Many of us might define “voicing” as the fine tuning of their audio system to gain an optimal match of source, amplifier, speaker, cables, room and personal preference.
And some manufacturers might admit to voicing their loudspeakers on the grounds that (a) such a device is far from perfect when compared with the standards set by audio electronics* and/or (b) such a device can be tweaked to provide an assessed optimal match for its typical room and position therein and/or (c) it appears more credible to tweak a component with an aural output rather than one outputting digits and/or voltage.
But how many manufacturers voice** their electronics and admit to doing so, particularly in relation to high end equipment where the budgetary compromises are nil or minor? And, if any such manufacturers do voice their electronics - this being defined as subjective adjustment by listeners after technologists, engineers and acousticians have designed a product specification and delivered an outcome which objectively best fits that brief - how do they define what constitutes appropriate voicing?
My bet is that, were an established and industry-recognised member of this forum to write to all high end established and non-trivial audio electronics manufacturers, few (if any) would say that they voiced and how that voicing was accomplished.
Views?
* I have participated in double blind loudspeaker testing (with some identifiable success) but hardly ever even heard of double blind audio electronics testing and can only recall two published attempts to do so in the UK some 40 years ago where the results failed to identify audible differences at a statistically significant level
** “dCS DACs are most definitely not voiced for a particular sound” (Darko interview)
And some manufacturers might admit to voicing their loudspeakers on the grounds that (a) such a device is far from perfect when compared with the standards set by audio electronics* and/or (b) such a device can be tweaked to provide an assessed optimal match for its typical room and position therein and/or (c) it appears more credible to tweak a component with an aural output rather than one outputting digits and/or voltage.
But how many manufacturers voice** their electronics and admit to doing so, particularly in relation to high end equipment where the budgetary compromises are nil or minor? And, if any such manufacturers do voice their electronics - this being defined as subjective adjustment by listeners after technologists, engineers and acousticians have designed a product specification and delivered an outcome which objectively best fits that brief - how do they define what constitutes appropriate voicing?
My bet is that, were an established and industry-recognised member of this forum to write to all high end established and non-trivial audio electronics manufacturers, few (if any) would say that they voiced and how that voicing was accomplished.
Views?
* I have participated in double blind loudspeaker testing (with some identifiable success) but hardly ever even heard of double blind audio electronics testing and can only recall two published attempts to do so in the UK some 40 years ago where the results failed to identify audible differences at a statistically significant level
** “dCS DACs are most definitely not voiced for a particular sound” (Darko interview)