No free lunch

@oldhvymec 

[My terminology may not be the as eloquent as the word salad connoisseurs]

I think you're being too humble. I, for one, enjoy reading your posts. You have a way with words and a narrative style that's quite eloquent and a breath of fresh air. 

The sound characteristics of a speaker from Harbeth, as an example, is the result of very careful and meticulous selection of material, voicing decisions, and a number of other factors that have won them a loyal following

It is just marketing terms:) If you look to some pro audio drivers,they are better built,don't have plastic baskets as harbeths and cheap highs
Actually I had harbeth and dynaudio speakers.Harbeth speakers are limited sounding speakers.With some music (few or one instrument or solo vocals)I loved it.Try listen louder them or in free space ,outside house and their sound is very strange.Dynaudio wins here.Full range sound.They can rock here,but they are not dynamic as high efficiency speakers
Big efficient drivers makes midrange sound massive with visceral impact of instruments,some may refer them as shouty.

[ ... Dynaudio wins here. ..']

Sorry I didn't realize we were having a competition here :) I love Dynaudio, by the way, amazing speakers! I just happen to prefer Harbeth.

You missed my point by a country mile. There are a number of highly respected designers who are going for a specific sound signature. To dismiss the design (low efficiency) as merely a byproduct of cost savings is shortsighted. Harbeth has thousands of loyals fans ... as does Dynaudio, and Klipsch, and [insert your favorite speaker brand here]. The point being some people prefer low efficiency designs over high efficiency ones, and vice versa. 

[ ... Try listen louder them or in free space ,outside house and their sound is very strange. ...]

I have no intention of installing my speakers in a public park, so that's a moot point as far as I'm concerned :)

“I have yet to meet a high efficiency speaker that connected with me emotionally.”

@arafiq
Come over and listen to my Tannoy Canterbury’s next time you visit Houston.

@lalitk -- of course, it’s been on the cards for quite some time. That’s why I said I have ’yet’ to meet a high efficiency speaker that I liked :)

But keep in mind that your Canterbury’s are in a whole different league when it comes to price and performance. I have listened to various Klipsch Heritage models (except LaScalas), Devore Orangutans, Tannoy Sterlings, and Tekton Double Impacts. They were all very very good speakers, and I have no doubt have their own fan base. Just didn't do enough for me to want to live with them long term.

I’m looking forward to hearing your setup when the time comes.