The fundamental basis for loudspeaker design has been well established for almost a generation. In 1934, N. W. McLachlan published a definitive work on loudspeakers, which summarized most of what was known on loudspeakers up to that time. Since then, improvements in materials, manufacturing methods, and in the knowledge of what is required of a loudspeaker have resulted in loudspeakers that are smaller, cheaper and of higher quality than those which have been previous available to the home consumer. The final criterion for loudspeaker performance depends jointly upon the characteristics of the human ear and upon the characteristics of the musical instruments, or other sound sources, that must be reproduced. Early work by Fletcher and Munson at the Bell Telephone Laboratories and later by Robinson at the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, England, has resulted in an accurate description of the sensitivity of the human ear and the relative loudness of sound of various frequencies.
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