We should reject hard-to-drive speakers more often
Sorry I know this is a bit of a rant, but come on people!!
Too many audiophiles find speakers which are hard to drive and... stick with them!
We need to reject hard-to-drive speakers as being Hi-Fi. Too many of us want our speakers to be as demanding as we are with a glass of wine. "Oh, this speaker sounds great with any amplifier, but this one needs amps that weigh more than my car, so these speakers MUST sound better..."
Speakers which may be discerning of amplifier current delivery are not necessarily any good at all at playing actual music.
That is all.
@jon_5912 Wrote:
In my opinion, a high powered amplifier that can drive lower impedances will never be a proxy for a speakers lack of true efficiency. Mike |
I have been around the block with Apogee speakers back in the day, including the Scintilla ( I actually owned, for a year, the Duettas ). My question was, as stated, " adequately " drive? I am not fond of tube amps ( low / poor damping factor ), which is a shame, as I own horns. The times I used tubes for mids / highs, and ss for bass, I always was aware of the " transition " between the two. Listen, I have always said, " whatever the listener enjoys, that is fine. I like what I like, and I don’t like, what I don’t. My best, and enjoy ! MrD. |
@ditusa wrote:
I fully agree, Mike. @mrdecibel wrote:
Even via my horn hybrid, actively configured main speakers using different SS amps for the top horn section (~600Hz on up) and bass bin it doesn’t go unnoticed that they "speak" slightly differently when compared to using two identical amps here, not least when the identical amps are bi-amped vertically. The difference is likely somewhat more subtle vs. the scenario of tubes + SS you’re describing, but it goes to show there are points in coherency to gain with extra attention invested here. The SS amp chosen for the subs below ~85Hz is less critical wrt. ultimate coherency, but to my ears what is critical in this region is choosing an amp that doesn’t go totally bonkers with a damping factor in the thousands as a means in itself, but this is obviously also a matter of proper subs-amp-room matching and what sounds the most musically full and natural here, or whatever one finds appealing. Overly damped (i.e.: "tight") bass isn’t natural bass to my ears, nor is the inverse scenario - it’s certainly about finding the right balance in relation to one’s (p)reference and context. |
@erik_squires wrote:
In addition to thermal issues this would only stress the importance of headroom, and also as a phenomenon somewhat equivalent to thermal modulation as an effect that has sonic implications well before the typically assessed limits, both thermally and mechanically. These "grey areas" definitely need more attention. |
@phusis I couldn't agree with you more about overly damped bass. |
