Subjective interpretation of sound based on frequency response curves

[Vineethkumar01]

Hi All,
I found this very interesting graph which shows how we interpret peaks and dips in the frequency response at different frequency ranges over here:

Frequency response

home back to Learn back to How to interpret graphs published: Mar-18-2017, updated: Sep-6-2020 Frequency response deviations, as well as phase response, are so called ‘linear distortions&#821…

diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com

Looks very interesting but I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this material...

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

Very generic and not the way everyone interprets it IMO. The author probably did his best but you can't make a graph that universally applies to everyone's perception.

 

[bloredude]

Looks like a good basic guide.

We all hear differently. IMO, the part above 5k Hz is quite susceptible to personal interpretation.

 

[keith_correa]

We'd do well if we read the article that that picture is linked to. Among other things, it also says:

"One should chase their OWN personal preferences/sound signature and not those of others. What others might find ‘perfect’ may sound as an abomination to others/you."

 

[Decadent_Spectre]

We'd do well if we read the article that that picture is linked to. Among other things, it also says:

"One should chase their OWN personal preferences/sound signature and not those of others. What others might find ‘perfect’ may sound as an abomination to others/you."

I've been saying this for ages.

 

[Beast_of_burden]

I've been saying this for ages.

Correct, there are flavours and first you have to figure out what the flavours are and then what you like. Then you can begin to assemble what might suit your preference. Frequency response curves and impedance curves can predict to a degree what you can expect, but it's not perfect - not even close. Then there is the issue of interpreting the measurements which isn't easy science.

Having said this, if anyone is interested in learning about interpretation of measurements you should spend some time reading Audiosciencereview.com. There is an index of speakers that have been tested so far. ASR puts the measurements first followed by short subjective listening impressions. ASR is totally in the objectivist camp. Stereophile puts much greater emphasis on subjective listening, perhaps giving equal weightage to both approaches. Then there is Herb Reichert who is always a good read and 100% entertainment.

I have been reading Stereophile for 10 years but never bothered about measurements. But lately I have been paying attention, it does help to identify obvious issues like a tipped up treble or jangly impedance plots.

The Harman curve seems to be a pretty good predictor of likeability. It's not so much horizontal ruler flat frequency but the evenness of it, that appears to appeal to our ears the most.

 

[keith_correa]

Correct, there are flavours and first you have to figure out what the flavours are and then what you like. Then you can begin to assemble what might suit your preference.

And then there are flavours that one has not tasted and hence one would not know today if one likes those flavours or not. My opinion is that one should not get too hung up on what we like today; we might taste a different flavour tomorrow which may relegate the flavour that we like today to the background. We should and indeed do evolve.

 

[Vineethkumar01]

Correct, there are flavours and first you have to figure out what the flavours are and then what you like. Then you can begin to assemble what might suit your preference. Frequency response curves and impedance curves can predict to a degree what you can expect, but it's not perfect - not even close. Then there is the issue of interpreting the measurements which isn't easy science.

Having said this, if anyone is interested in learning about interpretation of measurements you should spend some time reading Audiosciencereview.com. There is an index of speakers that have been tested so far. ASR puts the measurements first followed by short subjective listening impressions. ASR is totally in the objectivist camp. Stereophile puts much greater emphasis on subjective listening, perhaps giving equal weightage to both approaches. Then there is Herb Reichert who is always a good read and 100% entertainment.

I have been reading Stereophile for 10 years but never bothered about measurements. But lately I have been paying attention, it does help to identify obvious issues like a tipped up treble or jangly impedance plots.

The Harman curve seems to be a pretty good predictor of likeability. It's not so much horizontal ruler flat frequency but the evenness of it, that appears to appeal to our ears the most.

I have been reading ASR for a while now and still do so on an almost regular basis. I also visit htguide, and diyaudio apart from Hifivision.com. Sometimes ASR comes across as too objective and stubborn, but i dont much care about it since i still learn a lot from interepreting measurements just for fun.

Measurements are indeed necessary in my opinion as it points out obvious flaws in the design. One can always tune a speaker to his subjective liking once the measurement-based basics are taken care of in the design properly. Also, in my opinion, a speaker designer can, in the long run, figure out trends and patterns in the kind of speakers, people like subjectively. After all even if the acoustics of the speaker put in a room doesnt change, the psychoacoustics part evolves continuously.

 

[Beast_of_burden]

And then there are flavours that one has not tasted and hence one would not know today if one likes those flavours or not. My opinion is that one should not get too hung up on what we like today; we might taste a different flavour tomorrow which may relegate the flavour that we like today to the background. We should and indeed do evolve.

Correct, there are many
flavors I like and a few I don't. But there are plenty of flavours out there still and one should be open minded. Thats why it's important to remain curious and listen to different systems atleast until you get a sense for what one might be gravitating to. The hard part is that one needs to live with a system for a few days to form any kind of useful impression. The change in flavour tends to be subtle such that the first listen might impress but a little later you aren't so sure and vice-versa. If you live with it long enough it might become addictive or become a deep-rooted aversion, who knows. It's a matter of taste.

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