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How to shop for speakers?

OK, I've got the upgrade bug. My problem is how to evaluate speaker auditions given the limited local choices and the inevitable differences in amplification, room, etc. I have a local dealer who will let me do home audition, but he does not carry 4 of the 5 brands I am interested in after attending RMAF. He is even getting the mfgr to send a pair for my audition. My problem is how do I judge the various speakers given the variability in listening environments and the time lapses between listening. Buying used for home auditioning and selling what I do not like does not seem practical to me given the price range I am looking at - not much available used in this range and too much potential for significant loss with each transaction. Besides what if I sell one I later decide was the best.

My short list after attending RMAF:

B&W 800d or 802d - not so impressed after dealer demo
Dynaudio Confidence C4 - waiting for dealer to get one for demo
Wilson Sasha or Sophia3 - was blown away by the soundstage of the Sophias at RMAF
I would like to audition Revel Salons or Studios or Sonus Faber Elipsa but local dealers are installers and do not have demo capability

My favorite at RMAF was JM Labs Maestro Utopia but they are out of my price range new.

Amplification is McIntosh MC501 ( this makes me a non-audiophile since I read in another thread that audiophiles do not use Mac equipment - I'm fine with that since I really like the music more than the equipment). But, I would like to hook up a MC275 during the hot summer months to listen at low to moderate levels.o

Not sure if this is a gripe or a request for advice, but I will appreciate any guidance that is offered other than the usual " you listen and decide" I already appreciate that.
altbrewer
timlub
2,041 posts
 
Hi Atmasphere,
I think I got it right Power = Sensitivity, Voltage = Efficiency. In the long run, it doesn't matter for what we all do and in fact the two terms are 95% interchangable. We all know what we mean when we say a speakers Sensitivity or Efficiency is 90db.
An interesting example for everyone would be what a room does to efficiency. We put set up a 90db speaker in the golden triangle in the middle of a big room, if you get a flat response, they are 90db at all frequencies. Move them back a bit and the bass is reinforced, by ??? 1 to 6 db. We still have a 90db speaker, but we just made the bass frequencies more efficient. The speaker is still a 90db sensitivity speaker, but the room just made the bass more efficient. That is the easiest example of efficiency vs sensitivity for everyone that I can think of . For Altbrewer, I have no idea how all of this will help you shop speakers, please let us know what you end up with. The best of luck, Tim
timlub
2,041 posts
 
I emailed my friend that owned SpeakerCraft/Marcof Electronics, he has designed a ton of raw drivers for several different people. As an off shoot of this discussion we were discussing how we have chosen an 8 or 15 inch driver for the same design even though an 8 inch and a 15 inch woofer both have the same sensitivity and can be designed as a woofer with the same mid and tweeter, the 15 is still more efficient because how it moved more air more efficiently. Here is his reply:

Tim, while vc resistance is used as a part of motor force calculation, so is the driver cone area. You can build what you want many many ways, but to tie efficiency directly to voice coil resistance is flaky science to say the least.
Design with the highest flux density in the voice coil gap and the highest ampere turns also in the gap with the lightest moving mass with the largest cone size will win the DB/Watt/1 meter race. It doesn't mean a darn thing about how it will sound. :)
Hope this helps some! As you already know, speaker design, is a giant pile of trade offs (at best).
Ed
honest1
586 posts
 
Tim - I think Atmasphere is right - efficinecy refers to how much power something consumes, and power is measured in watts. Sensitivity refers to how much something is affected by an input. Audio equipment, when run in its normal operating range, acts like a voltage source, so the input to a power amp or a speaker is a voltage signal. The output is then the sensitivity of that speaker to the voltage input.
timlub
2,041 posts
 
Hi Honest1,
Agreed, I understand where you are coming from. I don't understand the argument. Sensitivity is rated @ 1 watt 1 meter regardless of a speakers impedance, as everyone has discussed above. It takes varying degrees of voltage to derive the power rating of 1 watt depending on the resistance of the speaker. It is the voltage that changes to measure 1 watt. The power rating of 1 watt is what we measure sensitivity. Varying degrees of voltage change the efficiency. I've had my head on backwards more than once. Either way, I have talked with Ralph and appreciate him, I have no doubt that we both understand the concept. Good Listening, Tim
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Strictly speaking, neither interpretation of "efficiency" is correct. "Efficiency" would most properly be defined as acoustic power out vs. electrical power in.

However since both "efficiency" and "sensitivity" are being used in reference to acoustic PRESSURE, rather than power ("spl" = "sound pressure level"), it would seem that using "efficiency" to refer to the ratio of spl to electrical power input, rather than voltage input, would come closest to the correct usage.

And I believe that is the most widely accepted usage. Although the terms tend to be used so loosely and interchangeably that insisting on one definition or the other is probably pointless as a practical matter.

Best regards,
-- Al
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