DXOMARK Unveils New Benchmark for Wireless Speakers
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: DXOMARK today announces its new benchmark for the sound quality of wireless speakers. DXOMARK Speaker, a unique scientific rating, aggregates hundreds of test results for each speaker tested. “The speaker market offers a wide range of products and audio technologies. Consumers purchasing speakers require more information beyond what is communicated by manufacturers. With our new performance benchmark, we provide relevant objective information that help buyers make more informed purchasing decisions, similar to what we have been providing for smartphone and camera consumers across the world,” said Nicolas Touchard, VP Marketing at DXOMARK.
DXOMARK began audio testing in 2018, well before the launch of its first audio benchmark for smartphones a year later. All audio tests are performed by DXOMARK’s dedicated team of sound engineers using state-of-the-art lab systems and proprietary test protocols designed from an end-user perspective. The benchmark for wireless speakers marks a significant expansion into audio for the company renowned for its camera benchmark.
DXOMARK evaluates wireless speakers by testing audio quality attributes across representative use case scenarios. It recreates similar conditions to how a consumer uses a speaker inside and outside of their home, factoring in the placement of the speaker in the room, different types of rooms, ambient noise, the type of content played, the playback volume and the position of the listener(s) relative to the speaker.
The DXOMARK Speaker score is based on numerous objective measurements and 20 hours of perceptual assessment for each speaker. Objective testing takes place in DXOMARK’s new semi-anechoic chamber, which absorbs sound reflections. In this laboratory condition designed for repeatability of tests, speaker output is recorded using specialized equipment, such as sound-level meters and calibrated microphones. Perceptual testing takes place in simulated real-life environments, which have been set up in a purpose-designed apartment. The Speaker score will combine scores of five attributes: Timbre, Spatial, Dynamics, Volume, and Artifacts.
The primary function of any speaker is to play music. In order to test the quality of music produced by the device being tested, DXOMARK collaborated with professional musicians and studios to create customized music clips of various genres including jazz, hip-hop, classical, pop, rock, Latin, electronic and alternative for its tests. These clips condense many audio cues in short tracks.
At the time of its release, the DXOMARK Speaker benchmark will test and rank wireless speakers from two price segments – the “Essentials” that are priced up to 200€ and “Advanced” products priced between 200 – 500€. The Company plans to introduce a ranking based on the same test protocol for premium models that are priced above 500€ in the upcoming months.
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