FREQUENCY RESPONSE
Acoustics / Electroacoustics

The measure of the output of a sound-producing body stimulated with frequencies over a given RANGE, usually the entire range of hearing (20 to 20,000 Hz). Also called a RESONANCE CURVE.

The RESONANCEs of a musical instrument result in an uneven FREQUENCY response of that instrument, whereas for the ideal LOUDSPEAKER, the frequency response should be FLAT, that is, all frequencies should be reproduced equally well to achieve good FIDELITY.

See: EQUALIZATION, EQUAL LOUDNESS CONTOURS, FEEDBACK. Compare: AUDIOGRAM, SOUND LEVEL METER, SPECTRUM diagrams, TRANSIENT RESPONSE.

 
Frequency response curves for (a) two violin strings, showing characteristic resonance regions, and (b) a loudspeaker which reproduces frequencies approximately equally.

Sound Example: Poor frequency response in a small loudspeaker reproducing a voice at a fast food restaurant.

Sound Example: Amplified voice with boosted mid-range frequencies in a mobile public address system.

Sound Example: Amplified voices with boosted low frequencies at the Atlantic Winter Fair, Halifax, N.S.


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