Stereophile Test CD questions


Hi all,
I just got the Stereophile test cd's, and i'm trying to figure out how to use them. I have some very basic questions, so please bear with me. First off, how does one use pink noise? Secondly, I was pleased to see that the imaging seemed to be very good, by all their tests. Thirdly, as I went through the test tone warbles, wuth progressively lower frequencies, the volume seemed to diminish. I don't have an SPL meter, so this is according to my ears. 25 Hz. was clearly audible, but 20Hz. was barely there. Does this imply that I need a sub to fill out the lower frequencies? My room has no treatments, and the speakers are close to the wall, thanks to WAF. I plan to get a room in 6 months or so, where the speakers can be in th center, if that's where they'll sound the best.
Thanks,
David
deshapiro

Showing 2 responses by rives

David: First, the pink noise is basically useless unless you have a real time spectral analyzer. I debated whether or not to put this on our Test CD and decided not to. As to the freqeuncy responses on warble tones, you should invest in a Radio Shack SPL analog meter. It's about $35 and well worth it. It is non-linear, so you will have to use the correction for it unless you have one of our Test CDs which builds in the correction for this meter. The charts and instructions are on our website. Go to www.rivesaudio.com and link to products, then software, under the test CD you will find instructions and charts that can be used to plot the frequency response of your room. Hopefully, that will be helpful, but your new room should be a large step up.
Phase testing is very important. You can check the absolute phase, or if one of your speakers is out of phase. As to your comment about microphones--yes, but the placement of the mics is almost as important as the type of mic you are using. So much goes into recordings and I often wonder if older recordings the issues of mic and placement were more diligently treated than they are today.