The recommendations in this report apply to loudspeakers intended for residential systems and
environments. Although the procedures are specifically designed for loudspeakers which are
separate sound system components for either monophonic, two-channel stereophonic or
multichannel stereophonic reproduction, they may also be applied to other devices such as
complete audio and television receivers with integrated sound.
This report gives recommendations for establishing, conducting and evaluating listening tests
on loudspeakers. Although various aspects are under continuing discussion, this report is
intended to give the general guidelines.
Certain aspects may vary – in particular, the listening room may reflect regional construction
practices. The tests described in this report are to be performed in a room the size and
acoustical properties of which are similar to those of an "average" living room. Specific
recommendations about the room size, acoustical properties, arrangements of loudspeakers
and listeners, and environmental conditions are given.
This Technical Report describes experimental procedures, including recommendations on the
choice of programme material and the processing and presentation of the final data. It may be
useful, when applying the methods of this publication, to also consider some of the recommendations
in AES 20, especially as concerns the range of perceptual attributes as listed in 5.2.2.
It should be understood that the topics of experimental design, experimental execution, and
statistical analysis are complex, and that only the most general guidelines can be given. It is
recommended that professionals with expertise in experimental design and statistics should be
consulted or brought in early in the planning of the listening test.
The use of multi-channel formats, principally for domestic presentation of cinema, is becoming
more widespread. The procedures described in this report are applicable to any number of
channels of reproduction. Because of the rapidity with which the practices in this area are
evolving, only the most general guidelines are given.