Raven Blackhawk LE... am I going to be disappointed?

Great job b_limo, doing all the right things one step after another not getting distracted by the nonstop string of irrelevant comments.

hilde45, can you explain how you worked through all the math that proves the unsuitability of low sensitivity speakers and then nevertheless came to the conclusion there is no need for high sensitivity speakers? I mean, this is literally a wait, what?!

If it does not work out as hoped and you want to keep your speakers, trade-up. If you like Raven, the "Shadow MK" amplifier paired with a really good preamp w/two sets of pre-outs would get the job done! AND you get to keep the lovely sounding Salk speakers. Best of Luck.

https://www.ravenaudio.com/product/shadow-mk2/

@millercarbon I worked out the math which said I didn’t have enough power. But what I also learned was that there is a much wider range of possibilities than you would accept. There are many reviewers and forum folks have found a lot of success with speakers below 93 or 95 or higher with modest wattage amps which are well designed. You might say they haven't seen the light or don't know how to listen. That doesn't pass the smell test for me.

What I’ve come to learn is that the path you proselytize for -- high sensitivity speakers driven with efficiency by lower or moderate watt amplifiers -- is indeed a very good way to go. But it’s not the only way. And once one is past a certain range of mismatch, synergy wise, a lot of other factors can make for a happy marriage. And then there are my ears -- which have found that a number of lower db speakers work with a number of modest watt amps.

@hilde45 +1

And then there are my ears -- which have found that a number of lower db speakers work with a number of modest watt amps.

Great post!

In the end, we buy what makes sense to us in that given moment, the gear we are able to audition, and our listening preferences. For me, it is a learning process which I suspect will never end -- i.e. I will never be a ’know it all’ believing in ’absolute’ truths like so many on this website. And, frankly, I hope I never become like that.

The point of this hobby is to experiment, learn from your mistakes, admit your mistakes, and most importantly make an emotional connection with the music regardless of the cost, medium, or topology. There never has been, and never will be, one type of speaker or any other equipment that will satisfy everyone.

Some of the posts remind me of the story of the oracle at Delphi and Socrates. I quote ...

"In each case, Socrates affirmed that he would rather be as he is, knowing that he knows nothing, than to be inflated by a false sense of his own great wisdom. Thus, he concludes, he truly is wiser than other men because he does not think he knows what he does not know."