Does altitude change the sound of speakers??

Yes, it makes them sound higher by about 4,500 feet. Lower efficiency speakers suddenly become higher efficiency. A Magnepan can be driven by a 3 Watt amp whereas in Ohio one needs 200 Wpc.  ;) 

Other than that, I suspect that changing a pair of interconnects has more impact than elevation. 

MarkLevinson.... I also live in Prescott. I came from Boston....sea level. The sound of my von Schweikerts did not change in any way I could hear. YMMV. Bet you’re loving the weather here over Lake Erie gloom.

There’s something referred to as, "acoustic impedence", which affects, "sound pressure", and varies with air pressure.      Given your elevation change amounts to less than a mile; it’s highly unlikely you’ll notice anything.             Not that big a change, in air pressure. https://www.animations.physics.unsw.edu.au/jw/sound-impedance-intensity.htm        Cleveland is a nice place to be FROM, isn’t it?

They should always sound better when you're high!!

I like D_S answer.. hee hee.

The air is thinner, thing are bound to be a little faster and with less pressure on the old ear drum, ay? But give it a little time, just like you for the altitude change.. Interesting though.. Humidity is right in there with SQ to...It all plays into "The sound", ay?

Would it actually be a lower spl with the same watts or not? I gotta think on that one a bit. $ for $ would you get the same SPL at sea level as one, two, or what about 4 miles up. Everest? Can you hear anything up there. 
With no air, no pressure, little air, little pressure, Right?

Regards

That is why EBM live's in a Penthouse. Ultimate SQ!!! 👍

So if the rooms are not exactly the same, of course there would be a difference in sound.

The change in the listening room itself probably dwarfs any changes in altitude. 

Correct.

Sound is pressure waves transmitted by molecules bumping and bouncing off each other. The greater the density the faster and more efficient the wave. Air at sea level being more dense the sound will be louder with more dynamic impact. Go higher, air gets thinner, more tenuous, sound and dynamic detail are less. The difference the first mile is however much less than a dozen other things that change such as for example the room. The room and setup contributes far more to the sound than changes in atmospheric pressure.

To hear a difference greater than all the other differences you need to go higher. At some point high enough density falls to zero, no molecules, no waves, no sound. Thus the expression, In space no one can hear you fart.

Actually, it was from the first Alien movie advertised as “in space, no one can hear you scream”. I still have the movie poster. 

That’s weird. I’m pretty sure it’s in space no one can eat ice cream.

Geoffs on a roll today 😂

Interesting side note: it takes less booze at high altitudes to feel the effects.  If you drink while listening, this is another factor that comes into play.  

Is the feel good factor, a plus or a minus with the sound effect at altitude? Better or worse?, Or just less, work to get there? Just wondering..

So if can’t hear a fart in space, can you smell one, or does that go hand in hand. Bet you can’t smell just one? LOL

Regrets, probably...

Regards, maybe...

Forward men, but never straight............. forward... Onward!

You get drunk faster at altitude, so yeah. Duh!

"Does altitude effect the sound of speakers? (Moved from Cleveland,Ohio 850’ altitude to Prescott,AZ altitude 5,350’)"

Why are you asking us? You should be telling us. You are there, not us. Do not keep us in suspense. It is, in fact, an interesting question.

I almost suggested the OP bring the listening room along for a comparison. That's one advantage of making a cargo container your listening room; you can bring it along! Would hate to set up a rig on the long wall, though. 

OP could 3-D print a copy of old room to compare. 

Lots of science to be conducted for the benefit of humanity! 

I'll tell you what's no joke about being 1 mile up, running. Wow, that sucked, as in sucked wind, when I ran whenever I was in Denver. Incredible how the lungs burn from the elevation change. The other time that my lungs burned when working hard was without much acclimatization at Machu Picchu climbing from the complex to the Sun Gate and returning in one hour.

They could make low altitude drivers with holes in them to match the atmospheric pressure's effect on the cone. This is a genius idea and should get me widespread recognition as a futurist, because they will do that in 10 years. If you happen to live in Cleveland and buy the speaker with holes, then move to Prescott, you just put tape over the holes. If you live in Prescott and buy the one without holes, you just use a sharpened pencil to make them when you move to lower elevation. If you have a ceramic driver, too bad. This is straightforward audio, the way it should be done.  ;)

Too many variables. Temperature, altitude and humidity and seismic characteristics, to name a few.

"So if can’t hear a fart in space, can you smell one, or does that go hand in hand."

Assuming you do have a helmet and oxygen supply, you are not likely to smell it. Without it, it probably depends on how close you are to the source and how long you can stand without breathing much else.

To find your answers to these and other pressing questions, read Mary Roach, author of Packing for Mars, and other scientifically tangential books. 

Actually, it was from the first Alien movie advertised as “in space, no one can hear you scream”. I still have the movie poster.

Yes but my kid brother had the "In space no one can hear you fart" T-shirt. 

 Boy, this thread sure went in the proverbial toilet quick!! 

Mary Roach seems like some rennaisance woman. Topics of her books are from cadavers to gastroenterology (that tract for some reason declared a taboo in the intro) to needs in space.

