, etc. The amplified signal for each band of the range is displayed on the LCD display of the audio analyzer in the form of a level column. To cover the frequency range from 20 to 20,000 Hz, thirty bandpass filters will be required. It is clear that the device indicator should display all thirty levels. Most of the Euraudio PRO600S's LCD display is taken up by these third-octave bars, covering the audio range from 25 to 20,000 Hz. On the device display, the frequency scale is displayed in logarithmic form, which corresponds to the expression of pitch in octaves proportional to the logarithm of the frequency ratio (the screen resolution is such that one pixel on the device display is equal to one decibel).On the right side of the screen there is an indicator of the overall sound pressure level, which is designed as a level column with a digital value duplicated on top. The loading method used is indicated below this bar.
Real-time frequency response measurement mode for sound pressure
When measuring frequency response, it is possible to change the integration time, in other words, the response time of the audio analyzer to changes in the sound environment. There are three modes for this: Fast (125 ms), Slow (1 s) and Long (3 s). At any time, measurements can be paused, and the current readings of the audio analyzer will be “frozen”. Now, if you press one of the five numbered buttons, the display readings will be written to the memory cell corresponding to the button number. This option is left for transferring data from the audio analyzer to the printer.
The device comes with a CD containing the Euraudio utility program, which is quite simple. It is devoid of any analytical part and is required mainly to present test results on a computer. In addition, the program converts the readings of one-third octave filters into digital form, recording the delimited data in a text file (for conversion to any known spreadsheet).
When measuring the frequency response, in order not to introduce distortion from the preamplifiers of any audio card, the speaker system under test is connected directly to the linear output of the CD player, and the “pink noise” test signal is read from a special IASCA CD.
The relative unevenness of the frequency response is determined as follows: based on the data obtained using an audio analyzer, the maximum difference between adjacent bandpass frequency filters is found, after which the difference between them is calculated. Taking into account the fact that our tests involve multimedia acoustic systems, the class of which is an order of magnitude different from the class of high-quality household audio equipment (many systems simply do not work in the range of 20 - 20,000 Hz), we decided to limit the calculation of frequency response unevenness to a segment from 50 to 15,000 Hz. Based on the frequency response unevenness indicator, we can talk about the quality of a particular acoustic system. The crossover frequency was determined visually from the measured frequency response. By the way, from the picture you can learn about the settings of the subwoofer’s bass reflex port and the tuning frequencies of the system’s bandpass filters.
The maximum sound pressure level was measured as follows: an SPL microphone is connected to the device, the appropriate measurement mode is selected from the menu, and the option to save peak values is activated. Next, the SPL Competition test track is launched from the IASCA CD, which “forces” the system to operate at the highest possible acceptable values. During this stage, only the maximum achieved sound pressure level is displayed on the audio analyzer display (and remains as a peak). It is by this parameter that one can judge the ability of a particular acoustic system to “turn your insides” when listening at maximum volume levels.
Maximum sound pressure level measurement mode
At the end of the testing, some measurement results were recorded in a table, looking at which it is quite easy to understand which system deserves attention. So, taking measurements using an audio analyzer allows us to judge the maximum sound pressure level, the relative unevenness of the frequency response, crossover frequencies and the actual range of reproduced frequencies by the acoustic system. Using the last parameter, you can check the discrepancies between the characteristics declared by the manufacturer and those obtained by us.
Impedance measurement
The audio analyzer, as I already said, is equipped with a linear input, designed in the form of an RCA connector. Thanks to this, the device allows you to go beyond just acoustic tests by measuring the sound pressure level when receiving data from a microphone. Using this linear input, you can connect across the electrical circuit of the speaker system and measure (approximately, of course), for example, impedance and harmonic distortion.Impedance is a very useful feature that can be used to test a speaker's ability to operate correctly at a given gain level and to note the resonant frequencies of a subwoofer. To carry out the measurement, a “pink noise” test signal is applied to the input of the speaker amplifier. Take a look at the figure below: The amplifier should not be bridged (i.e. its negative pole should be common ground). 4 and 8 ohm resistors are used for calibration. First, a 4 Ohm resistor is selected and the volume is increased until readable signal levels appear on the audio analyzer display (usually this level is a straight line). After this, the 8 Ohm mode is selected and the levels are set for it. The switch is then set to test the speaker, and by comparing the two lines, its impedance across the entire acoustic range is estimated, finding its resonant frequency (or frequencies).
Impedance measurement circuit
Note: unfortunately, at the moment we did not have time to prepare a stand for impedance determination, so the results for this stage will be available a little later.
IASCA Competition Audio Test CD
Let me start with the fact that in the late 70s, acoustics manufacturers deliberately tried to draw analogies between audio equipment and... irons, very actively introducing into the minds of consumers sets of technical requirements, the fulfillment of which would guarantee (supposedly) the highest sound quality of the equipment. Even then, manufacturers who tried to rely only on objective parameters were called “objectivists”. However, in the early 80s, they were all disappointed in the form of a drop in demand and a general decline in sales volumes for audio equipment, despite the fact that “objective parameters” were constantly improving, and for some reason the sound quality, on the contrary, was getting worse. This general trend gave impetus to the birth of the subjectivist movement, whose slogan shocked many orthodox people: “If there are contradictions between objective parameters and subjective assessments, then the result of objective measurements should not be taken into account.” However, by today's standards, the then slogan of the subjectivists turned out to be quite balanced. Although auditory perception can fail us, it is nevertheless the most sensitive tool for assessing sound quality. The assessment itself cannot be given without listening to various test musical compositions (symphonic and instrumental music, boys' choir and famous tenor, jazz and rock compositions), so many record companies have developed special collections, like the one about which further narration.Our test music disc can be called universal. It is used both to determine objective parameters (some tracks are used as a test signal source) and to construct subjective listening assessments. This is an IASCA Competition CD from a fairly well-known international association International Audio Sound Challenge Association.
There are 37 audio tracks on this disc, and some tracks are annotated in nature, bringing to the listener's attention what to pay attention to when listening. By the way, information about this disc is in the CDDB database, so after installation in the computer's CD player, the titles of all its tracks are downloaded from the Internet. The order in which records are placed on the disk is subject to a certain law, i.e. phonograms are divided into groups according to the sound characteristics being assessed (tonal purity, spectral balance, sound stage, etc.). Many recordings are taken from renowned music archives such as Telarc, Clarity, Reference, Sheffield and Mapleshade. Below is the IASCA Competition CD track list.
IASCA Competition CD playlist
Test audio tracks (tracks)
for testing and setting up household and car acoustics and audio equipment
Description, instructions for using test audio discs "Audio Doctor FSQ" and "Audio Doctor FSQ 2"
Quite often one hears the opinion that " THIS IS MY AUDIO SYSTEM PLAYING JUST GORGEOUS", however, during test listening, something often comes to the surface that is quite difficult to describe in words.
And it happens that the owner of the complex becomes fixated on the fact that his equipment is working “SOMEHOW WRONG” and alterations, corrections and many different, sometimes unnecessary, movements begin.
For the first time I encountered test signals after purchasing the equalizer "PRIBOY E-024S", which had a built-in generator with fourteen fixed frequencies. That’s when I realized that in addition to sound, overtones are also important. When tested with a test signal of 31 Hz, it turned out that it was at this frequency that window glass began to resonate, and at a frequency of 63 Hz, the plates stacked under the bed began to jingle.
The conclusion suggested itself - test signals or fragments of audio recordings are necessary not only for setting up and testing ultra-high-quality audio equipment and acoustics, but it is far from superfluous to check the audio path of a household complex.
In 2005, the magazine "AUTOZVUK" released an audio disc with test audio fragments and a description of how to use this disc when adjusting the acoustics and the complex as a whole. Although the disc is already quite old, it has not lost its relevance to this day. We offer you recommendations from this test disc from the manufacturer and an online test of your computer audio system, as well as a copy of the disc recoded into WAV format, with virtually no loss of quality from the original CDA format.
To fully check the audio system with test signals, you will need the text included with the disc:
PART I. TECHNICAL TRAILS
Turn on and warm up the audio equipment, put in a disc, arm yourself with the remote control and sit comfortably in your usual place. If you want to increase the accuracy (and therefore reliability) of measurements, try to get a sound level meter, it will significantly simplify the work.
So, first, let's check the headroom for the undistorted volume level, this is one of the most important indicators.
In a well-tuned sound path, even with the volume control fully turned up, no wheezing or other distortion should be heard from the speakers. However, the maximum undistorted volume level of equipment of different classes is different - one can bring down the ceiling, another can only block a loud conversation.
What is the optimum for home conditions?
For reference:
A loud but calm conversation between two or three interlocutors standing next to each other usually reaches 75 - 80 dB.
The average volume level in the stalls of a medium- and large-capacity auditorium from a jazz quartet playing does not exceed 80 - 85 dB, a symphony orchestra (not higher than Forte) 85 - 90 dB, and at a rock concert it can reach a pain threshold of 120 dB. Learn more about volume and audio sources.
Theoretically, you can achieve 120 dB at home, fortunately modern technology allows this. But let's look at things realistically: if you live in an ordinary panel house, where the walls and ceilings rarely have sound insulation of more than 40 - 45 dB, then even completely peaceful neighbors will be forced to call the police.
