Watch It
Did you miss our launch event? Or was it so interesting you want to watch it again or share with colleagues? Check it out here:
Need the executive summary? This short (<4 mins) version, also presented by Steve Temme, covers the basic facts, but without the background information and live demos.
Read About It
Product Flyer:
A brief summary of the new enhanced Perceptual Rub & Buzz algorithm with an explanation of how it works and the results it achieves.
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Article: The Evolution of Production Line Rub & Buzz measurements
A detailed article from the April 2022 AudioXpress discussing production line Rub & Buzz measurements from 1995 to the current day, covering everything from the earliest conventional algorithms to the development of this latest perceptual metric. It contains detailed performance data, and explains how it complements other distortion metrics for end-of line tests.
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Article: End-of-Line Distortion Measurements
This article from the 2022 Loudspeaker Industry Sourcebook compares the new ePRB algorithm to other Rub & Buzz detection methods, sharing results and comparison with other methods.
Read More
Hear It
Check out how our ePRB algorithm correlates with your hearing with our listening test!
Here are three recordings of speakers with varying levels of distortion, and one reference recording of a speaker with little to no distortion. Listen to each file, submit your answers, and see how the SoundCheck algorithm compares to your ears.
Just a couple of things to note:
- This is a recording which will be played through the device you are using. Any distortion introduced by your device will affect your perception, so we recommend using good quality speakers or headphones.
- Rub & buzz defects are hard for the untrained ear to detect compared to, say, an incorrect frequency response – some people may not be able to hear the distortion at all.
Reference Speaker
Speaker 2
Speaker 1
Speaker 3
Your Results
Here’s how what you heard compares to both the new enhanced Perceptual Rub & Buzz and conventional normalized Rub & Buzz.
Speaker 1
ePRB heard: Sounds Good
Speaker 2
ePRB heard: Badly Distorted
Speaker 3
ePRB heard: Borderline Distortion
ePRB measurement for Speaker 1
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You can see here that the maximum perceptual distortion is about 10 Phons. We consider this to be about the threshold of detection for a trained listener
ePRB measurement for Speaker 2
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You can see here that the maximum perceptual distortion is over 40 Phons. This level of distortion is audible by most people.
ePRB measurement for Speaker 3
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You can see here that the maximum perceptual distortion is about 14 Phons. This is slightly above the threshold of perception, and we would expect that a trained listener may be able to detect this, but an untrained person likely would not.
Normalized Rub & Buzz distortion measurement for speaker 1
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This graph shows the traditional normalized Rub & Buzz distortion for the same speaker. You can see that it is low across the spectrum.
Normalized Rub & Buzz distortion measurement for speaker 2
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This graph shows the traditional normalized Rub & Buzz distortion for the same speaker. Significant Rub & Buzz is detected throughout the spectrum, particularly in the 1-5kHz range.
Normalized Rub & Buzz distortion measurement for speaker 3
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This graph shows the traditional normalized Rub & Buzz distortion for the same speaker. You can see that although there is some distortion, it is about half that of the speaker to the left in the 1-5KHz range.
Try It
Ready to try it?
If you already have SoundCheck 20, you already have access to this innovative algorithm at no extra cost! Simply download our free ePRB demo sequence and try it out. This pre-written sequence will walk you through the process of measuring and analyzing your speakers, so all you need to do is grab some speakers, run the sequence and compare the SoundCheck results to what you hear (or documented subjective analyses). Get Sequence
If you want to add ePRB to your end of line test sequence we offer a complete loudspeaker test sequence that includes ePRB measured simultanously with other distortion methods plus other end of line metrics such as frequency response, impedance, polarity, etc. Naturally this sequence can easily be adapted for your specific devices. Get Sequence.
If you don’t have SoundCheck, or haven’t yet upgraded to the latest version, we can still find a way for you to evaluate this algorithm. Typically we would either send you a demo SoundCheck license, or you would send either your speakers or recorded waveforms to us for evaluation. Please contact your local sales engineer or email sales@listeninc.com do discuss your options.
Buy It
Ready to get your hands on it? Talk to your sales engineer or local distributor, or contact sales@listeninc.com for upgrade or new system pricing.
