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Quick Speaker Frequency Response Test
Home stereo speakers are typically rated in terms of frequency response. There are high-tech ways of measuring this and other ways of evaluating speakers, but this post gives you a quick way to check a loudspeaker’s frequency response at home using only your eyes and ears.
tweeter (left) for high frequencies; woofer (right) for lower ones
The human listening range is commonly described as ranging from 20Hz on the low end to 20,000Hz on the high end. Most human hearing happens in the middle of this range, between 1500Hz and 4500Hz, but the higher and lower ranges are important when listening to music (…or attempting to survive in the wild!)
Desirable stereo speakers have a “flat response”, meaning that low, medium, and high frequencies all have an equal volume. Cheaper speakers are able to achieve this over a small portion of 20-20,000Hz, while better speakers can achieve this over greater portions of 20-20,000Hz. Better speakers are typically more expensive due to the costs of materials, manufacturing intricacies, and brand hype.
To give your speakers a quick test, hit play on the video:
Do your speakers sound evenly from bottom to top? At what number can you start hearing the sound on the low end? Where does it stop up high? How much does the volume change while rolling through the middle range?
Try this video on several devices and you’ll quickly hear the differences from one speaker to the next. The video plays the same volume from bottom to top – it’s your speakers that create the silent points or volume spikes.
Many “good” speakers only begin to sound in the range of 40Hz on the low end and go up to at least 15,000Hz without noticeably fading. My MacBook Pro fades in on the low end around 130 Hz, whereas my larger stereo speakers start sounding around 22Hz.
For fun, here are a few frequencies to help connect these numbers to real life sounds:
- 16Hz – The lowest note on large organs (low C on a 32′ stop)
- 20Hz – “The lowest people can hear” (not strictly true, but this is an intro…)
- 32Hz – The lowest note on many church organs (low C on a 16′ stop)
- 65Hz – Very deep bass singers can sing this note
- 82Hz – The lowest note on a trombone
- 196Hz – The lowest note on a violin
- 261Hz – Middle C
- 1000Hz – Very high sopranos can sing fundamental frequencies in this range
- 3500Hz – Fundamental frequency of the highest note on a harp
- 8372Hz – Fundamental frequency of the highest note on an organ (high C on a 2′ stop)
- >8372Hz – Overtones, consonants, percussion, etc.
Other Resources
Reviews and pictures of amazing speakers can be found at Stereophile.com. Most of these are visually stunning and really expensive.
For conversation and info about older speakers, no resource matches AudioKarma.org.
Smart Rifles
These seem about as smart as Smart Bombs. They are simultaneously impressive and disturbing.
There is a new rifle on the market that uses computer-based targeting assistance so powerful that a novice “marksman” can now hit targets at long range. After just minutes of practice, anyone who gets their hands on one of these can put a bullet just about anywhere they want at distances of several hundred yards.
Here’s a quick intro:
So, does the term “marksman” really apply to people who use this tool? The tool is amazing, but aren’t the people who use it are just applying technology? Nerds with explosives?
Yet, this new gun comes equipped with the ability for customers to record “their” shot for upload to YouTube, Twitter, etc. Why anyone would choose to brag about this is confusing. It is like someone bragging that their can opener opened yet another can of beans, or that their calculator successfully found the answer to 8×6.
Yet, this new tool is designed to let its operators boast:
What are the implications of this new technology? How will it be used? I guess we’re all going to find out, as it is already available.
Here’s a promotional video of this technology being used to kill animals from a great distance:
Some obvious questions are:
- How is this different than fishing with grenades and calling it sport?
- If someone chooses to go sport hunting with this, why not just play a video game instead? What’s the difference?
- Where’s the skill?
- How is this video not offensive to everyone?
Posted in Tech
Laser Destroys Missile
Like it or not, military laser technology can now do portions of what science fiction foretold. Similar to Star Trek phasers, an energy beam can now destroy objects in mid-flight.