Therefore, it is generally accepted that the average volume level when listening to music in an apartment is 85 dB. And if your equipment can develop an undistorted volume 10 dB more, i.e. 95 dB, then this is quite enough. If this is not enough for you, you will have to fork out not only for more powerful equipment, but also for additional soundproofing of the room.
If the room requires additional sound insulation of 10 - 12 dB, then it will be provided by a carpet with a thickness of at least 1.5 cm over the entire floor area (if there is parquet or bitumen-based parquet boards) plus pasting at least 75% of the walls with additional absorbing materials (Daekwell , Cotex and similar). In addition, there will be a need to cover the entire ceiling area with gypsum plasterboards at least 1 cm thick.
The undistorted volume level is determined by the first track of the test disc. It plays a musical fragment where the vocal and bass parts are additionally compressed. Gradually increase the volume level from zero until the beginning of overload, when non-linear distortions begin to be clearly heard on the bass and vocals, perceived by the ear as wheezing. This is the limit of the sound path in terms of undistorted volume. Remember this position of the regulator.
To accurately determine the value, you need to use a sound level meter. A small-sized digital device (FWE 33-2055 or similar in functions and overall dimensions) with a weighing filter “C” is very convenient here. The measurement procedure is simple: the sound level meter is installed on a tripod in the place where you usually stand when listening. Without changing the position of the volume control, play track number 15 with a pink noise signal. The device will show the exact value of the undistorted volume level, by which you can judge whether you will disturb your neighbors too much.
The next step is to set the standard volume level. All of the following tracks on the test disc should be played at the same volume level. If you are used to listening to music at a very specific position of the volume control, set it to this mark. If you prefer the 85 dB level mentioned above, use the sound level meter again. Turning on track No. 15, use the amplifier control to set the device scale to 85 dB (don’t forget to turn on “C” on the weighting filter).
If you don’t have a sound level meter, invite two or three friends and ask them, without forcing their voices, to discuss some problem. Focusing on the volume of the conversation and periodically playing track No. 1, try to set the amplifier control to the same volume. The accuracy of this operation depends on your patience.
Remember the position of the volume control and do not change it until the end of listening to the test disc!
On test tracks No. 2 - 4 The phasing of the audio path between the channels is checked.
For reference:
With correct phasing on a monophonic signal, the diffusers (forward and backward) of the left and right channel speakers move synchronously. In this case, the sound image reproduced by the stereo system will be perceived exactly from the middle between the right and left speakers. If the phasing is disrupted and one diffuser lags behind or advances the other, then the sound image in the center blurs, becomes unclear, or even shifts to one side.
On a stereophonic soundtrack, incorrect phasing leads to distortion of the sound perspective. For example, some of the musicians in a symphony orchestra may end up in completely different places. Or a rock vocalist, soloing in the center of the sound stage, will suddenly appear in the corner or even at the back of the stage.
On the AudioDoctor FSQ disc, phasing is determined separately for medium, low and high frequencies. On track No. 2, the voice of the announcer is recorded with the words: “Mid frequencies. Phase". These words should be heard from the center of the sound stage. Then the announcer says: “Mid frequencies. Antiphase." In this case, the announcer's text should be played at a lower volume level and (or) defocused for the listener and (or) shifted to one side or another from the center. If the speaker's voice during the last words sounds louder and focused in the center, then in the mid-frequency region the audio system is acoustically out of phase.
The phasing is checked in the same way in the HF band along track No. 3 and in the LF band - along No. 4. For greater simplicity, or if the home audio system is single-sided, the phasing check is carried out immediately across the entire frequency band using the pink noise signal recorded on track No. 16. The phase signal must be located exactly in the middle of the sound stage.
TREATMENT. If you find that the audio path is out of phase throughout the entire band, change the polarity of the speaker wires on one of the speakers. If antiphase is detected only in some of the bands, the situation is worse. Then pick up a soldering iron or take the speaker (usually this is an acoustic defect) to the workshop.
The presence of interference, rattling, extraneous sounds and noise in the sound path and listening room is checked using test audio fragments No. 5 and No. 6. It is clear that any of the above does not decorate the sound, being superimposed on it in the most inappropriate places. We had to listen to a “duet” of a vocalist with a poorly screwed amplifier cover periodically “singing along” with him. Its contribution to the sound was insignificant, so the owner of the system attributed the change in the performer's well-known voice to poor quality recording and almost threw out the CD. On a real music signal, especially a polyphonic one, when many instruments sound simultaneously, it is difficult to accurately track interfering sounds.
Therefore, for testing on the test disk, a tone (sine wave) signal is used, the frequency of which smoothly changes from the lowest to the highest frequencies (colloquially “sweep tone”). Separately, first for the left and then for the right channels. And here sometimes such “dirt” comes out that you are amazed. There is the rattling of loose glass in a window, bookshelf or sideboard, and much more.
TREATMENT
1. The method of dealing with rattling is clear and does not require special investigation.
2. If on a sweep tone there are overtones of the heads in the speakers or, which is really bad, self-excitation of the amplifier - it smells like a visit to a repair shop. The diagnosis of self-excitation is a spontaneously occurring “hustle” in the sound in the high frequencies, noise that can be heard especially well in pauses between tracks on a disc.
3. Sometimes at high frequencies (above 8 - 10 kHz) a series of soft squeaks, increasing in frequency, are heard. This is not self-excitation of the amplifier, but the effect of the appearance of a standing wave in the system: amplifier output stage - cables - acoustic load. The audio signal returns from the acoustics to the output stage of the amplifier and is combined with a slightly higher frequency sweep tone, which is where the beats arise. On a real sound signal, such a selection of components makes the sound at high frequencies frankly dirty. The fight against this phenomenon is quite simple - changing the length or brand of the speaker cable. Sometimes bad contact in the terminal connections is involved.
4. The most unpleasant symptom is a low-frequency buzz at the very beginning of the sweep tone. In the worst case scenario, it can become so loud that it blocks your ears. Here you will have to “treat” not only the equipment, but also the room. We will learn about what exactly needs to be done from the next track (No. 7), designed to evaluate the low-frequency section of the audio path. Two parameters are determined - the lowest frequency of the operating range and the unevenness of the frequency response up to 150 Hz. The assessment mechanism here is based on one feature of human hearing - good memory and preference for the perception of low-frequency sounds.
And this is psychoacoustics.
For reference:
Try to conduct an experiment at your leisure (if you have two audio frequency generators): feed a signal with a frequency of 5 - 7 kHz to the amplifier. After this, from the second generator with the same level - one frequency, approximately 50 - 80 Hz. You will be surprised: the low-frequency tone will be clearly audible, and the mid-range tone will either disappear completely or be barely noticeable.
This is called the masking effect, proving our ear's preference for bass. The phonogram, first for the left and then for the right channels, contains a recording of a number of fixed sound frequencies in the low-frequency range. First, the announcer will announce that the frequency is 60 Hz. Let's call it “support”. Concentrate and remember its volume level. The announcer will then announce 20Hz, 25Hz, 30Hz and so on. In the vast majority of cases, the frequency of 20 and even 25 Hz will be quieter than the reference, and then the volume will begin to increase. The first pure low-frequency tone (without distortion and turbulent sip), which coincides in volume with the reference one, determines the lowest operating frequency of the audio path. Remember it and continue listening. Ideally, the volume of the remaining tones up to 150 Hz should be the same, but in practice dips and spikes in levels are clearly audible. This is the unevenness of the low-frequency section of your system.
Judging by the reviews from users of the test disk, this phonogram is so effective that some amateurs even use it to adjust the bass reflexes in speakers. We would like to note that here our ear surpasses even very cool spectrum analyzers in the accuracy of perception.
But let's return to the possible low-frequency hum that we mentioned above. If it makes your ears clog, select on track No. 7 the frequency at which the maximum hum is observed. It is from this that you will have to “treat” your room. This, as already mentioned, is the result of the interaction of acoustic systems and the room, a standing low-frequency wave. Acousticists call them mods. In any room there are at least three of them (length, width and depth). But if they are close to each other in frequency, which happens with multiple room sizes (1:1, 1:2), then it is extremely difficult to fight them.
TREATMENT in such cases the matter is not easy. Most often, processing is carried out over the entire audio frequency band (it’s easier this way) using sound-absorbing coatings - floor and wall rugs, upholstered furniture. This is usually done taking into account the overall design of the room. You just need to remember that synthetic carpets in winter, when the air in the apartment is dry, can accumulate a significant static charge that can damage the displays on the equipment. The solution is portable humidifiers. Good results are also obtained when laying the ceiling, and sometimes walls, with slabs of dry gypsum plaster (DSG). If it is possible to change the geometry of the room, a very effective way can be to lay an additional wall (0.5 bricks) near one of the walls, extending 3 - 5 degrees from the existing plane.
Very effective, although also quite expensive, is the use of stretch (“French”) ceilings made of dense fabric. A slanted suspended ceiling in the form of a monolithic sound-absorbing structure also significantly reduces modal resonances. But if the mode frequencies are known exactly (using track No. 7), then it is best to place sound-absorbing sheets near the ceiling and on the walls, the geometric dimensions of which are a multiple of the mode wavelength. For example, to eliminate the 63 Hz mode, two sheets of 1.25 x 1.25 (1/4 wavelength) perforated plywood suspended from frames near the ceiling reduce resonance by 8 to 10 dB.
