AES Dublin 2019
Tutorial T10
Wednesday, March 20, 16:30 — 18:00 (Liffey Hall 1)
T10 - How to Rate the Maximum Loudspeaker Output SPLmax?
Presenters:Steven Hutt, Equity Sound Investments - Bloomington, IN, USA
Wolfgang Klippel, Klippel GmbH - Dresden, Germany
Peter Mapp, Peter Mapp Associates - Colchester, Essex, UK
Alexander Voishvillo, JBL/Harman Professional Solutions - Northridge, CA, USA
The new IEC standard IEC 60268-21 defines the maximum sound pressure level SPLmax generated by the audio device under specified condition (broadband stimulus, 1-m distance, on-axis under free-field condition). This value can be rated by the manufacturer according to the particular application under the condition that the device can pass a 100 h test using this stimulus without getting damaged. The SPLmax according to IEC 60268-21 is not only a meaningful characteristic for the end-user, marketing and product development but is also required for calibrating analogue or digital stimuli used for testing modern loudspeaker systems having a wireless input and internal signal processing. The workshop gives an overview on related standards (e.g., CEA 2010) and shows practical ways how to rate a meaningful SPLmax value giving the best sound quality, sufficient reliability, and robustness for the particular application. The methods are demonstrated on passive transducers and active (Bluetooth) speakers.
 | This session is presented in association with the AES Technical Committee on Loudspeakers and Headphones |