Freq Response defined?

[808]

<font color='#000000'>can someone explain frequency response to me? &nbsp;please correct me if i am wrong, but does a lower &quot;low frequecy number&quot; mean better bass capabilites?

for example: &nbsp;
speaker 1 -- 70Hz~20kHz
speaker 2 -- 50Hz~20kHz

Does the above example mean that speaker 2 has better bass than speaker 1 because the Hz is lower?</font>

 

[randyb]

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808 : can someone explain frequency response to me?  please correct me if i am wrong, but does a lower &quot;low frequecy number&quot; mean better bass capabilites?

for example:  
speaker 1 -- 70Hz~20kHz
speaker 2 -- 50Hz~20kHz

Does the above example mean that speaker 2 has better bass than speaker 1 because the Hz is lower?

In general, yes, but frequency response is only part of it.  You need to know how loud or soft the frequency response varies.  This is usually expressed in + or -  DB.  What that means is how much the speaker varies from the ideal in being too loud or too soft at a certain frequency.  If say your speaker on speaker 1 was only down -1  db at 70 and speaker 2 was down -6, you might fine that at say 50HZ speaker 1 and 2 could be the same or 1 could be even better.  In other words, you need to know the &quot;tolerances&quot; of the speaker test and also how it was measured (how far away).  That is why some people don't place a lot of faith in manufacturer's speaker specs unless you know a lot about how they were measured.  Better to compare in a magazine one against the other under the same conditions or on an online review like Audioholics.</font>

 

[RLA]

<font color='#000000'>Hi All
a lower frequency resonce does not always mean better
bass .Without trying to talk over Randy I think what he is trying to say is how is the bass defined at that frequency?
IE &nbsp;do you think a pair of lowend KLH or Jensen speakers
with 15&quot; woofers and a claimed responce down to 35Hz
has better defined bass than say a set of higher end speakers (pick your brand) that has a claimed responce of 60-70Hz &nbsp;

Cheers
Ray</font>

 

[Audioholics]

<font color='#000000'>A great example of this is when I faced off a Velodyne SPL-800 sub against its &quot;bigger (but cheaper) brother&quot; the CHT-12.

Although the CHT-12 attained lower frequency response, the control the SPL series exerted on the frequencies it supported absolutely crushed the CHT sub.

The depth charges in the movie U-571 were absolutely amazingly definied and punchy with no distortion with the SPL-800, but with the CHT-12, all the low end of the explosions shattered...</font>

 

[808]

<font color='#000000'>then what would i look for in the specs on a speaker that would tell me that this speaker has good bass versus one that does not?

for instance, i am tossing up buying speakers from B&amp;W, MK, Paradigm, and Energy and i cannot get around to listen to them all and make a decision. &nbsp;all i have is the specs on them to help make my decision.</font>

 

[randyb]

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808 : <font color='#000000'>then what would i look for in the specs on a speaker that would tell me that this speaker has good bass versus one that does not?

for instance, i am tossing up buying speakers from B&amp;W, MK, Paradigm, and Energy and i cannot get around to listen to them all and make a decision.  all i have is the specs on them to help make my decision.</font>

<font color='#000000'>First, thanks RLA, that is what I was trying to say

At one time, I had Martin Logan speakers and I decided I wanted to change (another post). &nbsp;I picked out three speakers that I wanted to audition. &nbsp; I could of picked out more, but like you, how can you get around to listening to all of them. &nbsp; I took my own cds and listened and made my decision. &nbsp;Before I went listening, I read test reports from various magazines to decide which three I wanted to listen to.

You are right, though, you can't listen to all of them. &nbsp;Specs can give you some information, but manufacturer's specs (in my opionion) should not be given too much weight. Other people may differ.

Another thing you can do is read the comments and ratings over at Audio review www.audioreview.com. &nbsp;If someone comments and you want to question further, write them. &nbsp;In most cases you will get a reply.</font>