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Crutchfield's Speaker Compare

Hey everyone, for those in the market for new speakers, Crutchfield now has something called "Speaker compare", in which you can select up to 4 speakers and make sound comparisons online using your computer and a pair of headphones. Although not all the speakers models are available for audition at the moment, a lot are, and I think it’s a great alternative for those (like me) who cannot audition speakers in person. You can compare several songs at the same volume or at the same wattage. I am not associated with Crutchfield at all. I think it’s a great tool and a good start!
Cheers y’all!
luciano33
cedargrover
302 posts
 
Genuinely, I just meant to show that the point exists, and didn't intend to advance it.  I have no beef with Millercarbon.
luciano33's avatar
luciano33 OP
63 posts
 
Nobody ever said this is the same as auditioning speakers at home, not even Crutchfield said that. In fact, they state that this is not like audition speakers yourself. Take it as it is, which is a good way to compare speaker sound characteristics. It works well for that. For instance, it really helped me to see how soft the Elac UB5 sound compared to the Klipsch 600, and how much bass the KEF Q350 have compared to the Definitive technology D11. It's a great tool IMO. It also helped me to compared how the speakers I have at home compare to others. it's a comparison...a relative comparison. As simple as that.   
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
"auditioned" watching ... YouTube videos.  Lo and behold, they sound as expected.
So said the Fuze and Wall Sticky king... 

Confirmation bias anyone?
tobor007's avatar
tobor007
135 posts
 
Right or wrong, I think this highlights a situation we all face. Speaker comparisons. Especially as you move toward the higher end. I was in the market for some good audiophile speakers. I bought Revel Salon 2's and I am very happy with them. But I was also very intrigued with the Legacy Aeris and Focal's. All very different speakers however, locations were not close to home. 
luciano33's avatar
luciano33 OP
63 posts
 
@cedargrover. There is quite a bit of science and technology behind this online tool. I would not call it a parlor trick. That’s why they have PhD’s working on it. What you call filters are actually models. They take a lot of measurements from the speaker playing different music in an anechoic room and put that empirical data into a model that mimic the sound of a particular speaker, and adjusted to your headphones. I would not call that silly at all. I think it’s brilliant just for that. Now, is it the same as auditioning speakers at home? Not at all. However, those folks who cannot audition speakers in person or don’t know where to start when it comes to speaker sound signatures, this is IMO a great starting tool. My two cents.
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