Simple Explanation

When you’re not sitting directly in front of a speaker—sound reaches you at an angle.

Concise Technical Definition

The position or angle of a listener or microphone relative to the central (on-axis) axis of a loudspeaker, typically measured in degrees off the forward-facing direction.

Layman-Friendly Analogy

Like standing to the side of a flashlight beam—you still see light, but it’s dimmer and the color may shift.

Industry Usage Summary

Off-axis response describes how a speaker’s frequency and tonal balance change as you move away from directly in front of it. Critical for assessing speaker dispersion, room placement, and ensuring consistent sound coverage.

Engineering Shortcut

Angle from speaker’s main axis; affects SPL and tonal balance.

Full Technical Explanation

Off-axis refers to any listening or measurement position that is not aligned with the loudspeaker’s on-axis (0°) direction. As the listening angle increases, a speaker’s output typically drops in level and alters in frequency response, especially at higher frequencies where directivity is more pronounced. Off-axis response is important for understanding a speaker’s dispersion pattern and how it interacts with room acoustics—since reflected sound often arrives from off-axis directions. Designers examine off-axis behavior using polar plots and off-axis frequency response curves to ensure smooth tonal balance and uniform coverage across the listening area.