The laser is ground-to-air and limited in range, but watch the video below and try telling yourself that laser R&D has reached its conclusion:
Made by Lockheed Martin and coming to a military near you.
Posted in Tech
Music Video from Outer Space
Astronaut Chris Hadfield goes down in history as the first guy to make a great music video from outer space. Recorded aboard the International Space Station, the imagery is simply stunning.
What a great inspiration for even more world-wide human co-operation.
The Venus Project
An interesting vision for the future:
If I was gambler, I would not gamble on the direct success of the project (… that their plans will unfold as predicted.) However, it is an attempt to improve the way society is structured and an interesting set of concepts.
If you think our world needs “big thoughts” or a new direction, the movement described in this is already a part of the conversation.
Posted in Ideas
Ron Paul’s Farewell Speech
Prior to retiring from the U.S. Congress, Dr. Ron Paul gave this speech in November 2012:
Regardless of one’s views, honest discussion of these topics would be good for us all. This is much bigger than dumb Red vs Blue partisanship.
Posted in Ideas
How to Make 100 Dollars Fast
Whether you need a jacket, a new game, or something serious in a hurry, here’s a common question people have: “How am I going to make $100, fast?!”
Here are the 100 10 easiest ways to make $100 in a hurry: (from full 100 ways here)
10. Monetize your Photos – Follow the instructions at Staree, use your social media account, and collect the cash. This is unbelievable to someone who doesn’t understand today’s social media business environment, but the cash they’ll pay you to do this is real. More info here: http://staree.com/
9. Yak it up on Twitter – Tweet on a topic and get paid to do it. Believe it not, this is how the world works. So why not profit from it? More info here: http://izea.com/publishers/tweeters/
8. MySurvey – Lots of prizes, rewards, points, and so on. If you invite your friends to join, you’re eligible for a bonus too. Begin here: https://www.mysurvey.com/
7. Mystery shoppers are hired by businesses to shop at their own stores undercover. The mystery shoppers then report back to the businesses, telling what they found, what they thought, and most importantly how the employees were. Get paid to eat out, buy clothes, review customer service, and so on.
6. Find it in Carwash Vacuum Cleaners – All those people who suck up dirt and leaves from the interiors of their cars are also sucking up stray coins. Many car wash vacuum cleaners have a removable bucker on the bottom that collects the dirt over the course of the day. For a busy car wash, there’ll be a regular supply of coins on a daily basis, right in the “garbage” that would otherwise be thrown out. Luckily, being at a car wash, it’s easy to clean the coins in no time. The odd bill will show up in the vacuums too, even $20s on occasion.
5. Creative Street Begging – Make a creative sign, craft a witty one-liner, or otherwise get people on the street to give you spare change.
4. Convert Ideas into T-Shirts with CafePress.com – You’ll sell as many t-shirts as you’re clever enough to sell. CafePress is one of the top destinations for customers and micro-sellers in the world.
3. Participate in Clinical Trials – Health researchers are frequently looking for test subjects for new research projects. Fully understand the risks before you sign up for anything, though, since your health is at stake. (!!)
2. Amazon – Sell virtually anything. Amazon carries a lot more than just books, CDs and movies. Here’s the starting page for their affiliate program: https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/
1. iTunes – Know anyone who buys and/or rents music, TV shows, games, audio books, podcasts, or documentaries? Then why aren’t you getting in on the action and getting paid every time they use Apple’s store? Start here: http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/
Some of these ideas are quicker than others (and some are more likely to make $100 than others), but hopefully this helps you get that $100 in a week or a day!
From the full collection at Make 100 Dollars
Posted in Ideas
2012-13 Hockey Pool Predictions
As of November 6th, 2012, these predictions make perfect sense!
| Player | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Sidney Crosby | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Claude Giroux | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve Stamkos | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Evgeni Malkin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Ovechkin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Phil Kessel | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Tavares | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henrik Sedin | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Erik Karlsson | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kris Letang | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Posted in Fun