Measuring Speakers - How to Achieve Optimal Acoustics

If you are a sound fanatic and would like to have a good sound, it can help to measure your speakers so that they are perfectly tailored to your spatial needs. This involves optimizing the room acoustics, frequency response and the speaker you're using to create the perfect sound image.

How to calibrate speakers?

For calibration you need the speakers and a test microphone. This should be in the place where you also listen to music, because there the sound is later best.

1. First you need to measure the sound energy of each speaker with the system. This is done at one or at different positions.
2. In Germany, the pink noise or exponential sweep is usually used, because they have about the same amount of energy in each frequency range.
3. The calibration system uses the microphone to determine the deviation of the unevenly distributed energy and homogenize it.
4. The next step is to ensure that all sounds arrive at the ear at the same time. If this is not the case, individual sounds are delayed by speakers so that all arrive at the same time.
5. Remember the proper placement of a surround sound system.
6. If possible, leave the room as it is during the test. You should start a test again with every new piece of furniture you set up, as it changes the complete room acoustics.
7. Measure the speakers at a very high volume so that you have a high signal-to-noise ratio.