Loudspeakers: relations between subjective and objective tests

The advantages and disadvantages of both subjective and objective tests are discussed. It is shown that both types of test are necessary. In order to devise an objective test which bears some relation to the subjective test, it is necessary to take cognizance of both the physiological and the psychological processes involved in the latter. Some common acoustic tests are then considered in detail, and it is shown that, for simple, single attribute tests, fair agreement is possible between the subjective and the objective results. Where a multiplicity of attributes are tested simultaneously, the subjective form of test is the only one possible.