The unevenness of the frequency response in the region of medium sound frequencies is most noticeable to our ear, especially sharp surges and dips following each other (pros call them “fence”). To evaluate this parameter by ear, without a spectrum analyzer, use track No. 8. The soundtrack on it is a high-quality stereo recording of the applause of a large number of spectators in the hall. Clapping your hands in a fairly echoey room is equivalent to a diffuse field - noise - evenly distributed across the spectrum.
However, against the background of this monotonous noise, the human ear manages to distinguish the very beginning of the pops (bursts). On an audio path with a linear frequency response, you really hear applause, but if it is uneven (“fence”), it becomes similar to the noise of pouring rain. And the greater the unevenness, the more natural the downpour seems, and individual pops that stand out from the general sound background are in this case perceived as annoying drops knocking heavily on the windowsill.
TREATMENT
The main source of “rain” is acoustics. Manufacturers usually draw horizontal frequency response lines that are pleasing to the eye on packaging boxes, but the reality, especially for speakers with woofers on polypropylene cones, can be simply terrifying.
In addition, multi-band speakers are characterized by “raininess”, and most often the maximum unevenness appears at the junctions between adjacent frequency bands, especially with not very high-quality crossovers. Here there is an incorrect choice of crossover frequencies, and the joint radiation of heads spaced apart from each other at the cutoff frequencies (due to the insufficient cutoff steepness of the filters). The magnetization of the inductor cores also makes a significant contribution.
The treatment method is the most radical - it is better to get rid of such speakers.
Track No. 9 determines the linearity of the stereo image across the width of the sound stage. This is also necessary to check the correct placement of the columns. The phonogram contains seven drum beats, smoothly moving from left to right across the entire width of the stereo image. The impacts are precisely localized in direction, and their movement in space is linear, i.e. the angles between the impacts are the same. The first impact is heard on the first sound plane from the very left edge of the soundstage; the second is a little closer to the middle and a little deeper; the third beat is placed a little further into the sound stage and closer to its middle. The fourth blow should be perceived by the listener exactly from the middle of the sound stage, in depth, on the second or third sound plane. The fifth and sixth beats are similar to the third and second, respectively, but on the right side of the middle of the stage. The seventh strike is in the foreground on the very right side of the scene.
TREATMENT
1. The first blow merges with the second, and the sixth with the seventh - move the speakers apart, they are too close.
2. There is no movement in depth - move the speakers forward.
3. The angles of movement of the impacts are asymmetrical - pay attention to the furniture located next to the speakers or its different sound-absorbing properties. A soft sofa on one side and a polished wardrobe on the other is a sure provocation of such an illness.
4. If the impacts themselves are not very clear in orientation in space (not focused), then there may be two reasons:
- Insufficient resolution of the audio path, most often due to poor quality of the source. This is where the difference between expensive and cheap CD players is especially clearly visible. No less important here are the parameters of the amplifier, in particular its phase-frequency response. Cables, and even more so interconnects, have a very noticeable effect on the music resolution. Very often, the wrong direction of the cable makes the sound faded and smeared. You may not believe it, but when you hear the effect live, you will understand that you were wrong. If, of course, the class of the audio path allows you to hear the difference. And not the least role is played by the speakers, and to a greater extent their design.
- Acoustic treatment of the listening room (not to be confused with sound insulation, which we discussed above). In an insufficiently muffled, boomy room, there are always a lot of reflections in the mid and mid-bass frequencies, blurring the localization of the sound stage, although the sound itself usually has a pleasantly bright, rich character. At the same time, a muted room is always better from a localization point of view, but the sound loses its cheerfulness and becomes dry. It is clear that in such a matter a reasonable compromise is needed, which track No. 9 will help to achieve.
A specific example: listen to a moving drum in a room with varnished parquet flooring, and then again with a carpet occupying 40 - 50% of the floor area. Localization will improve noticeably. And then unfold the carpet and cover 100% of the floor area. Localization will be a little better, but the sound will be drier. The same experiments can be done with wall and ceiling coverings, using the acoustic materials and draperies mentioned above. But don’t get carried away with sound absorption and don’t forget about sound dispersion. It has to be both, in compromise. Good studios always have a large set of sound absorbers in the form of suspended curved or asymmetrical structures that improve the diffuseness of the sound field.
Note: Using track #9, you can also estimate the crosstalk attenuation between channels. As you know, a snare drum has tensioned springs at the bottom, which are clearly audible. If, when moving the drum to the right channel, the after-sound of springs is heard in the left channel even after the fifth or sixth hit, the sound path cannot be considered high-quality. Most often, the amplifier or source is to blame for this, but sometimes the situation can be improved by replacing the interconnect cables.
PART II. MUSICAL MATERIAL
In this part you should be especially careful, since for each of the phonograms you will need to evaluate at least two or three parameters. Study the description of the tracks in advance, then diagnosing the path will be noticeably easier.
And treatment methods will depend on the specific type of components you have, financial capabilities and personal musical preferences.
Track No. 10 determines the microdynamics and depth of the created sound stage. The phonogram is a small musical fragment with two instruments - a double bass and a drum set. The recording is of exceptionally high quality. It was produced in a large music studio using two X-Y condenser microphones, 24-bit/96 kHz. The analog signal was digitized immediately after the microphones and transmitted to the console in digital form.
The drummer and his drum kit are located in the middle of a not very wide sound stage, in its very depths (on the third or fourth sound plane). The double bass player is also located far away, slightly to the left of the drum kit. At the beginning of the fragment, both musicians play very quietly. Nevertheless, their instruments are clearly audible, and the music is perceived clearly, with exceptionally high detail. The sound of the double bass is bright and full-bodied. Even at such a low volume level, you can clearly hear the movement of the musician’s bow along the strings and the light tapping of his fingers on the fingerboard. When playing pizzicato, the double bass sounds clear and distinct, without disturbing boominess or blurriness. The drum hits are full-bodied and elastic. The drummer’s “run” through them literally amazes with its clarity and precision. The cymbals sound very authentic, both when the musician plays very quietly at the very beginning of the fragment, and at the end when he plays loudly.
Sound rating
1. Unacceptable sound stage depth is considered if the musicians are visually located on a horizontal line between the speakers (that is, in the foreground).
2. With unsatisfactory microdynamics at the very beginning of the phonogram, quiet hits on the drums and cymbals are not audible at all, and bowing on the double bass is difficult to distinguish. Microdynamics can be considered satisfactory if the drums, cymbals and double bass are audible, but in the sound of the double bass you can’t hear the musician’s fingers tapping on the fingerboard and (or) when the double bass player plays with a bow, you clearly don’t hear the “resting” movement of the bow along the strings. And the microdynamics will be good if the double bass player’s fingers are heard clearly and clearly. The sound path has excellent microdynamics and exceptionally high quality if a very quiet rustle is heard (time 1’09”), when the drummer accidentally touches the cymbal with his elbow and immediately clamps it with his hand. You can be proud of this sound path.
Track No. 11 of the test disc determines the naturalness of the sound transmission of the musical attack, as well as the position and focusing of the sound stage in width (in the horizontal plane) and height (in the vertical plane).
The soundtrack shows a fragment of a drum solo. Clearly expressed localization of cymbals in direction and depth allows the listener to correctly and accurately assess the spatial arrangement of all “components” of the drum kit. It was recorded “close-up”, i.e. located close to the listener across the entire width of the sound stage. The sound is bright, full-bodied and beautiful. At the very beginning of the soundtrack, attention should be paid to the musician’s playing. The drums sound bright, with emphasized elasticity and “meatiness”, very dynamic and attractive to the ear. The second part of the soundtrack focuses on the cymbals and hi-hat, the articulatory clarity of their sound and the accuracy of their position in stereo space. The hi-hat is located slightly to the right of the middle of the stage, slightly above the snare drum. When the “interruption” on the cymbals begins, the “second” cymbal is visually perceived by the listener to the right, higher and slightly closer to the hi-hat, the “third” - a little to the left.
Next, the musician’s playing moves to the left, and the next, “fourth” cymbal sounds much to the left and is already noticeably higher than the hi-hat. Then another cymbal is hit, which is heard even further to the left, higher and closer to the listener. Behind it you can hear the “sixth”, perceived slightly higher and deeper than the previous one, and to top it off, the seventh and eighth beats sound almost simultaneously, moved even further away from the listener in depth and located slightly lower than the previous ones. The naturalness of the musical attack is assessed by the first part of the phonogram, the focusing of the cymbals in space - by the second.
Sound rating
1. An unacceptable transmission of attack is considered if the sound of the drums is dull, there is no elasticity and “meatiness”; unacceptable - if the sound of the drums is quite dynamic, but has an element of “cardboard” in the beat.
Treatment: if the midbass and bass lack elasticity and clarity, place the speakers with spikes on marble slabs 3 - 5 cm thick. In nine cases out of ten, the sound will improve.