And yet, there is some sucker working whole life on one small molecule for a salary. and she never gets mentioned anywhere. Not fair.

Are there roaches in space?

Can someone please put out the Mary Roach Motels tonight? 

Motels are closed. Coronavirus and all that.

glupson, don't judge a Roach by the cover. Not nearly as one-dimensional as you think. 

douglas_schroeder,

I do not think she is one-dimensional at all. In fact, based on the number of topics she covers it seems she has too many dimensions. Mary of all trades.

If it changes the sound of speakers it's bound to change the sound of a lot of other things too.  Does it seem to change the sound of anything else you've noticed?

Anyone can talk talk. In the interest of science I have done the work and can now state unequivocally the effect of altitude is positive. The higher I am, the better it sounds.

Maybe this is a start.

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/48251/does-altitude-affect-sound-pitch

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486602923

On the other hand, OP is denying us her/his experience.

glupson, she is a rather entertaining author. One of the best was entitled, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers," I believe. I was reading it when flying over the Atlantic, when a flight attendant said, "What are you reading?" I shared the tile, and she said, "Oh, I read that, too!" 

I commented that I was currently at the part about airline disasters and what happens to the body when a plane breaks apart at high altitude. Didn't bother me excessively, though midair.   :) 

douglas_schroeder,

Descriptions on her website seem like it is an interesting casual read.

At the same time, I was expecting that your flight attendant’s question after learning what you were reading up in the air would be "Why do you care?"

"Stiff" is an interesting choice for the title of the book about cadavers.

If I were a passenger after hearing Doug make that comment.... STIFF would had been the drink I'd ordered!!!

That was a good one. Going down in style.

Funny you say that. I've actually seen a flight attendant going down in style on a stiff one.

Oh, that was you in 2C?

I live at about 1,400 feet, and visit my hometown often, which is about sea level. Altitude tends to effect the pressure in my ear drum. I always tend to hear everything better at sea level, not just speakers. I think multiple factors play a role. Pressure inside the ear drum is a much bigger factor than air density in the room. 

Make sure you increase the timing by a couple ticks and lean out the carb. She’ll run fine. 

I'd like to intro our new motel chain....

Notell Motel
"We'll clean up after you....and we've got the vid. ;)"

@isochronism ....(re your 1st post)...Yup, altitude don't matter...'attitude'? You Bet! *L*

'High' efficiency will depend on what you spend....;)

Geo, hey!  'Seismic'?  What are you doing that makes the earth move?
Too much 'sub'....or what?

If you are new to Prescott- and please learn to pronounce that word
correctly please, you will want to join the AZAVCLUB.com.
Tonight we have Ted Smith giving an interview. Over my head.
We also had Nelson Pass and Roger Sanders as guests.
Paul Barton is next week. 

Tuberist- One of my goals is to meet Mark Levinson, you?

Not nearly as much as attitude.

no noticeable difference between 10' MSL & 6,247' MSL.  It was the -15' SL that produced some distortion.  

@marklevinson

Sorry my friend, if you thought you could ask a question here, you were mistaken. You just opened yourself to be the fresh meat of the day.

Don’t take it personally, it happens all the time. Goober Magoos abound, or Karens, whatever your vernacular.

Ha, later pigs!

Yes we have the same problem with motorcycles when we are at the track.
The track owner have on him strict requirements on max dB of noise our motorcycles are allowed to make.
The track is of course in a fixed location but the dB measurements reading varying with the air pressure. So the denser the air pressure is the easier the sound propagate through air.

geofkait,
are you sure it isn’t " ..in space no one can hear you eating ice cream" ?

Finally.....my time has come.
After countless minutes of R&D, for a select group of too high audiophiles, I'm announcing the world introduction of the first device to compensate for savage performance-reducing effects altitude has on audiophile systems. 
The device is called "Audio System Unlimited Compensation Reduction"(ASUCR)  and lists for $42,000. It looks just like a black box, weighs less than you might think, and accomodates any input/output.
The first 100 people to purchase this device will be eligible for a one-time (for now) discount of $41,580, or a sale price of $420.
Act now....stock is limited.

The OP obtained excellent guidance from me, and with humor. 
-New room, all comparisons are relative
-Change IC's, bigger difference 


Now how about a reality check? 
Attendees of RMAF all know how horrid the rooms sounded due to the elevation. The bitching was constant, the frustration endless. Well, actually, not. Actually, no one discusses elevation and effects on speakers, because it is a non-issue. Anyone wants to waste their life on things like burn in and elevation, feel free. :(

No, actually, like Vegas, all the rooms sound awful because of the shared AC power and seismic vibrations. Come on, guys! Besides too many 200 lb resonators of the human Variety in the room. 😬

Heh Chorus, I met Mark L. at a Boston audio store years ago.

I moved from 800' to 7220' about a dozen years ago, and do not recall any significant change in speaker sound due to altitude. The ability to listen at volume levels that do a system justice was an improvement very much more readily noticeable.

I do have a premium system in my truck and I experience substantial altitude changes in my travels. What I notice is that my ears plug up and things overall don't sound right. After I clear them, everything sounds much better. Meaning that there are other factors involved and I can't discern any change in the sound of the speakers directly due to attribute.

Humidity also a factor.