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

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

@ozzy62 ..."the current models of Heritage speakers are more forgiving and linear than older versions.".

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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!

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A lot of horn speakers have no time aligning....so the tweeter sounds hit your ear before the midrange. Klipsch have resonant horns and ordinary xover parts.....there is no diffraction control on them, as well. Also not open baffle....Open baffle gives more "open" sound. All this can be remedied with simple two way open baffle dynamic woofer and planar mid/tweet DIY speakers. The GRS planars are cheap and the Radians’s look really great too. Please see my website page for how to make these.....both active and passive versions are discussed. There will be people making these things (maybe you) so these super cheap killer speakers will be a reality soon. All designs discussed have at least 93db sensitivity.

http://tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/DIY_Bi-amped_super_speaker.html