QuestionHi! I've been thinking about buying my first set of hi-fi speakers and have few questions. I have looked a set of speakers (monitor audio bx2) that have frequency response: 42hz-30000hz. Does this mean that these speakers can't reproduce sound that goes below that 42hz level? In other words if bass guitars thickest open E string is 41,204hz when played, does this mean that I can't hear that plain string played on a recording, because these speakers frequency response stops to 42hz? Thanks very much in advance!
Ps. Lets say that I have two similar speakers: others are active and the others passive. Which solution makes better sound: Using active speakers connected to macbookpro, or using passive speakers and amplifier connected to macbookpro for music listening? Does amplifier somehow make the sound better compared to the sound coming straight to active speakers from the computer?
AnswerI checked a few review comments from owners of the BX2 and found in their comments that for heavy bass response a subwoofer was recommended.
Frequency response specifications given in the sales literature for speakers is somewhat wishful thinking by the advertising and marketing departments and is not usually the same that you would get from the engineering department if you were speaking to them!. Unfortunately, there are no universally accepted measurement standards for conducting the test so each company has reign to do the measurements at will. And, the response at low frequencies falls of at a slow rate, usually 6db or 12db per octave which gives rise the question of where on the curve is the low frequency specification given. For example, in the case of the BX2 is the 42Hz at the 0db point on the line or is it already at the -6db point on the response curve? It is customary to give the bandwidth at the -3db points, but we don't know for sure.
In any event, the strong points for the BX2 are good stereo imaging and strong vocal projections; I could not find any comments about its performance with guitar and electronic music. My sense would be that this is not is strongest area of reproduction. For good reproduction of the bass guitar you would probably need to add a subwoofer to the system.
PS: Active speaker systems give the engineers the opportunity to optimize the performance of the speaker and the amplifier interface and get the maximum performance of the overall design of the product, both acoustically and electronically. Separate systems will give the opportunity to select the right sounding speaker and amplifier combination. As a general rule, high fidelity enthusiasts prefer separate units in order to get the purist sound options in choosing the system components. However, for computer sound systems and many surround sound systems the powered systems are very practical and entirely adequate for medium to good grade sound reproduction.
Sound coming off a PC is often iTune or MP3 which is compressed audio and is not such good fidelity compared with full, non compressed digital like CD and therefore, powered speakers are entirely adequate - and practical for space and cost.
Let me know if you have further questions.
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PPS: Sound coming out of the internal speakers in the PC are not high fidelity and severely lack in bass response due their small size and lack of cabinet space for wide range sound. Laptop PC speakers are adequate for voice but not for music. The speaker units are just too small and the acoustic space for reproduction of middle and low frequencies is entirely inadequate for wide range sound.
