Infinity training on how to listen to speakers
Road Runner
Posts: 106
Here's a video about a training program that Infinity uses to test speakers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9lroIP3BKo
What I don't get is why they need to use listeners at all if they wrote a computer program that tells the listener what sounds good to begin with. It seems like they could just use microphones and the program itself based on this formula that they've created. Maybe they figure microphones are a lot different from the human ear or it could be that what they're doing is just training people to make fine distinctions and that isn't directly related to what sounds better - just what sounds different. I guess someone coulc make the case that that's artificially creating different tastes in speakers but maybe they think of it as just creating more refined tastes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9lroIP3BKo
What I don't get is why they need to use listeners at all if they wrote a computer program that tells the listener what sounds good to begin with. It seems like they could just use microphones and the program itself based on this formula that they've created. Maybe they figure microphones are a lot different from the human ear or it could be that what they're doing is just training people to make fine distinctions and that isn't directly related to what sounds better - just what sounds different. I guess someone coulc make the case that that's artificially creating different tastes in speakers but maybe they think of it as just creating more refined tastes.
Post edited by Road Runner on
Comments
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Cool testing facilities.
I didn't know they still made speakers though..."He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you." Friedrich Nietzsche -
Cool testing facilities.
I didn't know they still made speakers though...
I think they were purchased by another company and they kept the brand name and maybe some of the people. My best guess on the whole ear training thing is that they train them to make fine distinctions between two sounds and to identify what frequencies are different. Then when they do the regular testing, they can describe what sounds better or worse between two speakers such as "this one has too much around 5,000 Hz, this one has too little bass, blah, blah, blah."
This one shows testing with microphones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDxSPrXDt8Y -
They still make lower end stuff and car audio. Anything worth a crap
was discontinued."The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson -
sucks2beme wrote: »They still make lower end stuff and car audio. Anything worth a crap
was discontinued.
What about these bad boys?
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They stink.CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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If you like tinny highs, and muddy bass you will like them.Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
Thanks
Ben -
I had a chance to get some for cheap but I didn't, so maybe it was a good thing.
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Road Runner wrote: »I think they were purchased by another company and they kept the brand name and maybe some of the people.
Arnie has been out of the picture for a while....but otherwise, Infinity is still owned by Harman International.sucks2beme wrote: »They still make lower end stuff and car audio. Anything worth a crap was discontinued.
Have you seen/heard the new Prelude 40 ($12,000/pair)? -
I really enjoyed that video. I like how they have it setup. it's very very cool. I would like to conduct a test like that with different brand speakers and hear which ones I liked the best without ever knowing the brands upfront. Then and only then can you truly find the correct pair of speakers. It's all about the sound and nothing about looks and brand.
I really dig that.
DanDan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
I really enjoyed that video. I like how they have it setup. it's very very cool. I would like to conduct a test like that with different brand speakers and hear which ones I liked the best without ever knowing the brands upfront. Then and only then can you truly find the correct pair of speakers. It's all about the sound and nothing about looks and brand.
I really dig that.
Dan
It kind of makes me wonder what went wrong with the il40 if they used that testing procedure on it and assuming it really is that bad. It could be that they only played some types of music for the test or that room has special acoustic treatments that most rooms don't have or it could be that the curtain interferes with the sound. I seriously doubt that last one, but who knows. The other thing is that maybe the training and the selection process biases the result. I guess they could control for that by getting a bunch of qualified listeners, giving some the training and then the final test, but not putting others though the training and only giving them the final test. If both groups were the same, but the trained group was a little pickier, then that would make it seem like the training wasn't biasing anything.
