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sensitivity question

A few questions regarding sensitivity.
a speaker with 90db sensitivity means roughly that it will deliver 90db at one meter distance at 1W right?
But if I’m not wrong most speakers are emitting more sound towards the drivers direction. In some way they resemble a light bulb+projector which emits light toward one specific direction. Obviously with speakers the "projector" effect is not as pronounced as with a lighting projector however the sound is mainly emitted toward one specific direction. With light bulbs which have a projector, in order to describe correctly the emitted luminous flux, you have to add the light cone degrees. In fact a spot light which opens one degree and consumes one watt delivers at one meter more lux as a light bulb of 100W at one meter which opens 180 degrees.
Wen measuring the sensitivity of a speaker do they measure only the db at one meter from the front of the speakers or do they make 8 or more measurements at 1 meter around the speaker and calculate then the medium sensitivity? If not is the actual sensitivity measurement not strongly lacking in accuracy? And in a audiophile world which has measurements in such a high regard is that lack in accuracy not wired? Thanks for any info!
daros71
tubebuffer
417 posts
 
I bet you put you little Peter behind the lamp light so it look bigger!!!
fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,499 posts
 
Good answer Erik.
10 ft. pole too short for me.
You make sense.
The OP don't.
daros71 OP
117 posts
 
That’s’ a ridiculous leap.
I think the sensitivity of a speaker, as measured and stated by speaker manufacturers, is only appropriate for headphones. For speakers it is 100% wrong. It simply doesn’t describe the amount of db reverberating in your space. If you measure something and you measure it incorrectly, that measurement won’t help you describe the world objectively... and then, since we all have different experiences despite the same measurement, you’ll say it’s all subjective in the end.

P.S. i don't say that a correct sensitivity measurement will reveal the overall qualities of the speaker. I want only to point out that in hifi even the simplest measurementes, like the sensitivity of a speaker, are gathered in a very discutible (or subjective) way. But is a subjective measurement useful? 

oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
Subjective if it is, subjective. It's not. The criteria for accurate measurements only need be noted as a 4 6 or 8 ohm voice coil.

WHERE the mic is placed and the fact that it is calibrated. That is the data we look for. The way to take measurement is to note HOW you did it. Should note temps, humidity and any other features. LIKE the ROOM.
The best place is at night in the open back yard...

The space the driver is in has nothing to do with it's POTENTUAL to perform in ANOTHER given space.. I think you're mixing up what a driver can do with what a drive IS doing...

Erik explained off axis response is just that. The better question is does it effect YOUR sweet spot because of it or the lack of it.. Off axis response that is...  Wouldn't YOU have to be OFF axis to hear the difference. No ones moving in a listening room.. If they were it would be a BALL room. AY?
erik_squires
15,675 posts
 
The reasoning here is nuts.

To make a car analogy, they measure the MPG of the car and you are upset it doesn’t tell you if the car has a hatch back. You are fixated on a measure that does exactly what it should do (and does well) because it doesn’t do what you want it to do and no one, I mean no one, intended it to do.
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