Readers are consulted and help judge sound quality in the development project Speaker Q113. Here is the result of the first listening test.

The first listening test was held on February 29th in connection with the Open House event. The purpose was partly to give the guests an impression of the sound quality of the speaker SA2K, but it was also the first time we tried to "measure" listening impressions and opinions. It is interesting to know what the test participants think about the SA2K, because the upcoming speaker Q113 should be an improvement compared to it. Later in the process we will do many more listening tests and therefore it is quite crucial to ask the right questions.

The questionnaire. Participants had to tick between 0 and 20 in the different categories.

How we did it

Prior to the listening test, we selected six music samples, each of which explores different aspects of sound in its own way. All test participants had to listen to the same music and fill in the same questionnaire with their personal ratings. Participants were invited into the listening room in random combinations. Our questionnaire contains seven questions that we think are central to the sound experience. The test participant can answer the questions in any order and give each question a score from 0 to 20. Participants were offered help to understand the questions. A total of 40 guests took the listening test, but three forms were not completely filled in and the answers have therefore been omitted in the summaries. Guests were asked to write their name on the questionnaires. The names will not be published here. We have only asked for the name in order to be able to show the answers to each test participant another time if they want to see them again.

This was the result

The 37 test participants could give the SA2K a maximum of 5180 points. They gave it 3747, which is really well above average. They could each give the speaker a maximum of 140 points and gave it an average of 101.3. As mentioned earlier, 20 is the highest score. The SA2K scored an average of 15.7 for its midrange performance, the tonal range that the test participants rated as the best. Bass volume and definition both scored the worst with average scores of 13.6 and 13.4.

Enumeration

In the column you see the seven disciplines that the test participants were asked to rate. The totals on the left are the participants' overall marks. Average is the test takers' average mark in each discipline. 20 is the highest mark.

Can we get better at asking?

We invented this testing method ourselves because we don't know of any other. Part of the Speaker Q113 project is based on listening to the readers and it is important to do it the right way. If you know of any other methods or if you have any advice for the way we do it, please feel free to leave a comment on the blog. We won't be doing listening tests in the near future, but the criticism is important. Next time we will compare at least two speakers and the question is whether we should develop the method or keep it as it is. It is part of the story that I published the measurements on SA2K two days before the listening test. Do you think this had any impact on the experience of the test participants?