Conducting scientific listening tests on loudspeakers in rooms and automobiles is a challenging, expensive and time-consuming process. When properly done, these tests produce sensitive, reliable, and valid perceptual measurements that reveal what listeners like and dislike about reproduced sound. The largest obstacles affecting the quality and consistency of recorded and reproduced sound today are the 1) lack of a perceptually meaningful loudspeaker standard shared by the professional and consumer audio industries, and 2) controlling acoustical interactions between the loudspeaker and the listening room.

These topics, and others, will be discussed using illustrations from recent scientific investigations conducted by the author, Sean Olive, his colleagues and others. Finally, a demonstration of Harman's new listener training software "How to Listen" will be given to see if members of the audience have the "right stuff" to be a critical listener.