The loudspeaker as musical instrument: an examination of the issues surrounding loudspeaker performance of music in typical rooms

The loudspeaker is the most important and one of the most variable elements in the electroacoustic music performance process. Nonetheless, its performance is subject to a “willing suspension of disbelief” by listeners. In addition, its behavior and variability are usually not accounted for in assessments of the quality of music reproduction or music instrument synthesis, especially as they occur in small rooms. This paper will examine the aesthetic assumptions underlying loudspeaker usage, the general timbral qualities and sonic characteristics of loudspeakers, as well as some of the issues and problems inherent in loudspeakers’ interactions with small rooms and listeners.