2. It is considered unacceptable or unacceptable if the sound stage is narrower than the space between the speakers (the extreme right and left plates are shifted towards the center), and also clearly below or above the listener’s eye line.
3. It is unacceptable or less acceptable if the cymbals and hi-hat are at the same height (in the vertical plane) or the difference is insignificant (the last hits of the left cymbals are only slightly higher than the hi-hat position).
Track No. 12 evaluates the timbre and musical balance of the sound. The phonogram is a fragment of a jazz piece with male vocals; the quality of the recording can serve as an example of musical balance of sound. Saxophone, piano, electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit are located across the entire width of the sound stage, on the first and second sound planes, as if arranged in a line next to the listener. The instruments are spatially clearly oriented in front of the listener, musically balanced among themselves and perceived with the same volume.
There is a piano on the left, a guitar and bass on the right. In the middle of the soundstage, slightly behind the main instruments, there is a drum kit. It is recorded wide, the drums, cymbals and hi-hat are sort of placed along the front plane. In the center, in front of the drum kit, a saxophone is heard a little closer to the listener. While playing, the musician sometimes migrates from the middle a little to the right, and the movement of the saxophone is felt on the recording. Male vocals are heard exactly from the center of the stereo image. At the very beginning of the play, the singer from the back of the stage approaches the microphone - his voice moves from the background to the foreground and “remains” there until the end of the play. Timbrally, the vocals sound soft and full-bodied, with a good content of low components.
It is clear, precise and legible, but in no way harsh. The piano is perceived as full, dynamic, with a bright attack and in several places is accentuated in level. The bass is dense, thick, and has a very pleasant timbre. In the overall sound picture, it is located between the foreground and background and does not protrude forward. The guitar, whose main role in this piece is accompaniment, is also visually located between the first and second sound plane.
Timbral balance (natural sound of instruments) and musical balance (balance between instruments and vocalist in level) are assessed separately by the listener.
Sound rating
1. It is considered unacceptable or hardly acceptable from the point of view of timbre balance if any of the instruments sounds unnatural and (or) if the vocal timbre has a harsh or unpleasant sounding character.
2. It is considered unacceptable or hardly acceptable from the point of view of musical balance if the vocals or any of the musical instruments clearly go out of their sound plane, i.e. clearly stands out in terms of volume (pushed forward) or falls out of the “general rank” in terms of volume (pushed back).
Track No. 13 evaluates the linearity of the sound path in terms of volume level, its macrodynamics and ability to transmit a polyphonic sound image. The phonogram contains a high-quality recording of a symphony orchestra, performed in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. The recording was initially digital (the audio signal was digitized directly after the microphones) in 24-bit/96 kHz format and, after mastering, was reduced to the standard CD format of 16-bit/44 kHz. According to the sound engineer, the listener should be somewhere in the middle of the hall and feel the overall sound of the orchestra with maximum airiness and volume. Therefore, musicians are perceived as distant from the listener. The fragment consists of four main parts, differing from each other in volume level and dynamics. And the first part, sounding very quietly (pianopianissimo), and the second (piano), and the loud third (forte), and the fourth, final (forte fortissimo), should be perceived equally naturally. The pizzicato of the group of string instruments in the first movement, despite the low volume, should be crisp and clear, the listener can freely and clearly distinguish the “pinch” of the musicians’ fingers. The solo brass instruments in the second part of the phonogram are light, distinct and well localized in their location in the orchestra.
The third, loudest part of this phonogram is not at all easy for the sound path. The orchestra sounds very powerful here. A group of cellos and double basses enters, adding grandeur to the orchestra's sound. To the ear, it seems that the overall picture seems to unfold in front of the listener and visually rises slightly upward. The perception of a large number of string and wind instruments should be polyphonic - remain pure and natural, where not only string and wind groups, but also individual instruments in them, can be clearly and clearly heard. A sound path with good dynamics conveys this part of the soundtrack easily, musically and dynamically. It should not seem “cloudy” and should not merge into a common “cloud” filled with tools.
Sound rating
1. It is considered unacceptable or less acceptable if the string pizzicato in the first part is completely unintelligible or sounds too quiet, sluggish and indistinct in comparison with the next, louder part.
2. It is considered unacceptable or less acceptable if in the third movement (after the entry of a group of cellos and double basses) there is no noticeable jump in volume (forte) and then, in the final, another jump (forte fortissimo), in other words, the sound clearly lacks lightness and dynamics , energy.
3. It can be considered unacceptable or hardly acceptable when in the third and fourth parts of the phonogram non-linear distortions are clearly audible or there are no distortions, but the orchestra clearly does not reach forte fortissimo in volume.
4. It is unacceptable if the orchestra already in the third movement begins to sound like a general “mess”, to merge, individual groups of musical instruments are poorly distinguishable or these groups are completely indistinguishable.
Track 14. An additional track for assessing the sound quality of the lowest sound frequencies. It is needed for sound paths capable of reproducing the lowest bass and operating in acoustically treated rooms. The phonogram contains a nine-second excerpt of the sound of a symphony orchestra, which includes a large (Turkish) drum with a very low register. It can only be heard if you have a high-quality subwoofer that naturally reproduces frequencies of 20 - 25 Hz. For ease of evaluation, the passage is repeated three times in a row, and the Turkish drum enters the track at the 3rd, 17th and 32nd seconds.
Sound rating I
If you feel that from the indicated seconds a clearly discernible low bass punch is added to the sound of the orchestra every measure and the room is not buzzing, you can be heartily congratulated.
For the ON-LINE test of acoustics and audio system, the contents of the "Audio Doctor FSQ" disc are presented, recoded into MP3 with maximum quality.
Acoustics and audio system test online
In 2006, the magazine "AVTOZVUK" released the second version of the disc with test fragments. The second version contained the same 16 tracks for testing and tuning audio equipment, to which additional tracks were added for fine-tuning. Initially, the test fragments were in CDA format, which was the most optimal at the time of the disc's release. However, the gradual extinction of this format forced the conversion of these audio fragments to WAV. Thus, the quality was not affected, but the ability to copy test records to USB flash drives significantly expanded the options for using these tests.
The archive, packed with minimal compression, contains the contents of the "Audio Doctor FSQ 2" disc, which makes the archive more universal, since it contains both versions of the disc.
Well, for a better understanding of what it is, here is a copy of the accompanying text from the “Audio Doctor FSQ 2” test disc, which allows you to more accurately configure the speaker systems and amplifier complex:
FROM THE COMPILERS OF THE TEST DISC "AUDIO DOCTOR-2", INTENDED FOR CHECKING AND ADJUSTING SPEAKER SYSTEMS AND AUDIO EQUIPMENT:
This disc received its name in the most logical way. The point is not only that this is a new edition of the most popular “test and tuning” CD in our country. The new edition of the disc with test signals for checking acoustics consists of two completely independent parts. Yes, and their compilers are different. In the first part it is Dmitry Svoboda, in the second it is Andrey Elyutin.
PART ONE. DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Judging by numerous reviews, we underestimated the level of competence of our readers. The first "AudioDoctor" was made on the basis of the judge's disk "Car Audio FSQ" with some simplifications. Thus, we increased the pauses between tracks to leave more time for analyzing what was heard. To check the phasing of the audio path at low, medium and high frequencies, we recorded tracks that were difficult to understand, repeating them twice.
In the second edition of AudioDoctor, it was decided to abandon this and return to the form that was included in the original FSQ test disk. Therefore, “AudioDoctor-2” is designed for fairly experienced listeners, which, apparently, are the majority of our readers. The selection of test tracks itself has not changed, since the original disc has been “polished” over six years to become a generally recognized reliable and proven tool for operational acoustic examination. However, for greater convenience and versatility when setting up the audio path, we decided to add several technical tracks. The content of the first 14 tracks has not undergone any changes, and here we refer the reader to the booklet for the first “Audio Doctor” published on the magazine’s website.
From the description of AudioDoctor FSQ 1
However, I would like to make some comments on these tracks. We have already mentioned a nuance on track 10 (timer 1:07), where the drummer accidentally slightly touched the cymbal with his elbow, but then immediately pressed it with his hand to prevent it from ringing. She managed to ring, very briefly and so quietly that it can only be heard on a sound path with a very high musical resolution. That's why we left this sound on the soundtrack to use it as a test sound.
