[Elecraft] K3 audio quality

[Augie "Gus" Hansen]

Hi Jim,


> ...
> It's all very simple physics. Look at the size of the loudspeaker. Its 
> low frequency output is limited by its size as a fraction of a 
> wavelength. The K3 and K3S are designed as compact, light weight 
> radios. The speaker used is quite good for its size. If you want big 
> bass, you need a big loudspeaker (or at least one a lot bigger than 
> the little guy in the K3 and K3S).  BUT -- ham radio is NOT about high 
> fidelity, it's about COMMUNICATIONS quality sound.

Having the sub receiver doubles my listening pleasure. I use a pair of 
old RS Minimus-7 speakers with my original K3, and am using a pair of 
Jensen Powered Speakers (JPS 45) with my K3S. Getting excellent sound 
from both systems.

> Nearly a century ago, Bell Labs learned through a lot of research that 
> all it takes for communications is smooth (flat) response between 
> about 500 Hz and 3 kHz, and the telephone system was designed around 
> that bandwidth.

As a former Bell head (BTL in Denver) working on PBX systems in the 
1970s I was exposed to the training for many telephone products. The 
plain old telephone service, POTS, was designed for a 3000 Hz bandwidth 
(300-3300).

In the 1960s while earning my EE degree I worked in the broadcast 
business. Our main studio to transmitter link was an equalized line, but 
the backup circuit was a POTS line. Fortunately we didn't need to press 
it into service often, but on those occasions it sure sounded crappy by 
comparison to the usual AM 6 kHz or so eq'd circuit. And much more so 
when we added an FM station to the mix.

73,
Gus Hansen
KB0YH