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Nearly all manufacturers do not advertise/exhibit their product measurements? Why?

After my Audio Science Review review forum, it became apparent that nearly the only way one can determine the measurements of an audio product is wait for a review on line or in a publication.  Most equipment is never reviewed or is given a subjective analysis rather than a measurement oriented review.  One would think that manufacturers used tests and measurements to design and construct their products. 

Manufacturers routinely give the performance characteristics of their products as Specifications.  Those are not test measurements.

I searched the Revel speaker site for measurements of any of their speakers and could not find any.  Revels are universally lauded for their exceptional reviewed measurements.  Lack of published manufacturer measurements is true for nearly every speaker manufacturer I've searched for on line, perhaps several hundred.   Same is true for amps, pre-amps, DACs, transports, turntables, well you get the picture.  Do they have something to hide?   I doubt the good quality products have anything to hide but poor quality products do.  

ASR prides itself in providing "true" measurements that will aid in purchase decisions.   Why don't the manufacturers provide these measurements so that reviewers can test if they are truthful or not?

Then there are the cables and tweaks for which I suspect that there are inadequate tests available to measure sonically perceived differences but which objectivists believe don't exist or are "snake oil."  

Well, please chime in if you have some illuminating thoughts on the subject.   

I would have loved to see manufacturers measurements on my equipment and especially those that I rejected.  

fleschler
kota1
2,706 posts
 

@westcoastaudiophile In my experience you don’t notice the amount of RF noise in your system until you remove it and then you are like WOW. So many companies dealing with this problem and all of them taking a slightly different tact. It will never be perfect and to your point, trial and error is a process that can take time and $$$. I decided to address it as best I can. Here is another paper you might enjoy that discusses "perceived" sound quality. Check fig 5 on page 408 to see the RFI difference between the two cables in the study. If you want to go deeper I go through the bibliography and read the supporting research that interests me:

"This work shows that two system configurations differing only by the interconnect pathway are audibly discernable, even by average listeners with no special experience in music or audio." (4. Conclusions pg 409)

Cable pathways between audio components can affect perceived sound quality

jerryg123's avatar
jerryg123
3,429 posts
 

@holmz Guess it is to nuanced, The Nobel Prize.

Must be a Down Under thing? 

Just having some fun. 

 Those people could train evangelicals.
Someone could get a Nobel prose if they could measure this stuff. 

jerryg123's avatar
jerryg123
3,429 posts
 

@kota1 thanks for the post on the Audio Lab product. 

kota1
2,706 posts
 

@jerryg123 +1👍

kota1
2,706 posts
 

This is a paper that was in the references that really resonated with my own experience, "The Measurement and Calibration of Sound Reproducing Systems". You can’t get an ideal result using just equalization/DSP, it is very limited in what it can correct. Obsessing about what DSP software comes with your processor or receiver is not as important as treating your room. 35 years of studies show listeners prefer a flat, smooth frequency response accompanied by well behaved off axis response.

I was able to get the best frequency response in my room with room treatments and DSP in combination. Without getting the in room response as smooth as possible I don’t know how you can get the best experience from the money spent on components.

The measurement and calibration of sound reproducing systems

 

 

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