Judging by the letters from readers, this fragment solves its problems more than successfully. In Krasnoyarsk, for example, two audiophiles, with the help of AudioDoctor, in front of amazed sellers, staged a “review competition” of audio equipment displayed on the counter. Of the wide range of equipment offered there, only a few samples had truly high detail. By the way, not the most expensive products... Another “highlight” of this phonogram (timer 1:47) is the barely audible sound of the drummer jumping up. The recording back then was long and difficult, and after this successful take, the musician, having completed the last hits on the cymbals, jumped up, full of musical ecstasy. This place turned out to be at the very end of the soundtrack and could easily have been cut out by the mixer during mixing. But we decided to leave this sound as a test sound. And if at normal volume levels you can hear both of these sounds, you can be justifiably proud of your equipment. What else is “hidden” in the paths you already know? The well-known phonogram No. 9 consists of a drum “moving” from left to right and serves to determine the linearity of the width of the sound stage. But this same recording is very convenient to use for assessing the transition attenuation between channels of the audio path, a very important parameter, but undeservedly ignored. If, when moving the drum to the right, after-sounds are heard in the places from which it just sounded, be wary - this may be a sign of insufficient cross-fade. If the echo of the seventh beat (the rightmost) is heard not only in the place of the fourth (central), but also the very first (left), then the transition attenuation is clearly insufficient, the stereo image will be blurred and unnatural. The main source of this audio path defect is the power amplifier. And more about this track. The snare drum that sounds in it is structurally equipped with metal springs stretched outside the lower head (usually there are four to six of them). They, of course, contribute to the sound, which is why the frequency range of this instrument extends all the way to the highest frequencies. Experienced FSQ experts can quickly and accurately evaluate the frequency response of the audio path based on this drum sound. Practice, maybe you will succeed... Regarding the assessment of transient attenuation and plus the amplifier's tendency to self-excitation, there is one more piece of advice. If extraneous sounds are heard on the sweep tone played in one channel (tracks 5 and 6) in another channel (where there is no signal), then you have a problem, you can expect a muddy, modulated nature of the sound and distortion of the sound perspective. This is a consequence of poor crosstalk attenuation between channels and self-excitation of amplifiers. The first is the scourge of hastily made amplifiers, where the audio signal penetrates into the adjacent channel through the general power circuits or due to illiterate layout of printed circuit boards. And self-excitation is already an unscrupulous circuit design. In the worst case, spontaneous self-excitation (usually at HF) can even burn out the tweeter.
Now about the technical tracks.
Track 15 is a recording of uncorrelated pink noise in both channels. Noise is a random process, and in this phonogram the processes in the channels occur independently of each other. To the ear, such noise is perceived as a sound cloud of impressive size hanging in the air. The first edition of "AudioDoctor" also had this track, but with in-phase pink noise. The correlated pink noise is now recorded on track 16 in phase and out of phase. In this case, the signal in the stereo channels is the same, in-phase noise should be focused between the speakers, and out-of-phase noise should be spread out in space, trying to “stick” to the acoustics of one or another channel, whichever happens to be closer.
On tracks 17 and 18 pink noise was recorded, filtered by a high-pass filter with a cutoff frequency of 500 Hz, separately for the left and right channels. Practice has shown: it happens that in stereo mode, phasing separately into HF, MF and LF (tracks 2 - 4) gives encouraging results, and listening reveals some unnatural sound. This may be due to the fact that in the left or right channel the LF and HF emitters are out of phase with each other. For more accurate localization of low-frequency risers when placing left and right speaker systems in home spaces, use tracks 19 and 20. They can also be used when setting up stereo subwoofers in car audio (this happens). The tracks are completely similar to track 7, but are recorded separately for the left and right channels.
PART TWO. HEARING TEST
The Scripture also says: “Physician, heal yourself.” For those who wish (we won’t force anyone), we have supplemented the tools for setting up sound systems with a set of special audio tracks to assess the noticeability of certain distortions in the sound signal or the listener’s ability to notice them. The specially processed signals for this part of the disc were largely developed by American Arnold Krueger as part of his research into blind comparative listening techniques. The tracks are very short, in order to completely eliminate the factor of short-term auditory memory, but there are a lot of them, so for ease of work, we recorded a CD-text on this disc, and the content of each track is displayed on the display (if your equipment has this) in abbreviated form - conditionally. When describing tracks, we will show their designation on the display during playback. The degree of noticeability of distortions artificially introduced into phonograms depends on their magnitude and nature and varies from “very easy” to “almost impossible.” This is meant under the condition of an impeccably working tract and a very talented listener. If you wish, you can learn a lot about both by experimenting with different paths (and/or different listeners). Collective exercises with test fragments become especially exciting, when one of the listeners makes up the “blind” part of the audience; the compilers tested this both on themselves and on those who came to hand. In summary, materials for “hearing tests” are divided into three groups: frequency distortions of various mechanisms, nonlinear distortions and noise.
FREQUENCY DISTORTION
Tracks 22-26 contain a phonogram consisting of two series of castanet strikes. In each pair, the first fraction is the original recording, and the second is made through a low-pass filter with a very high slope. You are asked to evaluate your ability to notice the bandwidth limitation of the audio path at the top.
Track 22 cutoff frequency 5 kHz LP 5 kHz very easy
Track 23 cutoff frequency 9 kHz LP 9 kHz easy
Track 24 cutoff frequency 12 kHz LP 12 kHz more difficult
Track 25 cutoff frequency 15 kHz LP 15 kHz difficult
Track 26 cutoff frequency 18 kHz LP 18 kHz very difficult
Track 27, like 21 before it, is used to pause between sections and display information about the upcoming section on the display. Tracks 28-31 contain two sets of snare hits. In each such pair, the first series is the original, reference, the second is recorded through a high-pass filter with a different cutoff frequency. The frequencies are frankly low (some are indecently low), but truly experienced listeners catch this; to be happy, they need a path with a wide low-frequency band.
Track 28 cutoff frequency 50 Hz HP 50 Hz easy
Track 29 cutoff frequency 32 Hz HP 32 Hz more difficult
Track 30 cutoff frequency 20 Hz HP 20 Hz hard
Track 31 cutoff frequency 10 Hz HP 10 Hz almost impossible
Track 32 displays "TILT DOWN". This is what it is: a chord is struck on the brass. On each track, it is first played in its original form, and then - after passing through a path with a frequency response that has a uniform rise to the lower frequencies and the same uniform decline to the upper ones. Type - an inclined straight line, the slope that you notice will indicate the sensitivity of your hearing to the skew of the overall tonal balance.
Track 33 +5 dB at 20 Hz, -5 dB at 20 kHz Down 10 dB easy
Track 34 +2 dB at 20 Hz, -2 dB at 20 kHz Down 4 dB harder
Track 35 +1 dB at 20 Hz, -1 dB at 20 kHz Down 2 dB hard
Track 36 +0.5 dB at 20 Hz, -0.5 dB at 20 kHz Down 1 dB almost impossible
On the following tracks, the slope of the frequency response is opposite, with a rise to the upper frequencies (TILT UP). Please note: with the same amount of frequency distortion, the degree of noticeability will be different.
Track 38 -5 dB at 20 Hz, +5 dB at 20 kHz Up 10 dB very easy
Track 39 -2 dB at 20 Hz, +2 dB at 20 kHz Up 4 dB easy
Track 40 -1 dB at 20 Hz, +1 dB at 20 kHz Up 2 dB harder
Track 41 -0.5 dB at 20 Hz, +0.5 dB at 20 kHz Up 1 dB difficult
Tracks 43-46 illustrate the noticeability of deep dips in the frequency response. A frequency band centered at 4 kHz is cut out from the original phonogram (using a digital notch with -100 dB attenuation). The width of the cut strip varies, as does the degree of visibility of such vandalism.
Track 43 bandwidth 1/2 octave -1/2 oct. very easy
Track 44 bandwidth 1/3 octave -1/3 oct. easily
Track 45 bandwidth 1/6 octave -1/6 oct. more difficult
Track 46 bandwidth 1/12 octave -1/12 oct. difficult
On tracks 48-51, a burst of constant height (+6 dB) with different widths was created on the frequency response.
Track 48 bandwidth 1/2 octave +1/2 oct. very easy
Track 49 bandwidth 1/3 octave +1/3 oct. easily
Track 50 bandwidth 1/6 octave +1/6 oct. more difficult
Track 51 bandwidth 1/12 octave +1/12 oct. difficult
Tracks 53-56 are devoted to the visibility of a constant width dip in the frequency response. A dip around the same frequency of 4 kHz is created using a parametric equalizer with a quality factor of Q = 0.5, this means a bandwidth of approximately two octaves, and the depth of the dip varies.
Track 53 - 3 dB at 4 kHz -3 dB easy
Track 54 - 1 dB at 4 kHz -1 dB harder
Track 55 - 0.6 dB at 4 kHz -0.6 dB difficult
Track 56 - 0.4 dB at 4 kHz -0.4 dB almost impossible
NONLINEAR DISTORTION
Track 58 records a 1 kHz tone with minimal harmonic distortion. On subsequent ones - with artificially introduced distortions in the form of a typically occurring mixture of harmonics. We're not giving an estimate of difficulty here, but you'll be surprised at how early distortion can begin to be heard on a pure tone.
Track 59 - 0.3% distortion at 1 kHz THD 0.3%
Track 60 - distortion 1.0% at 1 kHz THD 1%
Track 61 - distortion 10% at 1 kHz THD 10%
The following tracks focus on the salience of harmonics in a music signal. A second harmonic is introduced into the short piano fragment, distorting the symmetry of the signal. Please note: it is not that noticeable, even with very high content.
Track 63 - original Piano REF recording
Track 64 - 2nd harmonic, 0.1% 2nd 0.1%
Track 65 - 2nd harmonic, 1% 2nd 1%
Track 66 - 2nd harmonic, 10% 2nd 10%
There is a similar series for the third harmonic, it is much more noticeable.
Track 68 - original Piano REF recording
Track 69 - 3rd harmonic, 0.1% 3d 0.1%
Track 70 - 3rd harmonic, 1% 3d 1%
Track 71 - 3rd harmonic, 10% 3d 10%
A piece of a phonogram to which noise is mixed with a predetermined level relative to the signal level.
