Point 3: Good speakers
As we all know, in a complete set of professional audio kits, speakers emerge as audio terminal equipment, just like a human voice. The quality of speakers determines the quality of a set of audio to a large extent. This article mainly analyzes how to identify and select speakers from five aspects, and follow the editor to learn more about it.
Speaker introduction
Speaker refers to a device that can convert audio signals into sound. In layman's terms, it means that the main speaker cabinet or the subwoofer cabinet has its own power amplifier. After amplifying the audio signal, the speaker itself will play back the sound to make the sound louder.
The speaker is the terminal of the entire sound system, and its function is to convert audio energy into corresponding sound energy and radiate it to the space. It is an extremely important part of the sound system and is responsible for the task of converting electrical signals into acoustic signals for direct listening by human ears.
Detailed explanation of the five key points of speaker identification and selection
Five key points for speaker identification and selection
Key point 1: Preliminary understanding of speakers before listening
For the initial understanding of a pair of speakers, the steps of "viewing, weighing, knocking, and recognizing" can be used to identify: firstly observe the craftsmanship, secondly weigh the weight, thirdly knock the cabinet, and four recognize the nameplate. The appearance craftsmanship is to judge the quality and quality from the first appearance of the speaker: the speakers made of natural logs are of course the best. Many world-famous supreme speakers with sky-high prices, including Chario and Guarneri from Italy Homage, etc., but this kind of good box will not be as popular as the "Rejoice" shampoo that can be seen everywhere because of environmental protection, lack of resources, difficult processing technology, and long time. The price is definitely not low. Therefore, the common speakers are decorated with a thin layer of wood veneer on the surface of MDF medium density fiberboard: speakers with real wood veneer and exquisite exterior decoration, especially such as rosewood, bird's eye, rosewood, walnut, nannan, red oak Such as rare wood veneer, its natural wood grain visual effect is excellent, and the hand feels smooth and quiet.
Especially the piano lacquer with symmetrical butterfly pattern real wood veneer is coated and polished in multiple layers, most of them can be regarded as high-end quality speakers, and there are few counterfeit products. Boxes with PVC plastic skin are of the general market. Although they are exquisite in workmanship, they are best considered low- and medium-grade goods. As for the boxes decorated with this textured paper veneer, of course, you should pay more attention to the leather joints on the back of the box body and whether the digging and tying process of the speaker installation position is accurate. Counterfeit and inferior products generally do not pay attention to these details, so a little attention can be accurately determined. In fact, the real log boxes are almost invisible even on HI-FI boxes. Because the wood that can meet the requirements of manufacturing speakers is extremely rare, such as the wood used by Chario in many top products, it is the top Italian red oak that has been grown for more than 40 years. According to the Italian environmental protection law, every time this tree species is cut, the purchaser It is necessary to replant 10 seedlings of the same kind in addition to the price of the wood.
Weight: Most good speakers are made of high-quality MDF particle boards of 18-25mm, and high-end flagship speakers are made of super heavy solid wood such as red sandalwood and yellow grapefruit or multi-layer composite plywood, so the weight is very amazing. The net weight of a pair of speakers is usually fifty or sixty kilograms. Most of the low-end and large-scale goods use soft particleboard, and the counterfeit and inferior products use poor-quality paper rubber sheets, so the weight is generally lighter. There is often a saying in the audio industry that "experts look at quality and laymen weigh weight". Heavy speakers are definitely better than light ones. But be wary of unscrupulous businesses pouring sand and gravel cement at the bottom of the sound body to increase weight to deceive consumers. Here we should pay attention to some wooden speaker products that use curved cabinet design. Although the curved cabinet looks good and is beneficial to acoustic design, due to the needs of processing technology, the wood used in these cabinets is often not as solid as the products with pure square structure. The knot that comes. This is quite embarrassing.
Knocking on the box body: knock the top, bottom, left, and right front and rear baffles of the box with knuckles. All sides of the box make a solid and slightly crisp sound. It feels that the plate is hard and thick, and there are many reinforcing ribs inside. The box structure is fair. Knot, there are a variety of sound insulation and anti-standing wave measures and other effects. This kind of cabinet is expensive and difficult to process, so there are few counterfeit and inferior products. If you hit the box with the knuckles to make a "puff, puff" empty sound, it means that the plate is too thin, the quality of the material is too poor, and the structure is unfair. And there is no sound-absorbing material or reinforcing ribs to maintain the interior, which leads to the formation of a large number of diffuse reflections and standing waves in the box. It is impossible to obtain a good playback effect by purchasing this kind of speakers.
Recognizing the nameplate: Really good speakers have a well-made gold-plated or chrome-plated nameplate mark, and the nameplate generally has bright trademarks, companies, names, origins, and corresponding indicators. The entrance box has English such as: Made in xxx or Manufacture and corresponding trademarks, speaker indicators, etc. If there is only Design (XX design) or vaguely marked with only one country name, there is even no place of production, no manufacturer, no trademark or registration mark except for a few basic indicators that are simple and extremely imprecise. Most of these three-no products are suspected of being counterfeit or inferior. Famous-brand speakers attach great importance to brand image and corporate reputation, so the nameplate marks are very standardized and exquisite, and various indicators, corporate names, and origins are all available. Some nameplates are even made of thin metal plated with 24K real gold, and the fonts on them have a sense of unevenness. The product not only has the date of manufacture, the serial number of the production, and even the serial number of the pair and the box. For this kind of speakers, as long as the price is reasonable, you can generally use them with confidence.
