Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo Affected by Temperature?

Hello, I hope this question has not been asked: is the performance of the M-series speakers, with their metal drivers, affected by room temperature?

I live in Canada and have my stereo (Cambridge Audio A500+D500SE+M3's) in on the top floor, which is not as well-heated as the rest of the house (moving the set-up is not an option). The sound in the spring and summer is more open and comfortable than in the winter. Any ideas?

Thanks,
CDG

please do not quote me on this because i do not know if it is true, but i have heard that cold air is harder to 'move' than hot air. electronics, however, such as computer, work better in cold temperatures because things conduct better.

i am very interested to hear others persons' input on this topic.

Hi,
Just a quick note. I know that as relative humidity--the presence of water vapour in the air--changes, the movement of sound waves is affected. Winter (cold) air is denser, which acutally affects the "lift" of an aircraft wing and the efficiency of its propeller. Shorter take-offs are possible in winter than in summer (I know this because I fly remote control model planes in both seasons). Ian would know more because he is a licensed pilot and owns a real plane!

The speed of sound is also affected by temperature and humidity. Whether any of these factors affect audibility--it's possible--I will have to research. Interesting question. . .

Regards,

Interesting, Ravi, thanks.

It's more the temperature of the drivers that concerns me. What I should have added is that the I touched the metal woofer [I wouldn't touch the titanium tweeter!] and it felt very cold. Does that affect the openess of the sound or the stridency of the treble?

Is it, as Ravi suggests, related to moving the colder air? Or is it all in my head (inventing sub-standard sound in winter as an excuse to move to more topical climes)?

Cheers,
CDG

This is an interesting question. I would concur with Alan's "technical" assessment as a possible piece of the equation.

I would ask this: in the summer, do you notice a different sound? In terms of the temperature swings, what is the range? Electronics also are affected by temperature as well. Amps that are cold (temperature wise) can sound poor, but change as the electronics warm. Most pieces could be affected by this as well, so you may in fact be on to something.

Also, after playing your system for sometime in winter, does the sound change?

I think Ian may have a cold test to reveal the mechanics of this subject!

I first noticed the seasonal difference with a pair of Energy C2's that I owned. They were wonderful in warm weather, but come December, they were painfully strident and fatiguing with a tiny soundstage. I occasionally replaced them with a pair of speakers that had a polymer woofer and a silk tweeter. These latter speakers were always fine. I always attributed the difference to the metal tweeter (the C2 have an aluminum tweeter) and maybe the cold air. It was only recently, when I touched the cold Axiom woofer, that I wondered about the driver temperature...

I can't really answer your question about whether the sound gets better the longer it plays; these past few months I can't stand listening to them even for twenty minutes.

Perhaps it's your ears that are cold in the winter.

Based on your own testing, I think it would be safe to say they are affected by the cold. The other post about the cold effecting your own hearing could also be part of the equation.

While I think it would be interesting to have a controlled test of this done by the manufacturer, I would not expect them to have this type of environment readily available.

Although, maybe Ian could open all the windows in his house in the dead of the Canadian winter.......nah, Amie would never go for that!

Can you turn on the system, and let it play for an hour to warm up and then go back and listen?