If audio writers who praise these products asked mainstream speaker designers why they don’t make super-efficient speakers, they’d learn that with efficiency comes compromises—in frequency-response linearity, dispersion, distortion, and power handling. Few highly efficient speakers achieve a respectably flat frequency response and broad dispersion. And many of the primitive tube amps that are typically used to drive them have very high output impedance, which will interact with a speaker’s impedance to change the sound in ways the speaker’s designer didn’t anticipate and likely wouldn’t condone.
OK I started reading the article but the BS started to stink too much. Sure, there is plenty of snake oil in this and every other hobby too. But that doesn't mean that it's ALL snake oil. And just because someone doesn't understand HOW it works does not negate the fact that it may work.
I see a lot of newbies talking up their 400 wpc PA amp as if its the absolute best for hifi because they have mammoth power. I have an older Crown MT 1200 which came from a studio that I would not consider using to replace my 60wpc or 35wpc tube amp in my system. But it will fill up a good size parking lot in its proper application... Live sound. of course with those high efficiency speakers.
The writer talks about high efficiency speaker compromises as if they were the only ones to compromise. That is BS to the max. Everything in life is a compromise for mere mortals with a budget. Products without compromise are the very things that I suspect the writer also doesn't like. You know, those $ 200K speakers. I know I've seen the very people who criticize these ultra expensive components then expect perfection for $200. Its time to get real. You can't have it both ways
