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Floyd Toole - Sound reproduction – art and science/opinions and facts

CIRMMT

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  • Recommended by 4 people: 4 on Hacker News.
  • A classic. People kept recommending it from 2019 to 2026.
  • Presented by Floyd Toole, consultant to Harman International

Intermediate. Assumes working knowledge.

144K views11 years ago4 recommendations

Graphics and audioAudio and DSP

Floyd Toole explains the science of sound reproduction, loudspeaker measurements, and what listeners actually prefer in blind tests.

To view a visualization of the videos recorded by CIRMMT, visit cirmmt.org/en/videos CIRMMT Distinguished Lectures in the Science and Technology of Music Floyd Toole, consultant to Harman International, USA 16 April 2015 - Tanna Schulich Hall cirmmt.org/activities/distinguished-lectures facebook.com/CIRMMT/ APA video citation: Toole, F. (2015, May 14). Sound reproduction - art and science/opinions and facts - CIRMMT Distinguished Lectures in the Science and Technology of Music. [Video file]. Retrieved from youtube.com/watch?v=zrpUDuUtxPM

Why it's here

4 people recommend this

What people say. Recommended as an excellent crash course on the science of sound reproduction, loudspeaker measurements, and listener preferences.

Humbly8967on Hacker News • Recommends

On “Speaker Support in Asahi Linux”

This is actually a common misconception. In blind testing, the average listener reliably prefers the more accurate speaker. There is a talk 1 by Dr. Floyd Toole that is an excellent crash course on the science of sound reproduction and listener preference. 1 link to this video
View on Hacker News

1kGarandon Hacker News • Recommends

On “DIY Amps: A Roadmap for Beginners (2017)”

False. Rigorous double blind a/b/c/d tests using real listeners has been performed, and the research has been published in peer reviewed journals since the 80's. What has happened is that most of the audiophile community saw research as a threat to their revenue streams and actively FUD around it. And the audio engineering community has simply moved on. Here is a talk that could be very informative. link to this video His book is worth a read as well.
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lioeterson Hacker News • Recommends

On “Audio – Science in the Service of Art [pdf]”

…jective evaluations which have been used to clarify the relationships between technical measurements of loudspeakers and listeners’ perceptions." From link > ...there really is such a thing as being "good enough for rock and roll". Here's a lecture by the same author, given at CIRMMT Distinguished Lectures in the Science and Technology of Music. link to this video - Floyd Toole - Sound reproduction – art and science/opinions and facts…
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Humbly8967on Hacker News • Recommends

On “GPD Pocket 4 Speaker DSP: Configuring PipeWire so laptop speakers sound better”

FYI, when attempting to apply this to speakers, the anechoic frequency response is required. If you try to equalize for flat-in-room response, the results are terrible. See this video1 for loads more information and context. 1 link to this video
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Humbly8967on Hacker News • Recommends

On “EQ: A video about all forms of equalizers”

EQing for a flat in room response is NOT ideal! Correcting a speaker requires measuring the *anechoic* response, and only the bass should be tuned to subtract the room's effect. This video 1 provides a crash course on science of audio reproduction. 1 link to this video
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BoingBoomTschakon Hacker News • Recommends

On “24-bit/192kHz music downloads and why they make no sense”

No mention of Toole? Obligatory considering the subject, even if it's about acoustics and not digital audio: link And a talk by the author covering some of the material for those who prefer that: link to this video
View on Hacker News