Originally posted by hmouta:
so whats the difference between sq and rta. i've always seen competition vehicles with eq's that are set to rta and also an sq setting so they can switch back and forth. i though i use the rta to acheive proper sq. no?



You can use an RTA to uncover serious holes in response. When working with multiple drivers in different positions, you will get some phase cancellations. With an RTA, you can identify them and adjust crossover points/slopes until they are removed. As others have said, a perfectly flat RTA doesn't necessarily translate to what people perceive to be a pleasing sound. In the old days, and this may no longer apply, the RTA score was based on variations of dB per octave. So, you could have a response that was -2 dB down per octave on a slant and get a perfect RTA score. Then, there was the SQ setting people used, where most of the final tweaking is done by ear compared to some reference (good headphones are an excellent choice). For me, as stated earlier, a flat response from 150-200 hz up with a gentle rise in bass response below that sounds best. Sometimes with jazz or acoustic material, i will raise the 1000-4000hz range a dB or two to add some presence, but i would never do that in competition. I hate to change the sound of the recording to my tastes for any objective listening.

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