Detailed explanation of the five key points of speaker identification and selection
Point 2: Use technical indicators to determine the pros and cons of speakers
A technical guide label is usually affixed to the back of the finished speaker: the content does not depend on the speaker's frequency range, agility, carrying power and impedance. Among them, the agility rate is the most important indicator of the speaker, which determines to a large extent what kind of power amplifier the box should be equipped with, how much power is needed to push and so on. The agility of most listening-grade home speakers is between 86-92dB. For a unified power amplifier, at an equal volume (for example, when the volume is turned to 10 o'clock), the higher the agility, the louder the sound. The speaker's power requirements and requirements for the power amplifier will be lower.
This is what people often say, this pair of speakers is easier to push. Many professional speakers used in commercial OK halls have agility of more than 100dB. No wonder many people feel that the sound when singing karaoke in OK halls is very beautiful, and they can get a lot of volume without any effort. But you must never think that the higher the agility, the better. In fact, speakers with agility over 92dB are lighter and thinner metal cones, PP cones, etc., which will damage the control of the power-driven speakers. , Resulting in the sound quality is thin, beautiful, exaggerated, and tough, and a lot of music details and charm are missing. Not suitable for Hi-Fi listening. Many famous speakers with thick, soft sound and full of musical flavor usually have low agility. For example, the agility of top speakers such as ATC, Italian piano, and Zhuoli is only 82dB. This type of speaker is often extremely difficult to serve, and a giant power amplifier with a large output current is required to make it work in the ideal linear region, and the cost is not small. Most multimedia speakers use speakers with high agility. In fact, an important reason is that low agility units require higher-power amplifiers to push, and the increased cost of the amplifiers is not a little bit.
The other most important indicator is the frequency range. For example, the frequency range of a bookshelf box is 60Hz~20KHz±2.5dB, and 60Hz represents the stretch value of the speaker in the low frequency direction. The lower the number, the better the low-frequency response of the speaker: 20KHz represents the high-frequency extension value that the speaker can achieve. The higher the number, the better the audio characteristics. The suffix ±2.5dB indicates the magnitude of the distortion in the above-mentioned frequency range. The smaller the distortion, the flatter the frequency response curve will be. Some speakers are marked with a distortion degree of ±3dB, and their frequency range should become wider. Some speakers do not indicate this index, the frequency extension range will become very wide. For example, if the above compass box No. 1 does not indicate that the distortion is controlled within the range of plus or minus 2.5 decibels, the frequency range can be marked as 40Hz~23KHz. It should be pointed out that it is meaningless not to mark the frequency range of the distortion degree. If a manufacturer knowingly commits a crime, it can only be suspected of having bad intentions and deliberately deceiving consumers. At the same time, it also shows that the speaker indicators are not standardized. The manufacturer lacks determination and belief in their products, and it is difficult for people to buy with confidence.
Carrying power is a reference index of speakers. It is expressed in watts. This index does not indicate the quality of the speakers, but only provides a reference for the selection of power amplifiers: for example, the carrying power of a pair of speakers is marked as 10~200W , That is to say, the power amplifier required to drive the speaker must have an output power of at least 10W, but do not use an amplifier greater than 200W for full power output. Otherwise, there may be concerns about burning the box. Generally speaking, home speakers will not have any concerns about pushing it, only whether it is good or not, whether it is good or bad, the carrying power of less than 200 watts is much more than the use of ordinary households, and it is not deliberately pursued. . Another indicator of the speaker is the impedance value, which is generally 8Ω as its nominal value. The impedance value of most two-way bookshelf boxes is 8Ω, and the multi-unit multi-frequency floor-standing speakers also have 6Ω and 4Ω. The smaller the impedance value, the greater the current that needs to be driven, and the required power amplifier power is correspondingly higher. In my opinion, it is better to choose a better amplifier with 8Ω impedance for home speakers.
In modern audio equipment, speakers can be described as the oldest and magical member. Some people say that it has "spirituality" and "life", and that it is the sediment of a country's national style and history and culture. Indeed, as far as brand-name speakers are concerned, speakers made by different countries and nationalities are all branded with the cultural literacy, talents and character traits of the nationals of the country of origin. In particular, the higher the quality and the higher the quality of the speakers, the more prominent this personality characteristic will be. Secondly, for users, the same excellent speakers with different personalities still have the problem of different tastes and wrong tastes, and whether they like a certain style.
