Guide
Compare measurement reports by method, operating point, and documented uncertainty rather than a single score.
Updated 2026-08-24
Identify what a measurement describes
Common audio measurements include level, frequency response, THD+N, phase, crosstalk, and signal-to-noise ratio; the appropriate method depends on the device under test.
Physical output measurements describe transfer behavior and should be kept separate from subjective listening claims.
- Read maximum-output methods as methods for a defined stimulus and procedure, not as a general sound-quality score.
- Avoid combining unlike measurements into a single ranking.
Compare reports only when their context matches
Frequency-response methods can use different stimuli and analysis approaches, each with different speed, resolution, and noise or distortion behavior.
Repeatability concerns the same procedure and conditions; reproducibility concerns specified changes in conditions.
- Look for the device, stimulus, levels, frequency span, filtering, geometry or load, calibration state, and averaging or windowing.
- Treat measurements near an instrument floor as estimates that need calibration, residual checks, and stated limitations.