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A sound philosophy
"As far as sound goes, we have no religion and no preconceptions, only an open mind – and ear," Gert Kudahl Munch, Bang & Olufsen Acoustics
For us, the philosophy has always been to reproduce sound as authentically as possible. To produce pure sound that is true to the original, we have to master the knowledge of sound processing from the source to the ear. For this purpose, we have developed a two-pronged strategy deploying not only physical but also perceptual testing. "When we develop a speaker concept, we use objective measurements and perceptual listening tests. The trick is to make those two things map onto one another and make perfect sense - then we've got the perfect speaker," comments Senior Research and Development Manager Frank Bastrup Jørgesen.
| Let's get physical Physical measurements focus on the technical performance of a loudspeaker, and involve concrete measurements of performance indicators such as frequency response, power response and directivity response. Most physical tests are carried out in the Cube, the largest privately owned electro-acoustic measuring facility in the world. The Cube is used as an important tool for assessing sound quality in all stages of the development process, and its impressive dimensions are necessary to carry out advanced free field acoustic measurements. Here a series of impulses spanning the entire audible spectrum are played and measured in a matter of milliseconds, ensuring that it is a pure response that is measured, and not reflections from walls and the ceiling. Physical testing is obviously important as you have to carry out such measurements to know objectively how good a loudspeaker is. Yet, although physical measurements play an important role, we consider the human ear the final judge of sound quality. Consequently, we have established what we define as a perceptual measurement tool, the listening panel. Listen closely The listening panel consists of a group of Bang & Olufsen employees who have been through a number of tests to ascertain their hearing capability, their ability to distinguish different acoustic attributes from one another, their ability to communicate what it is they are hearing, and their personality. The panel members must be able to consistently identify a series of errors to maintain their position as impartial and accurate critics of sound quality. Panel participants, formerly known as the Golden Ears, are recruited from all over the company; the reason for internal recruitment being that we need to be able to get them together for tests regularly and at a relatively short notice. The members of the panel work individually to prevent them from influencing each other, and usually do not know what loudspeaker they are listening to as products are hidden behind curtains during evaluation. The listening panel has existed since 1981, and is unique in our business. "Other manufacturers leave testing to computers or technicians, but we recognize that it's the listening experience that's paramount," says loudspeaker specialist Jens Rahbek. Even those manufacturers who do use listening tests do so less than consistently. "Some manufacturers also make use of listening tests, but their listening panels consist of people who come and go depending on how busy they are with other things. At Bang & Olufsen, the listening panel is a highly prioritized function, and the members represent a continuous and experienced source of feedback," explains Tonmeister Geoff Martin. |
Tonmeister Geoff Martin
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