High efficiency speakers vs Low, pros and cons

Except that goes against the very many audiophiles who report that each amplifier is different in their retrieval of low-level detail, which definitely lies below one watt even on 90dB speakers. And was it Audio Note who came up with the phrase "the first Watt is the most important."??

I'm sure the designer heard what he heard, but perhaps the explanation for what he heard lies elsewhere-

-Perhaps his horns do not respond very well to low-level changes in music- changes in the swing of the rhythm or changes in the way a note is attacked or released.
-Far more likely, though- the interconnects and speaker wires used weren't very clear at those small signals (something I and others have experienced over and over again for more than 15 years).
-Source gear often fails in the same way.

But he is right- higher efficiency speakers relieve amplifiers of a lot of stress. But I cannot believe they all sound the same at one Watt.

What is anyone ele's experience?

Roy

Roy aka gma@pcisys.net: Thanks for your contribution regarding speaker design and the way that you worded it. It was very well put and easy to understand. I'm glad that you have the ability to speak in terms that the average audio enthusiast can follow along with. Your post was a great contribution as far as i'm concerned. Then again, it agreed with what i've been trying to say, so it's no wonder that i like it : ) Sean
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Yes, thanks for all the informative posts!

Thanks guys. I'm glad you learned from them and that my writing wasn't too confusing.
Best regards,
Roy

Many good points here gents!

I do not agree that all amplifiers sound "the same" at one Watt. However, most amps will operate in Class A at low output, and definitely sound their best there - it may well be that they sound less different at one Watt.

I would add that the laws of physics define a relationship between low bass limit, efficiency, and box volume. So for a bass woofer, the designer who wishes to increase efficiency must either compromise bandwidth (low frequency limit) or make the box bigger.

Cheers,
CRP