Is the most efficient speaker the best speaker?

Gentlemen, I believe that the losses that are being referred to as being "per meter" should be "per doubling of distance."

I'm not particularly knowledgeable about horns, but I suspect that the 6db number is correct, *on that basis*.

If so, the 100db/W/1m would correspond to 94db/W/2m, and 88db/W/4m, and 86.06db/W/5m, according to my calculations.

Best regards,
-- Al

Hello Al,

Per meter = doubling of measured reference distance..

regards,

One question for you Charles1dad,

How would you describe the bass performance of your system? Are you able to get a nice foundation on all kinds of music? I like body or "meat on the bones' if you will. I share many of the same sonic goals as you and respect the system you have put together. A friend of mine owns the Total Victory speakers and I do find them wonderful sounding.

Comparing a planar to a horn is like comparing a slingshot to a rifle.

When was the last time you attended a concert or a sporting event in a stadium or arena where planar speakers were used for sound reinforcement?

If your answer is "never", then maybe you were listening to horns. And maybe horns were used because the deluded engineers are horn zealots. Maybe if they had the sense of a weseixas they would have used panels instead.

Or, maybe horns were used because they project sound better and convey dynamics better.

The arguments above comparing 200 watts on a planar to 2 watts in a horn are silly. If you want intimate presentation in a confined space, then SET might be your best choice. But if you are looking for the Power and the Glory, then put your 200 watts on the horns and forget that planars exist because you won't be able to hear them.

I own a Prius and I love it - but I'm not going to get in a pissing contest with truck owners over towing capability. Planars are nice in the drawing room - they allow for polite conversation.

Anything scientific to add macrojack?....thought so, this is not about horns vs the world , so no need for your insecurities to fly !!!

We are discussing sensitivity more over i'm trying to point out it is not as simple as comparing the published numbers, but what we really need is to determine what is low/med/high sensitivity.

Eg: is it ,

low ... Below 86db/w/m
Med..... Below 96 db/w/m
high ... below 106 db/w/m

Then we will now have to determine, direct radiator, waveguide,planer/linesource, conical horn/hybrid, full conical horn system.. et al ...

Then there is application .. easy as most if not all are discussing domestic listening environment, so your auditorium straw argument wont fly and is not necessary.

Then there is impedance magnitude and phase, critical in determining how we are going to drive the beast..

Fact is most planer/linesource will easily exceed 100db in most listrening environment as will some of the larger direct radiators, so there is no shortfall in the domestic environement when it comes to dynamics, regarless of weapon choosen, of course amplfication for the application will have to be correctly choosen, that's academic.

So IMO sensitivity numbers by themselves does not a better speaker make ..

regards