The existence of Doppler distortion in loudspeakers was demonstrated more than 30 years ago, but the question of whether or not such distortion is of significance in music reproduction has not been settled. In this study the audibility of Doppler distortion in simple direct radiators is investigated both theoretically and experimentally through (1) an analogy to tape‐machine flutter, (2) an analysis of the effect of normal listening‐room conditions on Doppler distortion (for a given low‐frequency power the radiation‐load and reverberant‐field correction factors typically reduce this distortion to 0.36 of its value on the axis of a speaker radiating into anechoic half‐space), and (3) double‐blind listening tests. An eight‐member jury compared music reproduced in two modes, one of which was essentially free of Doppler distortion. In one experiment, two recordings were made of the output of a speaker, one with a sharp bass‐attenuation filter in the speaker input circuit and the other with the same filter moved to the microphone circuit. In a second experiment, on‐axis and off‐axis speaker output were recorded in an anechoic chamber, the speaker input circuits being compensated to make the frequency responses in the two modes equal. The theoretical analysis indicates that for any practical cone velocity Doppler distortion will be less audible by an order of magnitude than the flutter of a 15‐ips tape machine that meets the NAB Standard. The experimental results provided confirming evidence that it is inaudible.