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

A noob question.

Will a 12w SET be enought for a 95dB sensitive speaker in a 190 sq. ft room if you listen at low to medium levels?

@johnk wrote:

It’s just wrong to think that hi eff doesn’t do low bass I have bass horns that can bend doors and make your eyes resonate some I designed are used in military simulators to replicate explosions and gun fire. Just because in your limited experience you haven’t heard deep bass in hi eff doesn’t mean it’s not available. It just means you made major compromises in size.

Exactly, John. I expressed a similar view in my latest post on this thread page some two months ago, but it went to deaf ears/blind eyes, it seems.

It must be said though people don’t need +100cf. behemoths to experience high eff. bass to 20Hz. 21"-loaded high order bandpass subs with 100dB sensitivity will do honest 25Hz from a 16-17cf. volume, and my own tapped horns are 20cf. per cab @22Hz. Even so most audiophiles are likely to bark at such sub cab sizes, and so there’s only so much one can do.

@larryi wrote:

But, I have never heard these systems deliver really low bass at a high level. I just don’t care that much that they don’t do subwoofer stuff and I don’t really like subwoofers in these sort of high efficiency systems. [...]

Which kinds of subs have you heard paired with high efficiency mains - low or high eff. subs (i.e.: smaller or very large subs)? I don’t find high eff. mains pair well with low eff. subs, they just don’t mesh properly. If however high eff. can be maintained across the whole range, another matter - given of course mandatory care taken with implementation. I prefer crossing fairly high to the subs, typically no lower than 80Hz, and with the mains high-passed accordingly - fully actively (mains + subs), if possible. That, to me, offers the best opportunity for a coherent, fully integrated presentation.

If on the other you’re perfectly OK sans subs, all is merry, though if you have yet to experience the right high eff. subs in conjunction with your mains I would say you’re potentially missing out on an extraordinary sonic meal. Pardon, I may be presumptuous..

I like Rolls Royce’s specification of horsepower in the old days: "Sufficient."

Haha, stated with confidence indeed :)

Depends on Co and sound quality.

@simna  With 12w and 95dp  speakers and only 190 sq. ft. room you can most probably  brake your windows in the house. 

But, I have never heard these systems deliver really low bass at a high level.

+1 @larryi

High efficiency speakers are the only choice to use with flea watt amps and that’s what they are usually paired with. Since bass requires a lot of air to be moved, a significant amount of energy is required, don’t expect extended linear bass.

The low watt amps are usually tube amps favored for their seductive midrange harmonic magic.

Most high efficiency speakers tend to be colored, but I did manage to find and purchase relatively linear neutral Volti Rival 100db speakers driven by the magical sound of my 300B 8watt amps. I wanted the cleanest window into my foray into flea watt amps.

I avoid low efficiency speakers as that limits amplifier choices to considerably more power and cost.

My non-flea watt speaker choice have mainstream efficiency which I define to easily run on 100-250wpc amplifiers. This affords me the greatest choices when looking for upgrade bargains. Like my flea watt speakers, i also wanted linear neutral clean window. I have the Vimberg Mino D.