How important is the efficiency of a speaker to you?


I went to an audio meeting recently and heard a couple of good sounding speakers. These speakers were not inexpensive and were well built. Problem is that they also require a very large ss amp upstream to drive them. Something that can push a lot of current, which pretty much rules out most low-mid ( maybe even high) powered tube amps. When I mentioned this to the person doing the demo, i was basically belittled, as he felt that the efficiency of a speaker is pretty much irrelevant ( well he would, as he is trying to sell these speakers). The speaker line is fairly well known to drop down to a very low impedance level in the bass regions. This requires an amp that is going to be $$$, as it has to not be bothered by the lowest impedances.

Personally, if I cannot make a speaker work with most tube amps on the market, or am forced to dig deeply into the pocketbook to own a huge ss amp upstream, this is a MAJOR negative to me with regards to the speaker in question ( whichever speaker that may be). So much so, that I will not entertain this design, regardless of SQ.

Your thoughts?

128x128daveyf

When discussing speakers that are hard to drive, I'm not really talking about speakers that cannot be driven by just a few watts. The video above, with the Decware amp is interesting, because while this amp probably sounds good within its envelope, at just 2.3 watts/ch, it clearly is extremely limited as to what speakers it will work with. This is basically the other end of the scale, the speakers in my OP need a minimum of 100 watts/ch and an amp that can push current into a very low load. The opposite is the case with a tube amp that puts out flea power...this amp can only be matched with a very small number of speakers. ( Relatively). 

So, while I would agree that the cost to put together a system with a flea watt amp is probably less than one that needs a brute of a ss amp upstream, neither is great IMO. 

I am currently using that same 2.3 wpc amp with my 96dB 140 lb floorstanders.  I feed the amp with a Grimm MU1 streamer and a Lampizator Golden Gate 3 DAC.  Interestingly, my DAC uses large DHT tubes capable of making twice the power of the amp (although they don't, the DAC output is line level with volume control).

Jerry

 

I like tube amps and generally don't like high powered tube amps so I look for sensitivity in speakers my current AN-J's are 93db and work well on 3.5 2a3 watts. 😉

Jond,

I too generally prefer low-powered tube amps.  That makes high efficiency and easy load important qualities of a speaker.  AN-J’s are not very high in efficiency, but they are intended to be placed in the corner of a room, which boosts the level of bass and makes them effectively more efficient, and they present an easy load to the amplifier.  I heard crazy-good sound from AN-J SECs driven by a Kageki amp (parallel 2a3 SET amp); an incredibly good match even though the Kageki is something like a 6.5 wpc amp.

-j-

@daveyf 

this seems like simply a venting thread as nothing is going to change- inefficient speakers require more power than efficient speakers.