Efficient speakers -- What was your journey from A to B to ?

@jonwolfpell Thanks for your experiences. It's helpful to hear how things change.

@deep_333 

One would be surprised how little power the "supposedly inefficient" ear candy speakers actually use at deafness inducing spl levels.

I'm not ignorant of how affordable power is these days, and that it's good power, too. I have driven "supposedly inefficient" speakers to deafness inducing spl levels -- so I know that's possible, too. In other words, these are not new facts to me. What I am getting at -- which others here with efficient speakers also get -- is that there is a sonic experience with the combination of lower power plus higher efficiency which is different than higher/sufficient power + inefficient speakers. It's a nimbleness, a spry litheness -- in dynamics, pacing, but also in the way the tonalities are rendered. Perhaps you've not been able to notice it, yet. Once you do, you'll seek it as I am.

On that note -

Sometimes inefficient speakers need the volume turned up a little more to hear their full potential. Whereas more efficient speakers, and/or amplifiers well matched to the speaker, can be more effortless sounding, and at lower volume level fwtw.

For my home and setup, I spend 95% of the time listening at lower volume levels, so this kind of amp, speaker, impedance, and efficiency matching is a key objective.

Volti Rival

• for it’s high efficiency 100db to try out flea watt amps
• for it’s neutral linearity 

is that there is a sonic experience with the combination of lower power plus higher efficiency which is different than higher/sufficient power + inefficient speakers. It’s a nimbleness, a spry litheness -- in dynamics, pacing, but also in the way the tonalities are rendered.

@hilde45 , The last "relatively sensitive" speaker i had was the JBL9800 from their synthesis line... almost 20 years ago now maybe. It was possibly a letdown in comparison to my ’not so sensitive" current speakers (Schweikert 55, TAD E1TX), in every possible way i can think of. The JBL was a ear ripper with many a less than perfect recording. Since i’m a "music first" audiophile, i have loads of imperfect recordings from great artists and no inclination of dealing with such restrictions.

P.S. There are also so many killer resolving dacs these days (which didn’t exist back then), that can help deliver some of these traits/nuances you’re pursuing in sensitive speakers (without their cons).

@hilde45 I agree with @blisshifi that the DIY route could be very beneficial if speaker sensitivity is important and you’ve the relevant carpentry and software skills and/or time x willingness to learn more.

Once I defined my own parameters for “best playback setup,” high sensitivity worked out to be a happy, inadvertent addition (not an initial goal). I sure like having it now.

The following diyAudio thread has been going nearly a decade; I first began keeping up with it late 2014 or early 2015. Don’t try to read through in one afternoon (or month):
 

The Making of the Two Towers