Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watmum.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watmum!gvcormack From: gvcormack@watmum.UUCP (Gordon V. Cormack) Newsgroups: net.audio Subject: Re: subwoofers (bass from small speakers) Message-ID: <303@watmum.UUCP> Date: Sat, 26-Oct-85 09:00:46 EDT Article-I.D.: watmum.303 Posted: Sat Oct 26 09:00:46 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 26-Oct-85 19:16:50 EDT References: <808@psivax.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 33 > Ahem...the audio-pro B2-50 subwoofer uses (2) 5-1/4" drivers and I > believe it is fairly flat down to 20Hz. > ... other testimonial evidence I have a couple of comments. First, speaker manufactures LIE about their low-end frequency response (and accuracy, for that matter). I don't know about audio-pro, but look for independent test results to verify any manufactures claims. Polk, for example, claims the monitor 10b is 22Hz - 22Khz +- 2db. Tests in SOUND revealed it was pretty flat down to 40, but was down >10 db at 30. That still makes it a pretty decent speaker, but not as fantastic as claimed. Second, it isn't hard to make small speakers have excellent low-frequency response AT LOW OVERALL SOUND LEVELS. But in order to get a decent sound pressure level out of them, small speakers would have to have a cone excursion of several inches. This is nearly impossible to accomplish, and were it accomplished I doubt that the suspension would be very linear. Even if a linear ultra-long-throw suspension were developed, there would still be doppler distortion of the higher frequencies (maybe this wouldn't be a problem in a subwoofer). So, when you talk "frequency response", make sure you find out at what Sound Pressure Level. Here are some test pieces to use when checking out the bass response of a speaker system (see if you can play them at a realistic level). Time Warp (Telarc cd-80106) 1st and 2nd cut. 1812 Overture (Telarc cd-80041) 12:00-15:20 in particular Bach Toccata (Archiv 410 999-2) Pink Floyd - The Wall (CBS C2K-36183) "Don't Leave me now" -- has some very low synthesizer tones, but they are not all that loud.