EMOTIONAL AUDIO

Nadine Aubriot, Export Manager at Waterfall Audio, examines the emotions encountered when listening to different speakers.

As a manufacturer of Glass Design loudspeakers, we apply many technologies to ensure that our chosen material is delivering uncompromised sound quality, the use of glass (once you remove the potential resonance problems), is excellent as it is a very dense material which ensures minimal sound coloration due to vibrations. Design is playing a very important role in a customer’s decision today as more and more customers use interior designers for their homes, so it is a very important point to consider for manufacturers when launching a new speaker.

Remember that the sound quality depends on a few different parameters and elements, such as materials for the drivers and for the enclosure, design of the drivers and execution/ manufacturing, various components and architecture of the cross-over.

It is all calculated according to strict rules of physics and then only really delivers at the end after a lot of tweaking to get the right imaging and the sound signature you want your customers to hear. Also, it is important to deliver a similar sound signature across a full range of speakers and have them timber matched for ease of configurations.

As a design option, a transparent speaker like ours will just disappear in a room and drivers will appear to just float in the air, letting customers enjoy their favourite views, art pieces, furniture or textured walls.

Having speakers that will fit in all styles, whether contemporary or classic, is very important. New technologies allow floor standing speakers to be connected and because of all the streaming platforms delivering uncompressed music, songs and music, pieces can be listened to in a pure and perfect way from mobile phones throughout the house.

Again, in this comparison we should ask whether we are talking about Hi-Fi two-channel, home cinema or multi room audio distribution. All different applications, but for a living room home cinema style, floor standing speakers are the best, with a centre channel below the TV, and in this case surrounds and ceilings speakers should be in walls to lessen the impact on the room’s looks.

Regarding an audiophile comparison between in-wall and towers, I will say that towers are thought to be the better sound performers, they offer full range sound, and often there is no need for an external subwoofer. A subwoofer is only needed if connected in home cinema configuration with a center channel and surround speakers.

Floorstanding speakers are said to provide a wider image and more bass pressure, but again Hi-Fi/Audio is really something that is so emotional and subjective, it needs to be tested in your own room, with your own music, or films.

Another parameter to take into account in your decision to purchase tower speakers or in wall speakers is the room size and budget.

Floorstanders will be easily positioned in a room that is quite large and re-positioned if needed, whereas when your in wall speakers are fitted in the walls, there is no more choice. Floorstanders are also known to give a better panoramic soundstage.

In the end your need to let your own ears and eyes be the judge and trust your own personal feelings. Always remember that in Hi-Fi audio and video, we are driven by emotions.

Music is designed to elitist an emotional response, so when installing a system use emotional intelligence to judge performance