Is the most efficient speaker the best speaker?

My experience has been the opposite, but the answer to your question is no. My Soundlab speakers are very in-efficient, but are the best sounding speakers I have owned.

The key is the right, properly matched, amp and speaker combo!

No way to say one speaker will sound better then another based on efficiency only.

I have been reading this thread with much interest. I greatly respect Ralph/Atmasphere and have always learned from his posts and others on this thread.

I must say my experience flies in the face of saying a low efficiency speaker can't play to sound pressure levels with as much ease and scale as a horn speaker with a nice quality tube amp.

Well, I have owned horn systems such as the Cain & Cain IMBEN with several high quality SET and other types of tube amps. In addition, I have owned 92-95 db efficient speakers from Silverline paired with tube and SS power amps rated up to 300 watts per side.

Now I own Soundlab M1 speakers and drive them with a 600 watt per side Sunfire Signature SS amp. This amp cost me $1500 used and new they were $3700 or so. My current rig plays to db levels that are well over 100db with an ease and scale I have yet to hear in any of my previous systems. My Soundlab speakers are only 87db efficient with impedance swings from 2 ohms up to near 40 ohms. Yes, they are hard to drive!

But the scale and ease to which this system plays is amazing to me.

So my experience is that large ESL speakers with a very powerful SS amp can certainly match or exceed the sound pressure levels and scale/ease of a horn system. No need to spend a lot for the right amp either. Worthy amps like my Sunfire can be had for under $3500 used.

Ralph is correct that a nice horn/tube amp rig can also soar in the manner he states. I agree 100% with that.

Triode needs to hear better non-flea tube amp powered systems.
They do exist!

I also like SET amps and high efficiency speakers as they can sound quite good also.

Charles1dad
"But,to each his own"
Triode , words of wisdom. The low power amp/high efficiency combination seems to more sucesfully present the flesh and blood, living breathing presence that`s so convincing. This ability to consistently create such realism is what pull me over to this genre.(is it the much simpler circuits and fewer parts?). Trumpets,pianos,saxaphones and human voice is simply much closer to what I hear at live performances, the palpable reproduction is stunning at times.

Yes, this may be true for some such systems. But, one cannot say that is the exclusive domain of SET amps and high efficiency speakers. Just another way to get at natural/live performance with a sound system. It's a big audio world out there folks! Again, my current rig gets closer to what Charlesdad describes then my past horn/SET rigs.

To each his own and several roads can lead to the same destination.

Agreed Charles1dad. Your system is awesome and I have always had an interest in both your amps and preamp. Very nicely put together.

One question for you Charles1dad,

How would you describe the bass performance of your system? Are you able to get a nice foundation on all kinds of music? I like body or "meat on the bones' if you will. I share many of the same sonic goals as you and respect the system you have put together. A friend of mine owns the Total Victory speakers and I do find them wonderful sounding.

Rleff, I love mine and they will stay for a long time. It was a bit tricky getting the right amp however. I really got lucky finding that Sunfire Signature 600 as it seems perfectly suited for the M1's.

I did several mods to the backplates that really made them more dynamic and intimate sounding.

I also got the room placement thing down for me.

What about you....

Unsound makes a great point. Thus we have speakers like Soundlab, Apogee, Martin Logan etc...

I will always hope for fair and balanced - always! May not get their perfectly, but I and we can attempt to do our best. Sorry for your past experience with that phase and motivation, however it is a genuine hope of mine.

Macrojack, plenty of good 400-600 watt SS amps available from $1500 - $5000 new and used. I paid $1500 for mine. No need for all Class A power either.

I like the comfort and ease of no tubes in my power amps plus the fact that they can stay on 24/7 and always sound their best. My SS amp never even gets warm - always running cool.

My panel speakers are really a one driver - point source (Soundlab) speaker that uses one capacitor, one inductor and one resistor in the crossover (slightly modified by me). Sure they also have transformers also, but so do your tube amps.

Seems like a pretty simple, practical and common sense system option for many.

Macrojack, I agree and I just gave a different opinion to your wise crack remarks about what others deem to be perfectly reasonable and rationally put together systems. Just wanted the reader to have a fair and balanced read :-)