Track 73 noise level -80 dB -80 dB
Track 74 noise level -70 dB -70 dB
Track 75 noise level -60 dB -60 dB
Track 76 noise level -50 dB -50 dB
Track 77 noise level -40 dB -40 dB
Track 78 noise level -30 dB -30 dB
The graphs show what type and magnitude of frequency distortions were introduced into the phonograms on tracks 33-56. The name of each graph will appear on the display at the beginning of the section (if CD-text is displayed), and the designations of the curves will appear while they are playing.
Descriptions of the tracks of part 2 of the disc are given in the following format:
Track number / content / CD-text / degree of difficulty
From the author of the test disc:
YOU HAVE PROBABLY NOTICED THAT people who are completely satisfied with the sound of their equipment are not very common. Something is always not as we would like, because of which we involuntarily have to listen to the advice of friends and sympathizers. But the perception of sound is a subjective and highly individual matter, so following such advice is pointless. The result can be paradoxical - by changing the components to others, usually more expensive, you will not get the desired peace of mind. Therefore, it is best to deal with your problems yourself, and with proper formulation of the problem, you can achieve success.
As you know, the main thing in the treatment of any disease is the correct diagnosis. The selection of the necessary medications, potions, etc. will come later. If you really want to enjoy music at home, the diagnosis of the sound image in general is as important as in medicine. By the expression “in general” we mean the general perception of music, which depends both on the selection of audio equipment, cables and discs of appropriate quality, and on the acoustic properties of the room itself.
It's no secret that the most beautiful audio equipment at home may not sound. At the same time, in a good, acoustically verified room, the process of selecting components and their correct configuration is greatly simplified.
The "Audio Doctor FSQ" test disk will facilitate diagnostics and correct configuration of the home path. The FSQ technique is designed specifically for objective and subjective acoustic testing. We will describe all the tracks in detail and tell you what you should hear. And, of course, we will carry out a course of treatment if the sound is not all right.
The subjective-statistical method “Fast Sound Quality” (FSQ) was developed at the Acoustic Center of the Department of Broadcasting and Electroacoustics of MTUSI to conduct professional subjective-statistical examinations (testing) to assess the sound quality of the audio path. It allows you to obtain high reliability of results with little investment of expert time. The method includes an optimal selection of objective and subjective parameters that determine sound quality, a test disc with specially selected and recorded soundtracks, and a methodological development of listening.
In 2001, the method was adapted to assess sound quality (QQ) in a car interior. An original expert (judicial) protocol was developed and a test disk “Car Audio FSQ” was published. MTUSI has begun training qualified experts capable of conducting sound auditions (judging) in cars.
In 2002, the method was presented in detail at the 21st international conference of the AES (International Society of Acoustical Engineers), and the following year a Car Audio section was organized at the AES.
In 2003, the FSQ method began to be used to evaluate the short circuit of multimedia audio systems and studio professional near-field monitors with its own test disc “Multimedia FSQ” and an expert (judging) protocol.
FOR REFERENCE
THE FSQ METHOD IS DESIGNED FOR PROFESSIONAL EXPERTS, but its accessibility allows it to be used by experienced listeners as well. The main thing is to carefully study the phonograms included in the disc and the approach to evaluating their sound. Don't be discouraged if you don't hear all the sound information the first time - at first it's really not that easy. The most important thing is to fully concentrate on the musical material, do not hesitate to repeat a fragment that is not entirely clear to you several times.
Now about what and how we will listen.
Which is clear, your audio system and exactly in the place in the room where you usually are. We emphasize this specifically, since the sound field in the room is non-uniform, there may be places where hum and cross-reflections occur.
But we will tell you in detail how to listen.
Since a physical quantity that unambiguously describes sound quality does not exist in nature, experts use different kinds of terms. From the simplest and non-specific “better”, “worse” to the more precise “clear”, “blurry”. More correctly, these words are called subjective criteria. There are more than 100 of them and many of them are vague or duplicate each other, which greatly complicates acoustic examinations and sometimes even neutralizes the results. Attempts to unify terminology have been carried out all over the world for decades, but so far they have not been successful.
The FSQ method clearly defines the main and secondary subjective criteria for assessing sound quality. The main ones that will appear on the “Audio Doctor FSQ” test disc include:
Headroom for undistorted volume level.
Correct phasing of the stereophonic audio path.
Uneven amplitude-frequency response (AFC).
Microdynamics of the sound path.
Macrodynamics of the sound path.
Natural timbre balance.
Natural musical balance.
Ability to reproduce linear low frequencies.
Presence of noise and interference.
Linearity of the stereo image across the width of the sound stage.
The width and height of the sound stage, its position (orientation) in the horizontal and vertical planes.
Sound stage depth (separation).
Natural transmission of musical attack.
Linearity of the stereo image at different volume levels.
The ability of the audio path to transmit polyphony.
A solid list, but everything is not as complicated as it seems. The phonograms on which these assessments will be made are very accessible to perception. Don't be embarrassed that you'll have to stop and listen to parts of Audio Doctor FSQ a lot at first. Practice shows that after four or five listenings, most difficulties disappear.
Let's imagine a person who is interested in music, but has never paid attention to sound quality. And so, having heard a lot about Hi-Fi and High-End technology, he decides to check for himself what “real sound” is. As a rule, he doesn’t have much money, and it’s a pity to spend it on what he doesn’t yet know. Our test of bookshelf speakers will be very useful for just such a person, and it is in this price range that you can find speakers that can demonstrate true Hi-Fi sound quality. Yes, you will have to make a small allowance for the bass depth. But, on the other hand, bookshelf acoustics, as a rule, play better at low volumes than floor-standing ones, and it will be easier to place them in the room. A dozen speakers - a wide choice. I am sure that among them there will be very, very worthy specimens.
Criteria for evaluation
We are dealing with classic workhorses, and the approach to testing is quite traditional. The frequency response and SOI will show us how flawlessly the speaker design is made from a technical point of view. Together with the design features of the model, this will constitute a design assessment.
Listening will make its own adjustments and will reveal the sound character of the speakers. Good bass depth and high quality are rarely combined in the bookshelf format, so we won’t be too strict about this parameter. But having a clean and even upper register is quite possible for small speakers. The importance of this parameter is extremely important for the natural presentation of musical material. High-quality sound at low volumes is also important and is an indicator of smooth, almost linear speaker dynamics. Timbral fidelity will allow you to enjoy the full beauty of the sound of each individual instrument. After all, musical instruments are created in order to enjoy their sound, and not to try to understand what exactly is playing. All this will add up to a sound rating. The last assessment is inversely proportional to the price: higher the price - lower the assessment.
Acoustic Energy 301
Sound: 4Construction: 4
Price: 4
Advantages:
- High detail
- Timbral fidelity
Flaws:
- Not enough air
When developing the 300 series, the designers achieved visual minimalism. All small details such as screws and grill mounts are excluded from the appearance. The front wall of the speaker is finished with a black rubber-like coating that matches the color of the driver diffusers. The finishing of the speakers is also minimalistic - black or white varnish. Model 301 houses a proprietary 28 mm fabric dome tweeter and a traditional, well-recognized midrange/bass driver with a cone made of bent, heavily anodized aluminum with a diameter of 110 mm. This speaker is a distant legacy of the legendary AE1 monitors.
Bookshelf acoustics Acoustic Energy 301 It is curious that the company decided to use a slotted bass reflex port located on the front panel. It was possible to save the size of the column while placing it conveniently near the wall.
Sound
The absence of any noticeable sound color allows the speaker to unfold and, even when playing rather restrainedly, present musical compositions in an interesting way. The smallest details are clearly visible, and the timbres are very close to natural. The entire frequency scale is well balanced both in level and dynamics - the sound is holistic.
Upper register intelligibility is not bad, but it is a little lacking for an open sound with enough air. On complex compositions, the intelligibility of musical material decreases. At low volumes the sound character remains almost unchanged.
Measurements
The frequency response is very smooth. The decline in the low-frequency region is uniform. Bass is medium deep. The THD is quite low right down to the very bottom and is practically independent of the volume level. Impedance is unstable.
Bowers & Wilkins 685
Sound: 4
Construction: 5
Price: 5
Advantages:
- Spacious sound
- Fast bass
Flaws:
- Slight simplification of timbres
The model represents the junior line of Bowers & Wilkins. Possessing a laconic modern design, the line nevertheless inherited some technologies from the flagships themselves. Of course, this only applies to inexpensive and effective solutions such as Nautilus tweeter tubes, Kevlar cones and a golf ball bass reflex port. The aluminum dome tweeter is surrounded by a special material that helps achieve spacious sound. The midrange/woofer uses a static bullet to smooth out the response at the upper end of frequencies.
Bookshelf speakers Bowers & Wilkins 685 The crossover of the model is minimized as much as possible - it is of the first order. The speaker body is finished with film, and the front panel is covered with a velvety material that is pleasant to the touch.
Sound
The sound of the model is open and bright. Detail is at a good level. The bass is collected and fast. Localization is clear. Impressive dynamic range.
