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Speaker sensitivity vs SQ

My first thread at AG.

Millercarbon continues to bleat on about the benefits of high sensitivity speakers in not requiring big amplifier watts.
After all, it's true big amplifiers cost big money.  If there were no other factors, he would of course be quite right.

So there must be other factors.  Why don't all speaker manufacturers build exclusively high sensitivity speakers?
In a simple world it ought to be a no-brainer for them to maximise their sales revenue by appealing to a wider market.

But many don't.  And in their specs most are prepared to over-estimate the sensitivity of their speakers, by up to 3-4dB in many cases, in order to encourage purchasers.  Why do they do it?

There must be a problem.  The one that comes to mind is sound quality.  It may be that high sensitivity speakers have inherently poorer sound quality than low sensitivity speakers.  It may be they are more difficult to engineer for high SQ.  There may be aspects of SQ they don't do well.

So what is it please?

128x128clearthinker
larryi
3,717 posts
 
I have owned all manner of speakers--conventional sealed box, bass reflex box speakers, electrostatics, planar magnetics, etc., and all types of speakers, with varying efficiencies, can deliver decent sound.  But, over time I have gravitated toward high efficiency speakers because they can be utilized with my favorite amplifiers (most of which are low-powered tube amps) and because they tend to deliver superior dynamics.  I know there are theoretical reasons for this--low power being delivered to the driver for any given volume level means less heating of the voice coil (heating causes an increase in resistance that then reduces the ability to deliver more power, in other words the driver output does not increase linearly with increase power (i.e., dynamic compression)--but, whether or not this is true, I tend to find higher efficiency speakers more dynamic sounding).

I currently own a system with twin 12" woofers in an Onken cabinet, midrange supplied by a compression driver/horn combination, and highs delivered by a bullet tweeter.  Horn systems like this tend to be large in size, which is why the industry went away from these systems, particularly when stereo required installing two speakers (and HT requiring even more speakers).  I don't think it was sound quality that killed horn-based system.
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,055 posts
 
@b_limo,

Thanks for sharing the video. Ever since I traded my 92db efficiency speakers for 96db efficiency speakers, I have been living on easy street. Another advantage is the compatibility with flea watts amps to pure class A. 
mahgister's avatar
mahgister
12,527 posts
 
Like always this thread is another illustration of the Groucho Marx law:

«To each his own, because all things and needs differ especially us in front of a mirror»
jetter
2,951 posts
 
@lalitk 
Ever since I traded my 92db efficiency speakers for 96db efficiency speakers, I have been living on easy street.
And your speakers are on the larger side perhaps partly as a result of the increased efficiency and larger driver?  And I would die to have them, they are just beautiful.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,412 posts
 

The SoundLab ESL's are considered by some to be one of the best sounding line of loudspeakers available. They are also notoriously insensitive, and a very demanding load for a power amplifier They are also extremely transparent, and about as good at reproducing instrumental and vocal timbres as any speaker I have heard..

Then there is the Altec Voice-Of-The-Theater loudspeaker (A7), a very sensitive and easy-to-drive speaker. I lived with a pair for six months, and consider it to be as colored a loudspeaker as I have ever heard. Intolerably, comically colored. It's akin to a video monitor with it's color temperature WAY off, and its contrast control turned to max. Nasty, ugly sound, like chewing foil.

If you compare the two, and prefer the A7 because it is more sensitive/easier to drive than is a SoundLab, we'll have to agree to disagree. That's like preferring a smaller house to a larger one because it's cheaper to heat and cool.

Of course, it all depends on one's priorities in reproduced music. If dynamics is your No.1, high efficiency is for you. I myself am not willing to give up transparency and/or natural timbre reproduction to get dynamics. Are dynamics and transparency/lack-of-coloration mutually exclusive? I haven't heard everything (including the Tektons), but from what I have, I find the two inextricably related.

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