Glenview, IL -- Critical performance data for several of Sound Physics Labs' signature loudspeakers now are validated by a respected independent testing company, a move that will give audio systems designers even more confidence when evaluating SPL loudspeakers.
Three popular Sound Physics Labs' speakers -- the C3 contractor cube, the trik-trap and the runt -- have been performance tested by Electro-acoustic Testing Company (ETC, Inc.), a new third-party loudspeaker testing organization created by Syn-Aud-Con (Synergetic Audio Concepts, Inc.), a leading audio technology analysis and education company based in Greenville, IN.
The sound pressure level/directivity/frequency response data being collected by ETC will be readily accessible by predictive software used by audio systems designers. In addition to being formatted for the popular EASE software program, the speaker data is available in EASE and Common Loudspeaker File Format (CLF). Programming for CLF allows the data to be accessed by users of other modeling software such as CATT-A, Ulysses, Lara and Odeon. The CLF data can be viewed with a freeware file viewer available from www.clfgroup.org.
Traditionally, loudspeaker manufacturers' specifications have been at odds with real world performance that systems designers encounter. Yet few manufacturers have subjected their products and performance analysis to independent testing. The result is that designers must frequently over-design systems to account for the expected discrepancy resulting from manufacturers "pumping so much vapor into specifications," says Brad Skuran, SPL president. Sound Physics Labs is hoping to change that dynamic.
"By assuming the leadership position in independent testing, we are taking steps to validate that what we say about our speakers is true and accurate," says Skuran. "I think it will give us a leg up in the market because we're being transparent about measurements. By using this exceptionally accurate data for measuring our speakers, designers and sound contractors now have a failsafe method to assure their customers that Sound Physics Labs speakers perform as predicted. The specification vs. performance gap is virtually eliminated."
Pat Brown, president of both Syn-Aud-Con and the newly formed ETC, Inc., says the company is pleased to have Sound Physics Labs as its first client. He lauds SPL for taking a step that few speaker manufacturers have taken; one that others should emulate to help simplify the task of audio systems design.
"Third-party testing ensures no bias in the collection of data," Brown says. "We don't step back and say 'how can we make this data look better?' We just report exactly what the loudspeaker does - period. Ours is an engineering driven process rather then a marketing-driven process."
The data ETC provides for the SPL speakers includes loudspeaker attenuation balloons, derived electro-acoustic metrics, additional specifications, maximum input power, and DXF wireframe. The testing was accomplished by placing the speaker on a rotating device that allows sound pressure level data to be captured at five-degree intervals around a sphere.
The ETC data on the Sound Physics Labs speakers is available on the SPL website (
www.soundphysicslabs.com).
Brown says the data for the SPL speakers is encrypted so that it can't be modified.
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