swan 6.1 issues

[nichols540]

I have been posting on TheAudioInsider, which is the main website for swan speakers and I have gotten no real answer back. I own a pair of the swan 6.1s, along with the center and rears. My roommate just bought a pair of Monitor Audio bookshelves and we bought an SPL meter to test the response of the speakers. After testing my swans I am kind of astonished at the horrible frequency curve. Posted below are readings that I took with one speaker in the middle of a large room with the SPL meter one meter from the speaker.

hz ---------- db
50 ---------- 74
100 --------- 72
150 --------- 66
200 --------- 68
250 --------- 73
300 --------- 75
350 --------- 68
400 --------- 71
450 --------- 71
500 --------- 68
550 --------- 77
600 --------- 70
650 --------- 67
700 --------- 68
750 --------- 67
800 --------- 67
850 --------- 69
900 --------- 64
950 --------- 65
1000 -------- 71


If anyone has any idea what could be causing the huge peaks and valleys please let me know.

 

[WmAx]

Well, first of all, a SPL meter is not the right tool to measure the speaker system's actual response, unless you have either an anechoic chamber, or mount the speaker on a pole 50 feet up in the air away from any reflective surfaces.

-Chris

I have been posting on TheAudioInsider, which is the main website for swan speakers and I have gotten no real answer back. I own a pair of the swan 6.1s, along with the center and rears. My roommate just bought a pair of Monitor Audio bookshelves and we bought an SPL meter to test the response of the speakers. After testing my swans I am kind of astonished at the horrible frequency curve. Posted below are readings that I took with one speaker in the middle of a large room with the SPL meter one meter from the speaker.

hz ---------- db
50 ---------- 74
100 --------- 72
150 --------- 66
200 --------- 68
250 --------- 73
300 --------- 75
350 --------- 68
400 --------- 71
450 --------- 71
500 --------- 68
550 --------- 77
600 --------- 70
650 --------- 67
700 --------- 68
750 --------- 67
800 --------- 67
850 --------- 69
900 --------- 64
950 --------- 65
1000 -------- 71


If anyone has any idea what could be causing the huge peaks and valleys please let me know.

 

[jcPanny]

Speaker in-room response

Keep in mind that your data is the "in-room" responsce of the speakers. Your "huge swings" are all within a +/- 5 dB range which is not that bad considering the speakers are probably speced around +/- 3dB over the same fequency range. Also keep in mind the limitations of an inexpensive Radio Shack type SPL meter at measuring high and low frequencies.

Try changing the speaker position, toe in/out, and distance from the wall to effect the frequency response and experiment with room treatments.

 

[nichols540]

Thanks

So if an SPL meter is not the right tool to use, what is?

 

[Dennis Murphy]

So if an SPL meter is not the right tool to use, what is?

I'm afraid you would need a calibrated mic and measurement software that uses a full-range impulse signal and filtering capability to get rid of all of the room reflections. So it's a big deal. You need the mic, software, and a dedicated preamp-amp to drive the speaker. Most important, you have to learn how to use the darn thing. There is free software available, (Speaker Lab?) but that doesn't solve the other issues.