The audition room they were greeted by was actually set up in the Onkyo head office building next door for many years, but three years ago the head office moved to Kitahama. As a result, it was moved to the current building. The room is newly made, but the characteristics of the room reproduce the former listening room. The equipment that has been installed has been relocated as it was from the listening room for many years.
Judging from the image of a general listening room, it is bright. Mr. Hiroyuki Asahara, chief engineer of the 1st Technology Section, Development Technology Group, Audio Technology Department, who dared to create a bright space so that he could look at drawings, solder, and work easilyMr. : If the characteristics of equipment and rooms change, it will be impossible to make a “comparison with the past”. Even when creating a new product, it is necessary to analyze problems based on past experience and data, clear them, and evolve. This is because such data cannot be used if the listening room has completely different characteristics.
The accumulation of many years of technology and the data obtained by measuring many products are important assets for audio manufacturers. It is no exaggeration to say that the listening room and equipment that make the most of this is the backbone that supports the Onkyo sound. Precisely because it is an important audition room, the obsession is not uncommon.
Mr. Kitagawa (honorifics omitted below): If you ask a contractor to make a room, you can finish it beautifully, but there are parts that need to be improved in terms of sound. Even if the frame is firmly attached, there are places where the sound from the speaker will tremble. At that time, we take apart the frame, re-bond it, and re-drill the nails. Fortunately, we also develop speakers, and enclosure design and room design are similar in some respects, so we can make use of that know-how.
I look around and see a small piece of wood wedged between the walls. This is also the result of detailed sound quality tuning. The know-how around here seems to be useful in a general home audio environment. What are the characteristics of a room ideal for an audition room?
Small wooden boards are driven into the gaps between the walls. The wall behind the speaker has been strengthened. Mr. Noritada Kitagawa, Chief Engineer, Technology Section 1, Development Technology Group, Audio Technology DepartmentKitagawa: In a nutshell In other words, it's a room where you can see the character of the product well. If the character in the room gets on the sound, it will be influenced by it. Specifically, the hardness and material of the wall behind the speaker and the distance to the wall are important. As is the case with concert halls, if the backstage of an orchestra is made of soft materials, the power of the bass is lost and the balance of the sound is lost.
Concert halls are designed with long reverberation times in pursuit of good acoustics. This listening room is not completely dead, even though it doesn't have much reverberation. Compared to other manufacturers, the reverberation time may be rather long.
Asahara: If there is unnecessary reverberation in the room, even if you think, "I have completed a product with good reverberation!" However, when the listening room is completely dead, only the direct sound of the speaker can be heard, so it is different from the sound actually used at home. It's not just a room for measurements, it's not enough to have a room that's rich in reverberations and just fun to listen to.
Kitagawa: There is a rule that the reverberation time should be measured at 500Hz, but a truly good room has a constant reverberation time from low to high sounds. If you just want to adjust the reverberation, you can add sound absorbing materials, but it is quite difficult to keep the reverberation time constant from top to bottom.
Asahara: For a while after creating a room, fine adjustments are necessary. The sound changes as the concrete evaporates and solidifies, and the sound changes as the wood ages. It's the same with audio equipment.
