Higher sensitivity - more dynamic sound?

@johnk

+1, very logical.

Yet lower-moderate sensitivity speakers dominate the marketplace. These speaker manufacturers know that with the proliferation of affordable transistor wattage/power, an amplifier is readily available for the typical 85-87 db sensitivity 4 ohm impedance speaker. It seems the path of less resistance. Thus the default choice. 200-300 tube watts gets expensive relatively speaking.

I get the sense that good quality high sensitivity and easy to drive speakers may be more involved/complex and harder to get right. However when executed properly they can be quite the special product.

Charles

the technology doesn't matter - the concrete result is important...
in general (if you listen to serious adult music) - you will get more result per dollar...
But there are features (short stroke) and highly sensitive speakers not for teenage music (rock, metal, techno and the like) ...
This is not like a missed liver punch by Eric Butterbean))

Feels nice to be seen as a teenager again after 3 decades 😆

@realworldaudio 

"to reduce the errors made by the additional amplification" 

Nonsense.  Why should high power amplifiers have more 'errors'?  Presumably you mean distortion.

Fact is the flea-power single-ended single-figure watt valve amplifiers have far higher distortion than properly designed high power amplifiers.  In many cases more than 1% distortion compared with 0.01% in high power amps.

But some people don't mind listening to distortion and in many cases say they actually like it.

In many cases more than 1% distortion compared with 0.01% in high power amps.

In the vast majority of cases these very low distortion figures are achieved by judicious application of NFB which can often result in other sonic compromises. I agree that some listeners may strongly prefer the 1% (Or higher) distortion (2nd order predominantly) amplifier with little or no utilization of NFB.

I believe that we can agree it’s purely a matter of what type of sound quality and presentation a listener seeks and desires. Choices abound for either direction. Which in my opinion is a good occurrence.

Charles