high-efficiency loudspeakers


 What is the best high-efficiancy loudspeakers? If you have it, are you  happy ?
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While not quite "high" efficiency, I like the Audio Note line for their sound quality, adaptability to a wide assortment of rooms, and wide range of price options.  They can be made to sound pretty good in almost any system, but will still reward use in ultra high end systems.  While they can play quite loud (for my taste), they are not the best choice for those who like to play at punishingly high volume levels.  Audio Note is for those who like a warm, rich sound.

For some seeking a brighter sound and harder edged dynamics, the Classic Audio field coil speakers are worth hearing.  But, they are much bigger in size than the Audio Note speakers.

At a recent audio show, I heard a $14,000 Charney system using a single Voxativ driver per speaker (back-loaded horn arrangement) that sounded very good and came in a reasonably compact and nice looking cabinet.  The sound was very even (not peaky like most single driver speakers),surprisingly full in the midbass range and reasonably full in the lower bass range.  The only thing I would want for more is extension on top.

For lower priced high efficiency speakers, I thought the $3,000 Tekton system I heard at a show was quite good.  A Rethm speaker in that price range was also surprisingly good (single driver covering most of the frequency range with a built in powered subwoofer).

The very best high efficiency system I've heard was a custom-built system using field coil drivers from G.I.P. Laboratories.  But, the drivers alone have a price approaching six figures.

+1 for ZU Audio. I have the ZU Audio Soul MKII's and they are 99db efficient. You can drive them very easily. They are very fast and the midrange is terrific. You do need to take time with speaker placement (as you would with many speakers.) Also, points for WAF if this concerns you at all. 

I had a chance to visit ZU Audio in Ogden Utah in April 2016. The team couldn't have been any nicer. They gave me a tour of the facility and paint/cable assembly rooms and they made a clarity cap/Juniper bypass for me on sight (which was easy to install when I returned home.) 

As mentioned previously in this thread, if you want analytical, ZU will not be for you. I would keep with ZU if I decide to upgrade (to the Omen Def MK4) but I do not see that happening anytime soon. 

Good luck
I've been a huge fan of Deadalus Audio speakers for over a decade. During that time Lou has steadily pushed his designs forward in terms of performance without losing an iota of what makes his designs some of the most musically compelling loudspeakers you can get at an price. They are all very high efficiency (96db+) with a very flat impedance curve so will work well with a wide range of amplification. I recently heard his new Apollo series design (Apollo 11) and was stunned by their performance. For high efficiency speakers Daedalus get my strongest recommendation!!
Ralph is there an established price list for the "Classic Audio Loud speakers" ?
It depends on which model and which options. So they can be anywhere from $8000 and up. I've not seen an established price list- just give John a call.

@dodgealum , while the Deadalus is a very nice speaker (and easy to drive), its not really what I would call 'high efficiency' although they are at the high end of what seems to be 'moderate efficiency'. He specs 96db+ on his site, but that is a sensitivity rating, not efficiency. The sensitivity rating requires that you take the impedance of the speaker into account because the rating is based on voltage rather than power.

So for example, if the speaker is 96db and 6 ohms, its actual efficiency is around 94.5db. 97 or 98 db might be the bottom end of what is considered high efficiency, with many examples being over 100db.