Phasecorrect: Have you ever actually watched / measured how an amplifier loads into a speaker and how the speaker can modulate the amplifier ? In some cases, you can literally watch the input waveform from the preamp or source change as the amp has to deal with the reflected EMF of a speaker. This can vary as signal amplitude changes i.e. the harder that you drive the speaker, the more reflected EMF that you have to deal with. Obviously, some amps will deal with the reflected signal a LOT better / differently than other amps. This is not to mention the amount of crosstalk that is generated between channels in such a situation. If you or anyone else think i'm nuts, try talking to ANY electrical engineer worth a salt and see what they have to say. As to whether or not this is audible, you betcha. The fact that many people may not have ever really noticed this probably has more to do with the fact that most speakers present relatively "benign" or "easy" loads and the amplifiers aren't being worked to death in such situations. That does not mean that such occurances don't take place on a regular basis though for some of us with reactive speakers.
As far as my thoughts regarding sensitivity of a speaker go, i never implied that one should delete "low" efficiency speakers from their list or only consider speakers of "reasonable" sensitivity. My thoughts in trying to work with this is that many newcomers don't understand that there is such a thing as "matching" when it comes to building a quality component system. All things being equal, starting off with a more efficient speaker will typically make amplifier selection a little easier and open up more available options. If they knew that a speaker was considered "less sensitive" as compared to others, they might be able to make a more informed decision as to the suitability of said speakers and amplification choices. I was NOT saying that this is the most important spec, only that it is one of several factors to look at.
For the record, i have speakers that are 2-3 ohms that are appr 82 dB's output. I also have 3-4 ohm speakers that are about 85 - 86 dB's output. If i had only used speakers that were 8 ohms nominal and 90+ dB output, i would be in a world of surprise in terms of wondering why my amp sounded "bad" ( clipping with lack of control ) and the speakers wouldn't play very loud. If i had some type of a chart to compare sensitivity / output levels of various speakers, i would know that if i went noticeably down on efficiency, i would have to go up on power output to achieve the same spl's and level of control. However, if i stayed within a dB or two from old to new speakers, i might not notice a big difference. Granted, there are other variables here that could come into play, but i'm talking "simple" stuff here for those that aren't that "audio educated", not trying to teach the world physics in one thread or post.
Try to keep things in perspective. If we could cram all we needed to know about each subject into one thread, there would be no need for these or any other forums. I'm still learning and i hope others are too. Sean
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As far as my thoughts regarding sensitivity of a speaker go, i never implied that one should delete "low" efficiency speakers from their list or only consider speakers of "reasonable" sensitivity. My thoughts in trying to work with this is that many newcomers don't understand that there is such a thing as "matching" when it comes to building a quality component system. All things being equal, starting off with a more efficient speaker will typically make amplifier selection a little easier and open up more available options. If they knew that a speaker was considered "less sensitive" as compared to others, they might be able to make a more informed decision as to the suitability of said speakers and amplification choices. I was NOT saying that this is the most important spec, only that it is one of several factors to look at.
For the record, i have speakers that are 2-3 ohms that are appr 82 dB's output. I also have 3-4 ohm speakers that are about 85 - 86 dB's output. If i had only used speakers that were 8 ohms nominal and 90+ dB output, i would be in a world of surprise in terms of wondering why my amp sounded "bad" ( clipping with lack of control ) and the speakers wouldn't play very loud. If i had some type of a chart to compare sensitivity / output levels of various speakers, i would know that if i went noticeably down on efficiency, i would have to go up on power output to achieve the same spl's and level of control. However, if i stayed within a dB or two from old to new speakers, i might not notice a big difference. Granted, there are other variables here that could come into play, but i'm talking "simple" stuff here for those that aren't that "audio educated", not trying to teach the world physics in one thread or post.
Try to keep things in perspective. If we could cram all we needed to know about each subject into one thread, there would be no need for these or any other forums. I'm still learning and i hope others are too. Sean
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