Instrument timbres are slightly simplified at mid frequencies. In this case, the upper register region is very active.
It adds airiness and spaciousness to the sound. The model is characterized by increased emotionality and expressiveness.
Measurements
There are noticeable irregularities in the region of 2.5 kHz and 6-7 kHz, which disappear when the speaker is rotated 30°. However, the frequency balance shifts slightly to the low-frequency region. SOI is extremely low. The impedance is extremely unstable.
Canton Chrono 503.2
Sound: 4
Construction: 5
Price: 5
Advantages:
- Clean uppercase
- Accurate reproduction of timbres
Flaws:
- Bass is weak at low volumes
Chrono 503.2 is a real German speaker: excellent workmanship, 100% quality control of each copy, Made in Germany. Despite the stated glossy finish, the speaker is covered with film, and only the front panel is made glossy. The size of the speaker is not very large, but the speaker managed to accommodate an impressive 180 mm. Of course, it is equipped with the traditional Canton aluminum diffuser. The suspension is made in the shape of a wave for the most linear and long piston stroke of the diffuser. The 25mm tweeter dome is made from a very lightweight but durable aluminum and magnesium alloy. For reliability, it is protected by a metal grill. There are two threaded holes on the bottom for mounting on a stand or bracket.
Bookshelf speakers Canton Chrono 503.2 
Sound
The musical material is presented very carefully. The frequency balance is almost perfect. The timbres of instruments are transmitted with high reliability, and small details are not lost sight of. There is no increased emotionality, but thanks to a wide and smooth dynamic range, the speakers manage to accurately convey the musical idea of the composition. The bass is collected, neat, exactly in its place. However, it is not very deep, and at low volumes it loses its position even more. At first it seems that there are too many high frequencies, but they appear exactly when you really need them, and in the right quantities. The upper register is very clean, which fans of modern electronic music will certainly appreciate.
Measurements
The frequency response is smooth, although it depends quite strongly on the listening angle - the directivity of the speakers is relatively narrow. The THD is very low and there is good headroom at low frequencies. Impedance is unstable.
Chario Syntar 516
Sound: 3
Construction: 4
Price: 4
Advantages:
- Emotional presentation
- Clear localization
Flaws:
- Simplification of timbres
The Italian speaker is made in the most classic design with veneer finishing. Before sawing out the walls of the body, HDF slabs are finished on both sides with natural wood. This makes the speaker more durable. The assembly and further processing of the case is carried out manually by specialists in Italy. Finished specimens are carefully tested to ensure compliance with the required acoustic parameters. The Silversoft Neodium model's tweeter uses a special membrane coated with aluminum powder, just like in the company's top-line speakers. It is interesting that a significant part of the mid-range is also devoted to the tweeter - starting from 1 kHz. The shape of the midrange/bass speaker diffuser, double curved, was selected by the designers specifically taking into account psychoacoustics and over the course of months of research.
Bookshelf speakers Chario Syntar 516 The bass reflex port ends in a simple hole cut asymmetrically into the bottom. High rubber feet on the bottom of the case allow the port to work quite efficiently.
Sound
The sound of the speakers is, on the one hand, soft and unhurried, and on the other, a very clear, active upper register. The timbre picture is slightly blurred, the smallest details are veiled. And yet the speakers manage to quite accurately and emotionally convey the mood of musical compositions. The bass is quite deep and slightly dominant in the overall sound picture. With good localization, the music scene lacks clarity and transparency. This is more noticeable on complex compositions. At low volumes the bass weakens, but the sound remains quite dynamic and emotional.
Measurements
The best frequency response is observed at a listening angle of 30°. The unevenness is relatively good, with an even roll-off in the low frequencies. SOI is quite good down to the lowest frequencies. The impedance is relatively stable.
Dynaudio DM 2/7
Sound: 5
Construction: 5
Price: 5
Advantages:
- Timbral fidelity
- Clean uppercase
Flaws:
- Strictness in presentation
The DM line is the entry-level acoustics in terms of the famous Danish company Dynaudio. The column is designed in a completely recognizable style of this company. The gray front panel is specially made thicker to effectively dampen chassis resonances. The body itself is also carefully sealed and finished with high quality traditional veneer. The branded tweeter is equipped with a 28 mm dome made of textile impregnated with a special compound. The diffuser of the midrange/woofer speaker is stamped from the already well-proven magnesium silicate polymer. The driver voice coils are wound on a Kapton base with lightweight aluminum wire. Together with powerful magnetic systems, this allows for remarkable dynamics and sensitivity.
Bookshelf speakers Dynaudio DM 2/7 Particular attention is paid to maximum impedance linearity to minimize speaker dependence on the amplifier.
Sound
The presentation of musical material by the speaker is relaxed and natural. Excellent tonal resolution makes the sound stage very believable. The spatial placement of instruments is clearly visible.
The bass is tight and well-developed. The upper register is clear and pleasant to the ear. The sound is highly detailed and lacks coloration. At low volumes the speakers play just as confidently as at high volumes.
Measurements
The frequency response is elongated into a very even strip with a barely noticeable skew towards high frequencies. The focus is broad. THD is low and stable. The impedance is quite stable. Exemplary results.
Magnat Quantum 753
Sound: 5
Construction: 4
Price: 4
Advantages:
- Timbre accuracy
- Clean music scene
Flaws:
- Slightly sparse sound
The speaker from Magnat's mid-priced Quantum 750 line looks solid. The front wall is made thick (40 mm) to radically combat body resonances. A solid 30 mm thick podium also emphasizes the solidity of the structure. It is curious that the front panel and podium are polished to a shine, while the rest of the surface of the case is matte. The F-max tweeter is equipped with a dome made of a double textile compound and has an extended operating frequency range. The midrange/bass speaker diffuser is made of ceramic/aluminum. The voice coil is well ventilated. The aluminum speaker basket design is optimized for optimal airflow and reduced resonances.
Bookshelf speakers Magnat Quantum 753 The bass reflex port with a large horn is located on the rear wall. The crossover is optimized for signal phase and amplitude and is assembled from selected high-quality elements.
Sound
The speakers play emotionally, dynamically, quickly. At the same time, the timbres of instruments are perfectly conveyed, and the musical scene is not obscured by extraneous sounds - they are pure and deep. Sound source localization is excellent. The detailing is also at a high level.
The HF level is enough for an open sound with the presence of airiness, and at the same time the upper register is very neat and unobtrusive.
Bass of medium depth, collected and fast. There is a little lack of physicality and density of presentation. At low volumes, the enthusiasm of the speakers is lost, the emotionality fades.
Measurements
The unevenness of the frequency response is minimal, but the frequency imbalance towards the HF is obvious. The SOI varies within 1% and noticeably depends on the volume, but no obvious resonances are noted. Good SOI margin at low frequencies. Impedance is unstable.
Martin Logan Motion 15
Sound: 4
Construction: 4
Price: 3
Advantages:
- Energetic delivery
- Fast and tight bass
Flaws:
- Weak at low volumes
The speakers are eye-catching with their stunning natural finish and attractive black steel grille. The housing cover is slightly tilted back. There is another surprise under the grille - a ribbon tweeter (a sign of an expensive device). The front panel of the speaker is made of black anodized aluminum. The diffuser of the long-throw midrange/woofer speaker is also made of black anodized aluminum to match the panel. The emitters are matched through a crossover with an improved topology, assembled using polypropylene capacitors and low-loss electrolytes, as well as hand-wound inductors.
Bookshelf speakers Martin Logan Motion 15 The circuit provides thermal and current protection. The bass reflex port is located on the rear wall. The speaker body is assembled from 19 mm thick MDF boards.
Sound
The peculiarity of the speakers is that they do not like to play at low and medium volumes. In this mode of operation, only the midrange remains of the frequency range, and the dynamics become inexpressive.
As the volume increases, fast, elastic bass and fairly detailed highs appear. However, the lower middle still continues to prevail. The presentation of the musical material is scathing. At the same time, we must pay tribute, no extraneous overtones are felt; on the contrary, after-sounds sometimes disappear even where they should be.
The model tends to simplify the instrument timbres a little. At the same time, the ribbon tweeter is very audible, which gives a characteristic delicate color to the mid-high range.
Measurements
Uneven frequency response in the HF region is noticeable. The decrease in sensitivity towards the low frequencies is quite sharp. The focus is broad. The SOI has slight rises in the midrange, but nevertheless remains below 1%. The impedance is relatively stable.
MK Sound LCR 750
Sound: 5
Construction: 5
Price: 4
Advantages:
- Focused sound
- Good tonal resolution
Flaws:
- Do not hide the shortcomings of the recording
All acoustic systems of the American company M&K Sound are made in black without any embellishment. And the main decoration of the products is compliance with the highest standards of sound reproduction. Series 750 is a compact set of speakers for creating a home theater. And the largest speaker in the series (not counting the subwoofer) is the 750 LCR model. The speaker is quite unusual, especially in our test. Firstly, the closed acoustic design reduces bass response. Secondly, the use of two midrange/woofer speakers at once significantly expands the dynamic range of the speaker. Third, the tweeter panel being rotated 4.7° away from the listener likely increases and/or equalizes the dispersion of various frequencies. The tweeter dome is made of silk coated with polymer.
