A Proposed Loudness-Efficiency Rating for Loud-Speakers and the Determination of System Power Requirements for Enclosures

Experimental and computed data relating to the loudness contribution of various ranges of the frequency spectra of speech and music are correlated with the corresponding energy distribution. A relatively simple measurement of sound pressure and a knowledge of certain acoustic radiation phenomena are applied to this correlation to form the basis of a method for predicting the loudness established by loudspeakers in enclosures. A loudness-efficiency rating for loudspeakers is suggested, and its application to sound-system engineering problems is described.