What is your take on high efficient speakers vs. low efficient speakers?


Consider both designs are done right and your other equipment is well matched with the speakers.  Do you have any preference when it comes to sound quality?  Is it matter of economic decision when it comes to price? - power amps can become very expensive when power goes up, on the other hand large,  efficient speakers are expensive as well.  Is your decision based on room size?  I'd love to hear from you on the subject. 

128x128tannoy56

 

@phusis

No, SET’s for when they make sense; with high to very high sensitivity speakers to take advantage of the less than 1 watt where the distortion levels found in these amps are extremely low here, just like with the speakers they’re feeding that efficiently turns electrical power into acoustic energy.

Yes, this accurately describes my copacetic listening scenario. 8 watt SET mono blocks driving 94 db sensitivity /14-ohm impedance speakers. My typical listening levels sitting 10 feet away are  C-weighted 65-75 SPL

Can dip to the mid 50s (softer passages) most ofren peaks (mid 80s).. I can listen at louder levels comfortably, but no need to.

At these very satisfying listening levels the SET is far below 1 watt of power (Small fractions of one watt) and doing so at a very low level of distortion (As you note). The sound is very tactile, resolved, pure, natural and quite emotionally engaging. Key take away is the amp and speaker must form a compatible match.

Charles

 

 

 

@charles1dad , I said "FEEL" like you are in a small Jazz club. I hate to be a stick in the mud but forgetting about SET, amps higher powered amplifiers have trouble getting low bass right. If you thick a SET amp can get even close you and I live in different universes. SET amps are for hobbyists, the guys who like short wave radios. To each his own for sure but I am talking about a specific level of performance one in a thousand systems might reach and not one of them will have a SET amp. 

@mijostyn 

You are dogmatic and presumptuous in your dialogue.  Let's just agree that you and I have very different experiences and perspective and leave it there. We both have found over the course of time what hast proven to satisfy our respective audio/music listening goals. We are both quite happy with our audio systems. Some on this thread can relate to my perspective and others here relate to yours. That's fine with me.

Charles

Not my set-up, unfortunately, Kharma/Lamm SET deliver super performance.

Kharma is medium efficient, I think.

@charles1dad , dogmatic maybe, presumptuous, not at all. What you are listening to is a study in colored inaccuracy. You can like it all you want but calling it accurate is a big stretch.