Bookshelf speakers MK Sound LCR 750 
The speaker diffusers are polypropylene, with mineral filler. Of particular note is the Phase-Focused crossover, which significantly improves almost all speaker parameters. The back wall has many threaded holes for different speaker mounting options.
Sound
Excellent control of musical material. The sound is almost monitor-like, smooth. All instruments are clearly visible: they are clearly defined both spatially and timbre. Nothing unnecessary interferes with the overall musical picture; all the nuances are heard clearly. And since there is no emotional coloring, the sound of the speakers is not as exciting as many other models, and depends entirely on the musical composition itself.
Measurements
Irregularities in the frequency response of the column are insignificant. A rotation of 30° gives the best results. The THD is very low and increases very smoothly towards low frequencies, exceeding 5% only at low volumes. The impedance is quite stable. Very worthy results.
PSB Imagine B
Sound: 5
Construction: 5
Price: 3
Advantages:
- Natural transmission of timbres
- Smooth dynamics
Flaws:
- HF area limited
The Canadian company PSB has been offering the Imagine line for several years. During this time, she managed to earn a Red Dot award for design and a lot of positive reviews from various experts. The column body is a geometric intersection of several elliptical cylinders. All walls are curved. And this creates a feeling of solidity and strength of the structure. The 25 mm tweeter also looks solid - a dome made of durable titanium, the coil is cooled by magnetic fluid, and a powerful neodymium magnet. The midrange/bass speaker diffuser is made of polypropylene with clay-ceramic filler (mineral). The bass reflex port is located on the rear side. The column is finished with high quality natural veneer.
Bookshelf speakers PSB Imagine B 
Sound
The sound is collected and well balanced in frequency. Excellent localization and natural transmission of timbres make the musical scene almost real, alive. Smooth dynamics allow the speakers to play naturally and freely even at low volumes. Musical matter is pure. The high-frequency range is slightly limited, due to which the airiness is partially lost, turning into intimacy.
Speakers can miss the smallest details, but at the same time maintain expressiveness and richness of sound. The bass, although not deep, is very well designed. The mid frequencies are also quite good, timbre rich and quite correct.
Measurements
A very flat frequency response measured along the acoustic axis. Turning the speakers away from the listener is undesirable - they begin to lose treble frequencies. SOI is stable and low down to the lower frequency limit. Impedance is stable.
Rega RS1
Sound: 5
Construction: 4
Price: 4
Advantages:
- Clean uppercase
- Wide dynamic range
Flaws:
- Slight coloration of sound
The English company Rega has developed and offers customers the only series of RS speakers. The purpose of their creation is to harmoniously complement other sound equipment also developed within the walls of Rega. However, speakers are available to buyers separately from this equipment. The RS1 model is quite compact and, judging by its weight, is assembled from thin MDF. Despite this, the performance of the speakers is top notch, with neat veneer finishing and a strict design. The drivers are designed by Rega engineers and hand-assembled in-house. The 19mm tweeter features a specially shaped rear chamber to better dampen sound waves from the back of the tweeter dome. Mid/bass speaker with paper diffuser.
Bookshelf speakers Rega RS1 The smooth frequency response of the speaker makes it easy to integrate it with a tweeter using a simple crossover with good phase locking. The bass reflex port is located on the rear wall.
Sound
The speakers reproduce timbres quite accurately, but due to the slight coloration, the music scene becomes a little less transparent. The upper register is missing quite a bit, but it is very clean. The details are present, but slightly veiled. Musical material is presented in a sweeping, open manner
The bass is quite accurate, but sometimes lacks weight. The localization of sound sources is somewhat blurry.
The speaker handles complex music somewhat worse - the intelligibility of the sound material decreases. However, at low volumes the speakers play very convincingly.
Measurements
Irregularities in the frequency response in the upper middle and high frequencies form the special character of the sound of the speakers. The speakers play more smoothly if they are rotated 30°. The SOI is unstable, but quite low, less than 1%. The impedance is extremely unstable.
Triangle Color Bookshelf
Sound: 5
Construction: 4
Price: 5
Advantages:
- Open live sound
- Accurate reproduction of timbres
Flaws:
- Slight excess bass
Very nice-looking speakers from the French manufacturer Triangle are available in three varnish colors - white, black and red. The Color line stands out with its bright, cheerful style among all Triangle products and takes its place as the entry-level line.
The bookshelf model uses a tweeter with a titanium membrane and a midrange/woofer with a paper cone. In general, the speaker is quite interesting; its suspension is wide, corrugated and basically made of fabric. The paper diffuser is coated with a special compound. The dust cap is designed in the shape of a bullet. The design of the crossover uses developments from the top Magellan line. The bass reflex port is located on the rear wall of the speaker.
Bookshelf acoustics Triangle Color Bookshelf 
Sound
The sound of the model is very lively and natural. Timbre fidelity is very high. The presentation of sound material is natural and relaxed.
The dynamics amazingly accurately replicate a live performance. The bass is deep and beautifully defined. Sometimes it even seems like there is too much of it.
The musical matter is very pure and extremely detailed. No nuances escape the speakers' field of view.
They cope with compositions of any complexity. The sound quality is not lost even at low volumes.
Measurements
The imbalance of the frequency response towards the HF is obvious. It is treated as usual - turning the AC by 30°. The SOI is quite low, although in the midrange it is noticeably higher, but remains within 1%. High volume causes slightly more distortion in the upper bass. Impedance is unstable.
Wharfedale Jade 3
Sound: 5
Construction: 5
Price: 4
Advantages:
- Good detail
- Clear localization
Flaws:
- Slightly weakened dynamics
The British company Wharfedale traditionally spares neither effort nor materials even on budget lines. And the Jade 3 model once again confirms this. In our test, this is the largest and heaviest shelf speaker, and the only 3-way one. A body with curved walls is a feature of the top lines of many other manufacturers, but not Wharfedale. Both the body shape and the additional bulkheads make the body as acoustically inert as possible, preventing unwanted sound coloration. High frequencies are handled by an aluminum dome tweeter. At the border of 3 kHz it is replaced by a midrange speaker with a diffuser made of aluminum-cellulose composite. And already in the region of 350 Hz, the initiative is seized by the woofer, equipped with a woven diffuser made of a mixture of carbon and fiberglass. The combination of such materials with a braided structure brings the diffuser closer to an ideal piston, eliminating the problematic resonance phenomena inherent in metal diffusers.
Bookshelf speakers Wharfedale Jade 3 The speakers operate in a closed volume. The crossover for the speaker was optimized on a computer for maximum linearity of signal phase transmission.
Sound
Wharfedale speakers sound traditionally beautiful. All instruments are clearly arranged spatially. The music stage is clean and spacious.
The speakers deliver bass carefully, not forcefully, as if they are afraid of damaging the balance of the overall sound picture. The same can be said about upper case.
The softness of the presentation of musical material is interestingly and harmoniously combined with excellent sound detail. In addition, the speakers play very well at low volumes.
Measurements
The frequency response of the model is flat, but at high frequencies it behaves peculiarly - a decline and a sharp rise. The bass is deep. The SOI is almost perfectly flat and extremely low. Very solid headroom for low frequencies. The impedance is quite stable.
conclusions
It should be noted that it is becoming less and less interesting to study the results of speaker measurements in our test laboratory. Almost all models showed a remarkably flat frequency response and a very low THD even in the bass region! This is explained by the fact that almost all companies have already adopted computer modeling tools, with the help of which you can make, perhaps, anything sound, which, for example, the company Boston Acoustics has proven to us more than once. Even the shape of the body no longer plays such a significant role; the main thing is to correctly calculate the damping elements. Therefore, the design ratings for all models are either good or excellent.
Two models from our test deserve special mention. These are MK Sound LCR 750 and Dynaudio DM 2/7. The companies that created them were initially focused on developing professional acoustics and pursue this line even in their youngest lines. The main principle is maximum accuracy in transmitting musical material. And no decorations. These two models fully meet this principle and, in fact, represent professional-level monitor acoustics, with all its advantages and disadvantages. Not all listeners may like the sound, or more precisely, the neutrality of the sound. This is a product for special music connoisseurs and connoisseurs, or even for a home studio. Both models are worthy of the sympathy prize.
Almost all companies have already adopted computer modeling tools, with the help of which you can make, perhaps, anything sound.
If we talk about beautiful and comfortable sound, then many of the speakers in our test successfully coped with this task. Accurate transmission of timbres, precise localization, accurate bass - all this is inherent in almost all speakers tested. The only difference is in the nature of the sound. And here the choice turned out to be rich: in the test you can find a dense, rich sound (PSB Imagine B), and an impressively sophisticated sound (Wharfedale Jade 3), and a collected, neat presentation of material (Canton Chrono 503.2), and an open airy image (Rega RS1, B&W 685), and even defiantly aggressive pressure (Martin Logan Motion 15). However, most of all I would like to highlight the French columns Triangle Color Bookshelf. They turn almost any musical material into a celebration of sound. The speakers know how to not miss the main idea of the work and at the same time present the material very beautifully, lively and dynamically. They are very pleasant and interesting to listen to. The Triangle Color Bookshelf model takes the title of test winner.
