Why 50-50k speakers?

davidkjefferson

I am in the search for a good pair of speakers and have found that several speakers for home audio have a frequency response of 50-50k. The human ear sensitivity is 20-20k, why do this speakers need that frequency?

agfrost

They don't "need" that frequency extension, they're merely rated up to that frequency. If you're searching, I'd simply recommend getting your ears on any speakers you're thinking of buying, that will tell you more than published frequency specs will.

BigDaveyL

They probably don't need to go up to 50K.

I could see some humans having more sensitivity, but up at 50K?

Is source material even sampled at ranges that high?

pyrocyborg

I was able to hear up to 23k hz a few years ago, and this isn't even an interesting frequency, even if you consider harmonics and put it in something cohenrent, like music (most instruments range are in the 500-2500, with some dipping very low and some going up to 4000, but don't quote me on that). So, even if your source material was sampled to take into consideration these ranges, it would be useless as you wouldn't even be able to hear it.

I generally do not consider the upper frequency limit as a buying factor. It might be an indicator of higher-end tweeter, but as in everything, it could be misleading. The lower limit, on the other hand...

Hearing is believing. A 50-23 000 Hz might sound better to your ears than a 50-43 000 Hz.

mantis

Basically why a speaker would be designed to go above human hearing range is the fact that sounds that we can not hear effect how we hear the ones we can. Do so research on sound and get a better understanding on this topic.
Companies for years have been making speakers that respond well above the human hearing and for the reason I just mentioned.

Chris Pilgrim

Here are a couple of websites You may find interesting:
http://www.lsu.edu/deafness/HearingRange.html
http://kids.britannica.com/comptons/art-171880/Human-beings-and-other-animals-can-utter-and-hear-a

The first site says the low end of the human range is 64Hz, most others say 20Hz. Like they say - your mileage may vary!

Sprags

pyrocyborg wrote: »

I was able to hear up to 23k hz a few years ago, and this isn't even an interesting frequency, even if you consider harmonics and put it in something cohenrent, like music (most instruments range are in the 500-2500, with some dipping very low and some going up to 4000, but don't quote me on that). So, even if your source material was sampled to take into consideration these ranges, it would be useless as you wouldn't even be able to hear it.

I generally do not consider the upper frequency limit as a buying factor. It might be an indicator of higher-end tweeter, but as in everything, it could be misleading. The lower limit, on the other hand...

Hearing is believing. A 50-23 000 Hz might sound better to your ears than a 50-43 000 Hz.

Wow!

BlueFox

I thought you were asking $50 to $50k dollars.

Sprags

BlueFox wrote: »

I thought you were asking $50 to $50k dollars.

That's almost as funny as being able to hear up to 23k and stuff.