No free lunch

The video is the subject. Paying attention to all the whacky irrelevant comments below it is like reading all the whacky irrelevant comments that flow on endlessly from, well stuff like this thread. If you want to direct my attention to some particular comment, by all means be my guest. All you did here is highlight what we already know, that audiophiles can run on and on, endlessly going off on tangents never getting anywhere.

In contrast to the video, which did actually go somewhere. They showed high sensitivity speakers are both lower distortion and play louder with low distortion even when driven by sufficiently powerful amps.

But that is a subject this crowd studiously avoids. Why? Now that is a very interesting subject. Why is it being avoided?

Okay, people whined so I read the post. Now again I ask, are we even talking about the same thing? Because, still:

1. Nothing about a free lunch!
2. Nothing about impedance!
3. Nothing about tradeoffs!

Just more armchair audiophool blather that does exactly what I said, studiously avoids the fact that high efficiency speakers play louder and sound better with less distortion!

The video talks about how they sound. Everyone else is blathering about all their made up reasons why that might be.

Furthermore, this clown isn’t even trying to do that! The whole point of his rant is to discredit the guys in the video!

Well, hearing Sean talk about this doesn’t inspire much confidence about him knowing the “why” or being able to discuss the positives and negatives.

That’s a direct quote. The first sentence. Makes clear his whole point is to discredit- to prove why he doesn’t have much confidence.

Furthermore, he's not discussing the positives and negatives. He's explaining why! Dude is so determined to make his predetermined point he doesn't even have time to listen. It really is all narrative, all the time!

This thread so far is a great example of why I don’t have much confidence about people here knowing what they’re talking about. Sorry. But it really is all narrative, all the time!  Can’t watch a video, can’t even make any sense- where’s the free lunch? Impedance? Tradeoffs?

Tempest in a Teapot me thinks.

Tempest in a Teapot me thinks.

😁😊😁😊😁😊😁😊

I dont pretend to know anything about speakers design...

I dont doubt and never doubted that high efficiency speakers are probably better in many count...

I dont think that any speakers tough could have been designed WITHOUT trade-off....

I dont want to argue about details of engineering here over my head save for this evidence: there is no perfect speakers... the reason for that is simple, the speakers are always designed with a particular room and specific use in the head of the creator.... Some are better designed, yes, and i will bet on high efficiency speakers in general...But low efficiency one may exist with other choices made that are also meaningful... And between low and high efficiency there is not a line, but a country ..... 😊
Then when someone speak of high efficiency speakers he speak about some in partiicular, different with different choices made than any other one.... ZU is not TEKTON for example....

I try to speak about something i know by experiments and speakers are not my experience...

I will let speakers designers enlightened me about that...

I never imagine that thanking someone for an article about trade off in speakers could create indignation....But millercarbon is passionnate like i am myself, perhaps even a little bit more....Then i understand...

I will only add that the author of this article is not a "clown"....

"Chris Brunhaver grew up in his family’s speaker manufacturing and hi-fi shop and pursued a music performance degree on double bass." An italian family manufacturing speakers is not my definition of what is a "clown" in general if we speak about speakers....

There is no free lunch anywhere this is evidence, but in amplifiers, dac, speakers all trade-off are not equal for sure....Some are better in a general way.... i will bet on high efficiency in general...

My best to all....

So "when you can SEE the cone move, that is harmonic distortion".

NO IT’S NOT. On what planet? If you can’t see a speaker move at 60 hz with volume up, what am I seeing? It is NOT distortion.. it’s a 60 hz note being playing at a higher volume. Distortion ONLY comes into play when you can’t stop the cone from moving.. THE exact opposite of what was said..

Pro drivers are excited with LOWER voltage, or less power. Normally High E speakers don’t have high excursion. The lack of excursion is usually made up with by increasing the cubic inches of surface area on the drivers cone.

NO matter the design, the bottom line, AIR is required to move to make sound. The more air that moves the louder the sound. No air, no sound!!

The trade off is simple. The larger the cone surface you have, the more "second wave" distortion. That’s right that BIG HIGH E speaker is a collector of what comes BACK to hit the cone surface. The cubic inches you were so proud of now do one thing COLLECT distortion.. The exact reason for med E speaker (89-93) with higher excursions and smaller surface areas. The "second wave" is controlled by phase plugs and a smaller surface area. Room treatment? Better have a plan...

So 101 on speaker building for me is know what your talking about..
My terminology may not be the as eloquent as the word salad connoisseurs, BUT my personal observation and understanding of "bass distortion" seems to conflict with most of "New way" of thinking..

FIRST; PHASE PLUGS are the ONLY way to decrease bass distortion properly on all round cone drivers "second wave". OR Don’t use cone drivers, OR Don’t use large surface area drivers.. The is NO OTHER WAY...

The reason I use smaller ribbons and planars in a bi pole NOT OB di pole, configuration. LESS distortion. If I dipole a speaker it does NOT use the same driver on the rear pole. "101 better speakers"

Now bass SPRING traps, the BEST idea so far... Distortion killers...

SECOND; Servo Bass, (primary distortion) overshoot.. control it or the distortion goes through the roof...

THIRD; Driver design, cast composite baskets and cone materials.
Construction distortion. The edges not being terminated, basket ring. LARGE, light, well cooled voice coils. Cone composite materials (shark skin). 8 ohms or more with larger cooler and lighter designs VC.

So Bla Bla Bla Bla all you want.

AND I hope everyone had a great "Passover" (3-27- 4-4) I know you did or you wouldn’t be reading this.. :-)

Regards