The Best Midrange in the World Right Now

In light of this thread, an email from Musical Fidelity, I suppose this is their view...

Do you have a hi-fi system or just an overpriced music centre?

It's very simple to tell them apart: dynamic range is the main measure of a real hi-fi system.

Can your system produce unclipped 105dB peaks? If so, then
congratulations on owning genuine hi-fi. If it can't, then no matter how much it cost, or what it's called, it's just an overpriced music centre.

Most loudspeakers need about 500 unclipped watts to achieve peaks of 105dB at about ten feet.

That's a lot more power than most so-called hi-fi amplifiers have. Imagine asking a sewing machine motor to power a Formula One car, and you have an idea.

You can hear when a hi-fi system is underpowered, because it clips, which limits the dynamic range. The music sounds sharp and edgy and it feels cramped.

But when loudspeakers are given enough power, a system can produce awesome dynamics, with sound that feels so real you can almost touch it.

Check the chart to find out how much power you need to turn your existing system into real hi-fi.

And relax. You can get all the power you need. Visit musicalfidelity.com at 10.10 am on 1st May 2007 to find out how.

How much power do you need for a proper hi-fi system.

Loudspeaker sensitity/Amp power for 105dB peak
83db/800 watts per channel
85/500
87/325
89/200
91/130

Brian,

But when loudspeakers are given enough power, a system can produce awesome dynamics, with sound that feels so real you can almost touch it.

What musical fidelity says is true, however, what they neglect to mention is power compression in speakers (due to thermal issues and excursion outside of Xmax or linear excursion range of their often cheap drivers)

This means that ALL speakers will compress at higher SPL ouput levels and only "true Hi-Fi" speakers, to borrow musical fidelity's language, will compress very little.

Furthermore, speaker distortion increases very rapidly above 95 db SPL...so not only will it compress but it will sound harsh and perceptively very loud (due to distortion perceived as loudness by the ears/brain)

In practical terms this means that a 500 Watt amp will not help you with a typical audiophile grade speaker that uses $80 retail cost woofer drivers (with limited Xmax and thermal compression characteristics). Again to borrow and reverse their terminology, this is like connecting a Ferrari Engine to a Sewing Machine transmission!

Equating speaker sensitivty and amplifier power to maximum SPL output level is completely academic or meaningless, as most $80 dollar woofers are already compressing/distorting severely at 105 db spl levels!

For example, the best subwoofers typically have way more than 30% THD at 20 Hz when approaching levels of 105 db (the majority are totally off the scale in distortion)...some of the very best will be around 5% THD and the best published specifications, such as the Velodyne 1812, claim 1% THD!

So what is the point of all that amplification?.....nothing if it coupled with a typical sewing machine!

I should have stated in my post Shardone that this wasn't necessarily my view, I just received this email from MF and immediately thought of this thread and posted it.

Further to Shadorne's recomendation of ATC's, has anyone heard both the SCM 7 and the now discontinued SCM 12?

Would be curious to hear any thoughts and thanks.

I to had a Audionics BT-2 preamp connected to a pair of Dynacos Mark 6 mono tube amps . Excelent sound , especially in the midrange .And this was when all the good cables you could find was Monster Cable original cable.