Efficient speakers -- What was your journey from A to B to ?
This thread is for people who have tried a successive number of efficient speakers and are willing to relate what they learned on the way.
Here's where I am: Recent experiences with speakers and amps has lead me toward lower watt (not ultra low) amps and more sensitive speakers.
I currently am looking for a second pair of speakers to alternate with my Ascends which would play more nicely with my Quicksilver Mono 60s and my Pass XA 25. (If I found the right speakers, I could be willing to look into SET amps, etc. but that is not my quest, now.)
I am open to design -- horns, open baffle, single driver, etc. My budget is flexible but I won't spend tens of thousands. So, some options are likely not possible.
Here are the speakers I am keeping an eye out for, used, but please add to my list!
Audio Note
Coherent Audio
Coincident — planar magnetic tweeters
Daedalus
Fyne
Klipsch
legacy
Living Voice
Omega
Pure Audio Project
spatial
Tannoy
Volti
Again, I'm especially interested in hearing from folks who have tried more than one of these speakers and can explain what lead them from one brand or model to the next -- and why.
Thanks!
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. |
@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): |
. Was glad to see this point, and wanted to resurface it. I tend to believe word and "belief" about the recent design changes are still getting out to the mainstream. While I don’t own nor have tested the latest versions from Klipsch, a friend of mine is telling me this while we banter back and forth some about lower-watt single ended triode amplifier designs and preamps he’s paired up with prior and latest versions and models from Klipsch past few years. I've been re-interested since helping a friend co deign/build three pairs of Altec Onken replicas. Quite a project. Also interesting to read here how Greg at Volti is involved with mods on Klipsch, and partly what caught my attention about Volti Razz and Volti Rival. While I’m not back into SET amps right now, its fun to read what people are doing here on Agon. I’m sort of stuck and stubborn with my custom 93db speakers and push-pull amps I won’t part with, certainly enjoy learning and living vicariously with all of you who rotate all of the speakers mentioned so far. Good stuff - enjoy! . |
