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Test Bench 1.0.1  
Changelog

 0
By Stephen Eldon KerrUpdated Jul 28, 2026 at 03:27 pm

See the previous 1.0 changelog.

Speakers Test Bench 1.0.1 updates how we calculate Low-Frequency Extension (LFE). This is a small fix initiated by user feedback highlighting an unusually high LFE result for the Sony ULT FIELD 3. After reviewing the result, we agreed that the existing calculation could produce misleading values in certain cases.

Test/Result Change
Low-Frequency Extension Updated calculation to use the first valid point 6 dB below the calibrated sweep level
Frequency Response Accuracy Some scores may change slightly because LFE contributes to this score
Dynamics LFE determines the lower limit of the frequency range used to calculate DRC, so some scores may change slightly
Loudness Some scores may change slightly because LFE contributes to this score
Usage Scores Some scores may change slightly through their Frequency Response Accuracy weighting

Why Are We Making This Change?

Our previous LFE calculation used an average of the bass response to determine the frequency at which attenuation became significant enough to count as the speaker's extension point. You can think of this as establishing a reference level from the speaker's overall bass output, then finding the lowest frequency where the response falls far enough below that reference.

While this is a generally accepted approach, it also means the result is highly sensitive to peaks and dips in the measured response. A large peak can raise the calculated average, while a deep dip can lower it. Either can shift the reference level, causing the calculation to identify an extension point that doesn't reflect the speaker's broader bass roll-off.

Screenshot of the Sony ULT FIELD 3's previous Frequency Response Accuracy results, showing a 6.0 score and a Low-Frequency Extension of 152.1Hz.
The Sony ULT FIELD 3's previous Test Bench 1.0 result reported an LFE of 152.1Hz, which didn't align well with the speaker's broader bass roll-off.
Screenshot of the Sony ULT FIELD 3's Frequency Response Accuracy results after being updated to Test Bench 1.01, showing a 6.6 score and a Low-Frequency Extension of 92.7Hz.
The Sony ULT FIELD 3's results on Test Bench 1.01, with the adjusted LFE of 92.7Hz.

Low-Frequency Extension (LFE)

LFE is now calculated directly relative to the calibrated sweep level. Starting at 20Hz, the updated method looks for the first valid frequency where the measured output reaches 6 dB below our calibrated 85 dB level, or 79 dB. A valid frequency is one where the response continues above that threshold through the rest of the bass range, rather than briefly crossing it because of an isolated peak or kink. The new calculation compares the measured response against the calibrated playback level, rather than against an average of the bass response that can be shifted by peaks and dips.

We've set 35Hz as the threshold for a good LFE score, since only truly exceptional Bluetooth speakers can clearly produce audio below that point.

We'll be recalculating the LFE for every speaker already updated to 1.0, and will do the same for all further speakers we bring up to 1.0.1.

Previous Method Updated Method
Established a reference from the average bass response, then found where attenuation became significant Finds the first valid frequency where output reaches 6 dB below the calibrated sweep level
Could be shifted by peaks and dips in the response Includes checks to ignore isolated kinks or brief threshold crossings

Because LFE contributes to the Frequency Response Accuracy score, this updated calculation may also cause minor changes to some Frequency Response Accuracy and usage scores. However, it doesn't fundamentally change our assessment of these speakers.

Loudness

LFE also determines the lower limit of the frequency range used to calculate Dynamic Range Compression (DRC) at Max Volume. As a result, the updated LFE method slightly changes some DRC values. However, since DRC accounts for only 10% of the Loudness score, the overall impact of this change is tiny.

What Do You Think?

Our process is iterative, and this fix demonstrates the importance of direct user feedback. That kind of input helps us identify where our methods can be clearer or more accurate, so we welcome your thoughts on this update and the rest of our speaker testing.

If you have comments or questions about the above changes, please reach out to us in the comments, in our Discord server, or via email.

58 Speakers Updated So Far

We are retesting popular models first. So far, the test results for the following models have been converted to the new testing methodology. However, the text might be inconsistent with the new results.

38 Speakers Planned To Be Updated

We are also planning to retest the following products over the course of the next few weeks:

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