Electroacoustics and Responses of Audio Systems
Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen · 2015
Electroacoustic devices, particularly microphones, loudspeakers, and headphones, are essential components in speech communication, audio technology, and multimedia sound. This chapter reviews the electroacoustics of loudspeakers and microphones, the measurement of system responses, basic properties of the responses, and the equalization of the systems. A good microphone should convert a wide range of frequencies, say from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with a flat frequency response, low distortion and noise, and have a desired directional pattern. Equalizers are often used manually, by adjusting sound until it is perceived with the desirable timbre (sound colour) or some other quality, or equalization may be included in the reproduction system to automatically compensate for some degradation. The most common form of equalization is the correction of the magnitude response of a reproduction device or system.