The so-called "radish and cabbage, each has their own love", some people like the unrestrained and unrestrained demeanor, some people love the gentle and quiet personality of the mountain people: some are interested in magnificent symphony, heavy metal percussion, rock music: some prefer The small and flowing pastoral classical music, the solo blows of Youya Wanyu, and the sweet and heavy vocal replay... It is a good thing to be able to choose the ideal speaker according to your taste. If you don't understand the reason, people just choose a speaker that matches their tastes, it will be very disappointing! After all, this investment is not cheap. Therefore, I suggest that you learn more, try more, run more authentic audio boutiques, listen to the opinions of friends, and listen to the opinions of experts before purchasing. At the same time, you need to know what style you really like? Why don't you ask yourself a few more times, after all, what do we buy this speaker for? listen to music? Watching a video? Sing OK?
As far as the style of the speaker itself is concerned, the so-called American sound, British sound, European sound, etc. are popular in the audio industry nowadays. American speakers focus on strong strength and huge dynamics, especially the speakers produced in the western United States: such as JBL, BOSE, Genesis (Genesis) and so on. Often show a kind of unrestrained, unrestrained, rugged timbre personality. This may have something to do with the heroic temperament of the American western cowboys sprinting on the North American grasslands. The United States has a vast territory, with mountains and mountains on the west coast, lush forests, beautiful blue sky, and abundant products. Coupled with the wild and unruly character of the western cowboys and the infiltration of Hollywood culture and art, the western-produced speakers have a bright and beautiful sound, a clean and crisp sound, and a wide open. The boldness and ruggedness reveal a weighty wine and self-confidence. The surplus of various indicators is very large, especially suitable for rock, jazz and heavy metal percussion, professional OK halls and other occasions.
However, the musical taste of solo violin and classical string music is slightly weaker. However, speakers produced in the eastern United States are more influenced by British and European civilizations due to geographical environmental factors. In addition, the well-known Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra advocates classical symphony, and it affects regional culture with a large number of performances every year. Therefore, the speakers produced in the eastern region, such as INFINITY, Westlake Audio, and other brands, have both a soft, delicate and broad and bright style. Regardless of the music's analytical power, speed, sound field positioning and pine fragrance, they are significantly different from western speakers and are popular in Europe and the Far East.
British speakers have a typical European royal blood, beautiful and sweet tone, dignified and elegant, but flashy, and the natural veneer reveals a gentle and noble demeanor. Several world-class classic car speakers-Rogers (Jazz), Spendor (Spendor), HARBETH (Sunny after the rain) were born here. In addition to the splendor of the past empire and the subtle influence of medieval civilization, the wet and foggy geographical environment of London and the pastoral pastoral of small bridges and flowing water, the British voice is gentle, sweet, delicate, stable, and gentle. . It has a very high status in the home Hi-Fi and even Hi-END fields, and is most suitable for the performance of classical string music and vocal reproduction. It's a pity that it is less effective in expressing large dynamic bursting scenes and low-frequency volume.
The German speaker fully embodies the meticulous, rigorous and self-discipline spirit of the Germanic nation. The tone is natural, neutral and peaceful, clean and refreshing. Especially well-known in the industry for its exquisite workmanship, it is breathtaking. But strictly speaking, the sound of the German box is slightly cool and tough, which is more suitable for the playback of popular music. Other European sounds such as France, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Norway, etc., are permeated with the wit and romance of the French, the artistic atmosphere of Italian literature and art, the lively and hearty Nordic people and the extremely exquisite traditional craftsmanship: sound Pure and natural, mid-to-high frequency is slightly exaggerated, but very musical. And has very good compatibility, it is the best choice for home Hi-Fi/AV dual-use type. As for domestic high-quality speakers, there should have been a "Chinese Voice". Recently, many experts and scholars are also writing articles to speculate. It’s a pity that China’s audio industry started late, including most manufacturers that are already well-known in the Hi-Fi heating circle. They only started to participate in real high-fidelity audio in the mid-1990s. At present, if the original "theory and practice" is not completed In the stage of capital accumulation, it is difficult to use any "voice" to form one's own exclusive style.
However, in just a few short years, domestic boutique speakers have become qualitatively prosperous. The author humbly believes that very few domestic boutique speakers have formed their own prototypes, but they can only be used similar to a famous brand in a certain country. For example, Huiwei resembles the American sound. The Sound of Beauty series and the Xindak classic series, and the compass series make people think of the British sound (but maybe the overburden and speed parts are slightly stronger by the British authentic goods).
And Xiaoxuanfeng and Jinlang are more or less tinged with a European style: only the "Canghailongling" bookshelf box carefully brewed by Mr. Zhang Bailiang has a unique flavor, a gentle and neutral tone, delicate and elegant, gentle yet bold, and more appearance. It is because of the traditional Chinese clay paint that has been polished in multiple layers, it is antique and natural, and it really makes people feel a little "Chinese voice". I believe that it is based on the five thousand-year history of China’s civilization, the ancient rhyme of Bianzhong from the Xia, Shang, and the Tang Dynasty, and the hugely-produced Gongyan music, as well as the unique connotations, internal connotations, rich and colorful feelings of the Chinese people, and Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. It is believed that in the near future, the world-recognized "Chinese Voice" will be born as the essence of traditional culture such as "impartiality", "combining two into one", and "ruling by doing nothing".
Detailed explanation of the five key points of speaker identification and selection
Point 3: Good speakers
2021-11-08
2021-11-08
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