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Speaker sensitivity vs SQ

My first thread at AG.

Millercarbon continues to bleat on about the benefits of high sensitivity speakers in not requiring big amplifier watts.
After all, it's true big amplifiers cost big money.  If there were no other factors, he would of course be quite right.

So there must be other factors.  Why don't all speaker manufacturers build exclusively high sensitivity speakers?
In a simple world it ought to be a no-brainer for them to maximise their sales revenue by appealing to a wider market.

But many don't.  And in their specs most are prepared to over-estimate the sensitivity of their speakers, by up to 3-4dB in many cases, in order to encourage purchasers.  Why do they do it?

There must be a problem.  The one that comes to mind is sound quality.  It may be that high sensitivity speakers have inherently poorer sound quality than low sensitivity speakers.  It may be they are more difficult to engineer for high SQ.  There may be aspects of SQ they don't do well.

So what is it please?

128x128clearthinker
alexberger
935 posts
 
@mijostyn ,

How can you cool the driver voice coil if you need 100 watts to listen to it at normal volume?
Even if you put a dedicated fan it wouldn't help!
In contrast if you need just 5 watt, you don't have this problem even with the most straightforward driver coil design.

Regards,
Alex.

 
clearthinker's avatar
clearthinker OP
1,582 posts
 
Thank you phusis.
If I understand you correctly, you make a new point after 119 posts to this thread:
A large majority of audiophile speaker designs are low efficiency because a large majority of audiophiles don't like some of the sound characteristics of high efficiency speaker designs.  Or, as you say, they think they don't.

If that's correct, I wonder how much the sound characteristics of the puny 10 watt often SET amps that are commonly used to drive high efficiency designs have got to do with it.  Like some of the posters here, I certainly don't like them.  Would they sound different (better?) driven with a high current amp with a big power supply, even if the wick has to be turned a long way down?  They would be under better control, particularly in the bass where most of the problem lies.

phusis's avatar
phusis
1,226 posts
 
@atmasphere --

...  A higher efficiency driver that can make 98dB with 1 watt and is 8 ohms is a different beast altogether. This describes the 15" drivers in my speakers at home and they cost $2000.00 each.

These are field coil-fitted drivers, right? In that presumable case their price, though way above what needs to serve a fitting purpose here, makes a little more sense. 

You can find 15" drivers that cost $200.00. I'd be very interested to learn of a 15" with the same 22Hz free air resonance and 150 watt power handling that cost $200, or even $600.00. Have at it! But I think you'll find that such simply does not exist.

The Electro-Voice DL15W woofer/mids of my pro cinema speakers are 97dB sensitive/8 ohms, have a 21Hz free air resonance, and take 400 watts long term. And there are two of them in each speaker (+ subs). Being they're high-passed below ~85Hz further adds to their power handling. I'm unaware of their price being they're discontinued, but my guess is around $300 retail per driver at the time.
alexberger
935 posts
 
Hi @clearthinker ,

The problem is because high efficiency speakers today are rare a very few audiophile had opportunity to listen good implemented system with high efficiency speakers.
The other factor is the average high efficiency speakers are more transparent and shows more flaws of the system electronics.

I remember, for me it was shock when I at first listened a good high efficiency speakers system back at 2002. I was like a medieval knight who saw an army armed with aircraft and tanks.
Since that day I heard many systems, but any low efficient system didn’t impress me. In the best case they sound just OK. They also sound more boring in therm of music.
If any thing impressed me - it always was high efficient system!

Regards,
Alex.


clearthinker's avatar
clearthinker OP
1,582 posts
 
Thanks Alex.
In terms of my original question, I am rather afraid you are saying high efficiency speakers are rare because they're rare.  That won't get us far.

And on your second point. Or are systems electronics commonly used to drive them often flawed?  I have always felt that in many cases it is the flaws that make them less 'boring'.
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