Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Olas
Bower & Wilkins
Most B&W speakers have a very specific sound signature - major dip at 2 kHz, and elevated treble response. I suppose it makes them sound more exciting that way and I'm sure some people enjoy it. If, on the other hand, one is looking for accuracy, B&W is not it.
How does that work when they are used as Studio Monitor speakers? Or does that only apply to specific models?
I am not a sound engineer, but it is my understanding that for sound mixing, you want monitors that provide a flat frequency response. Granted, even those that do have flat response in an anechoic chamber will be impacted by room acoustics, so you may need to do some EQing to achieve that flat response. I guess fewer EQ corrections will be required if the speakers are flat to begin with.
Looking at some of the measurements on this website, it appears that most of the B&W speakers they tested have a similar sound signature, which means it was probably intentional on B&W's part:
https://www.soundstagenetwork.com/i...mp;view=article&id=16&Itemid=140
I am not knocking B&W here, by the way. Most of us do prefer a bit of a V- or U-shaped response for casual listening, as it makes the sound 'pop' more and appears more crisp and detailed. Alas, in a studio, in a near-field application, bright sounding speakers can result in ear fatigue if you have to listen to them all day long. This is one reason I use PSB Alpha B for my desktop speakers - they are less bright than many other speakers I've tried in this duty in the past. I usually have them playing throughout the day as I work in front of my computer. Now, for casual listening in the living room or garage, I wouldn't mind brighter speakers.
A lot of it is about personal preference, which reinforces the advice that the best way to choose speakers is to listen to them in your own room and not rely on reviews and recommendations of others.