high-efficiency loudspeakers


 What is the best high-efficiancy loudspeakers? If you have it, are you  happy ?
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Showing 3 responses by larryi

While not quite "high" efficiency, I like the Audio Note line for their sound quality, adaptability to a wide assortment of rooms, and wide range of price options.  They can be made to sound pretty good in almost any system, but will still reward use in ultra high end systems.  While they can play quite loud (for my taste), they are not the best choice for those who like to play at punishingly high volume levels.  Audio Note is for those who like a warm, rich sound.

For some seeking a brighter sound and harder edged dynamics, the Classic Audio field coil speakers are worth hearing.  But, they are much bigger in size than the Audio Note speakers.

At a recent audio show, I heard a $14,000 Charney system using a single Voxativ driver per speaker (back-loaded horn arrangement) that sounded very good and came in a reasonably compact and nice looking cabinet.  The sound was very even (not peaky like most single driver speakers),surprisingly full in the midbass range and reasonably full in the lower bass range.  The only thing I would want for more is extension on top.

For lower priced high efficiency speakers, I thought the $3,000 Tekton system I heard at a show was quite good.  A Rethm speaker in that price range was also surprisingly good (single driver covering most of the frequency range with a built in powered subwoofer).

The very best high efficiency system I've heard was a custom-built system using field coil drivers from G.I.P. Laboratories.  But, the drivers alone have a price approaching six figures.

I am a fan of many high-efficiency systems, but, most are systems built from high efficiency drivers and custom cabinets and crossovers and not complete packages.  I like some vintage drivers and a few modern drivers that are either straight out replicas of old drivers or are modern updates of old drivers; these however, are crazy expensive (e.g., G.I.P, Cogent, Goto).  

Of the modern, complete systems, my favorite are the Charney Audio systems utilizing full range drivers in back-loaded horn configurations.  Until I heard the Charneys, I did not think that a single driver system could really be a complete speaker capable of playing all sorts of music very well.

For a fairly low-cost high efficiency system (albeit with a built-in amplifier for its bass driver), I like the Rethm Bhaava.  At a substantially higher price level, I like the Avantgarde systems that also use powered bass drivers.

For not so high efficiency speakers, I like the entire line of Audio Note speakers, The 093 family of Devores, Trenner and Friedl speakers, Classic Audio field coil driver speakers and Horning.

Since I last posted, I can add the Cube Audio Nenuphar Basis (Nenuphar full range driver supplemented by a powered woofer).  To me, this system is MUCH better than the single driver Nenuphar system and at a not ultra crazy price.  In the really high end range, I heard a recent custom build by Deja Vu Audio that sounds great--vintage Western Electric 713A driver and 32 horn for midrange, Fostex tweeter (current model), and vintage Goodman 18" woofer, modern parts crossover using Audio Note copper capacitors).  This system sounds terrific when driven by Western Electric 124 amps (6L6 or 350B tubes).