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Distortion tests

Posted by Doug Schneider (R) on June 21, 2014 at 07:59:13

In Reply to: RE: JA doesn't routinely perform those tests posted by John Atkinson on June 20, 2014 at 11:17:10:

Hi John,

I have to politely disagree with you about distortion tests on loudspeakers. After 15 years of our testing, we find it to be extremely telling.

First, distortion is typically much higher on a loudspeaker than an amplifier. Why would it be relevant to test on an amplifier then and not a loudspeaker where it's bound to be more noticeable?

Second, it is quite telling of sound quality, particularly if the distortion rises markedly at frequencies that are quite audible. For instance, we often seen distortion rise significantly in the crossover regions, which often does show up in the listening tests.

Finally, the impact of our distortion tests has been so significant, that I've seen no less than 20 manufacturers (that I know of) take the results of those tests when significant distortion occurs (and shouldn't be there) and go back and either improve the drivers or the components in the loudspeakers that might be causing it. Like you, most of these companies aren't able to test distortion reliably like we can (in NRC's facilities), so it's been a useful tool for them as well.

Overall, I see the distortion tests that we perform every bit as valuable as the frequency-response and electrical tests -- and sometimes more so.

Doug Schneider
SoundStage!

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