Apr 6, 2005 2:06 PM, By Mix Editors

Critical performance data for several of SPL’s signature loudspeakers are now validated by a respected independent testing company. SPL has had three of its speakers, including the C3 Contractor Cube, Trik-Trap and Runt, performance tested by Electro-acoustic Testing Company (ETC Inc.), a new third-party loudspeaker testing organization created by Syn-Aud-Con (Synergetic Audio Concepts Inc.).

The sound pressure level/directivity/frequency response data being collected by ETC will be readily accessible by predictive software used by audio systems designers. In addition to being formatted for the EASE software program, the speaker data is available in EASE and Common Loudspeaker File Format (CLF). Programming for CLF allows the data to be accessed by users of other modeling software, such as CATT-A, Ulysses, Lara and Odeon. The CLF data can be viewed with a freeware file viewer available from www.clfgroup.org.

SPL president Brad Skuran says, "By assuming the leadership position in independent testing, we are taking steps to validate that what we say about our speakers is true and accurate. I think it will give us a leg up in the market because we're being transparent about measurements. By using this exceptionally accurate data for measuring our speakers, designers and sound contractors now have a fail-safe method to assure their customers that Sound Physics Labs speakers perform as predicted. The specification versus performance gap is virtually eliminated."

Pat Brown, president of both Syn-Aud-Con and the newly formed ETC Inc., says the company is pleased to have Sound Physics Labs as its first client. "Third-party testing ensures no bias in the collection of data,” Brown says. “We don't step back and say, 'How can we make this data look better?' We just report exactly what the loudspeaker does—period. Ours is an engineering-driven process rather then a marketing-driven process."

The data ETC provides for the SPL speakers includes loudspeaker attenuation balloons, derived electro-acoustic metrics, additional specifications, maximum input power and DXF wire frame. The testing was accomplished by placing the speaker on a rotating device that allows SPL data to be captured at five-degree intervals around a sphere.

For more information, please go to www.servodrive.com and www.soundphysics.com.

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