High vs. low sensitivity speakers, is there a clear winner? #audiophile

I like low and high sensitivity speakers, for different reasons. High sensitivity speakers like Zu, Klipsch, and JBL horns have superior dynamics and life; low sensitivity speakers like TAD and Harbeth have smoother frequency response and fuller bass.

[kennethiman]

Watching Steve is like having a good friend stop by...albeit one with 1000 different shirts!

[motorradmike]

There are alternatives to horn drivers in high efficiency speakers. I agree with Steve. High efficiency speakers can usually (not always) convey a certain delicacy during quiet musical passages and then have the ability to accelerate at the blink of an eye to play highly dynamic music LOUD. I auditioned two highly efficient speakers in my home; Klipsch Forte III’s and Tekton Design Double Impact speakers. I wound up choosing the Double Impact over the Forte III. I’m not going to go into why here, but my listening space was large enough to support the very large DI’s. One observation I’ve made over the years is that, all things being equal (like bass response), highly efficient speakers are physically larger than than their lesser efficient counterparts. Cheers.

[dirtbikeguy]

Love the channel Steve. Very informative for a newbie 20 y/o with bose 901’s

[circuitsmith]

I've been DIYing speakers for 40+ years, using midrange and tweeter horns for 30+ of those years.
Direct radiator woofer vs midrange, two separate issues.
Small acoustic susp woofer has the size advantage as stated in the video, but here are disadvantages.
Small cone area leads to increased excursion and higher distortion (AM and FM).
Low sensitivity leads to more voice coil heating which can reduce dynamic range and shift speaker parameters due to voice coil resistance increase.
Horns got a bad rep in the '50s and '60s due to some bad designs and poor crossovers.
Horns need a steep high-pass to minimize signals below the low freq cutoff of the horn. I use 18db/oct.
Below the cutoff frequency the frequency response and transient response become poor (due to low frequency waves reflecting at the horn mouth back into the horn).
Besides raising sensitivity, the efficient coupling from diaphragm to horn throat reduces diaphragm movement and thus distortion.
The high sound pressure in the throat reduces the effect of internal static friction of the diaphragm and its suspension.
This allows for more clarity and detail in low volume sounds.

[avjake]

When they are done well, high efficiency speakers are extremely engaging. I was listening to my KEFs today at a higher than usual volume, and the dynamics left me unimpressed (but I love them otherwise). High sensitivity also translates to lower driver distortion, which is a huge bonus. I'm looking forward to auditioning the Klipsch RP-8000F. I had a pair of Forte IIs for a while and did not like the aggressive upper bass, so I'll be listening closely for that. The response graph on audioholics looks extremely good, so maybe that's not an issue this time.

[jimshaw]

Bravo! The most important line in your post:
A TEN DB DIFFERENCE IN SENSITIVITY MEANS IT TAKES TEN TIME MORE POWER TO GET THE SAME LOUDNESS. This can be very hard to get your head around. But it is true.

It means that you might be able to use a 50-100 watt per channel amp or receiver to fill your room -- with a lot of headroom for the fortissimo stuff. It might mean you don't need that PS Audio 400(?) watt behemoth amp to hear a symphony orchestra at near concert volume. And the headroom left over means the tutti crescendo doesn't have to go And you might not need to fret and worry about loading up the AC power line -- or the amp's limited power supply -- to hear all that.

The efficiency factor you talk about reminds me of MY days as a theater projectionist (at a student job). We had your remembered Altec Lansing Voice of the Theater horn behind the screen driven by a 35-watt-rated tube amp. It filled the 600 seat theater -- and the amp was loafing. The output tubes lasted years.

I have an ancient pair of Advent (sealed box) speakers in the bedroom. My "100 watt" old Teac A-B receiver starts to clip at just reasonably loud levels. I think I'll replace them with a pair of Klipsch 600s. In the bargain, I expect to be able to keep the old Teac. No new amp. No new preamp. No blue meters. But a lot less than 10 watts per channel (clean, not busting buckles) should suffice.

Do not take anything I say here against sealed box speakers. The old Advents are still wonderful (with twice reconed woofers), with tight bass and no boom that I can hear. But, they take a half ton of power to drive them to effortless sound. So, a $1500 amp, $500 preamp -- or, $550 for the Klipsch pair? Choices.

And effortless sound can be a wonderful thing. Your wallet keeps some padding, too.

[danstein]

Your journey into high efficiency speakers has been enlightening. I am a fan of and own both Zu and Klipsch speakers. You should try and listen to some Speakerlab Super 7s made in Seattle by old hippies in the 1970s. They have horn tweeters and mid-ranges with dual woofers in a sealed box, Speakerlabs can be bought cheap, and challenge both Zu and Klipsch.

I believe that speakers can’t be judged solely on their specifications, but must judged as part of a system. My systems are primarily tube based. Tubes and horns are a delightful combination. On the other hand, high power amplification can make horns sound shrill and distorted. Those powerful amplifiers sound best with low efficiency speakers. One must also consider the room in analyzing the “best” system. Small spaces work well with low power and high efficiency. Finally, a listener’s type of listening is perhaps most important. I listen at comparatively low levels. This allows me to thoroughly enjoy Cornwalls in a small space (referring to your recent post about big speakers in a small space).

Thanks for all you enlightening posts. You have enhanced my obsession with sound and gear. I encourage others to support you through Patreon.

[darrens]

Man I love my 600Ms I bought them on your review, here in Australia I am loving them to bits and they have bought me back to listening to music.

[liamstrain]

I've been having fun with high-sensitivity full range drivers in back-loaded horns. No crossover unless you have a peak you need to kill - a very direct way of listening. Still not as fun as my older JBLs, but there is something really magical about them.

[davidinsg]

Have Elac AS61 Adante: Sensitivity: 85dB at 2.83 v/1m
Previously had Maggie MMG but the local dealer in Singapore would only give 2 years Gtee as Humidity could affect the Panels, so I went for the Adantes and wow once placed correctly sand loaded and well wired the sound is magnificent but I have also added a REL 9i and a Denafrips terminator. Glorious sound have had Martin logan, and even B&W DM70 Electrostatics yes Electrostatics. love your Audiophiliac show

[badbruise]

I bought 600 m's after your review, paired them with my onkyo tx-8255 sounds really good! Thnx for the input.

[DouglasPneuma]

I got into Klipsch through their headphones. The Klipsch X4i was the first BA headphone I've ever had, and it totally transformed how I listened to music. Since then I've gotten into great DACs and got a pair of Klipsch Sixes. While I love the timing and dynamics, the mid scoop, while not insane (I think about -3-4dB across 300-1500 Hz or so), is at this point often annoying to me, and makes practicing bass and drums with my stereo painful due to high mid and treble crowding at high volumes. I've added some used Bose 201 which have been really good in filling out the mids without much redundancy. I've always wanted tower speakers, but now I'm hesitant to stay with Klipsch and may want to look more seriously at non-horn speakers. But all in good time.

I've grown to love much flatter frequency response over time. I'm especially annoyed with high mids 1.5-2.5 kHz, and if I wanted anything boosted, maybe it would be high bass to low mids 180-360 Hz about. I'm not sure Klipsch can take me there. They all seem to be a bit scooped from what I've seen.

My fave headphones now are Sony's IER-M7s, which I currently listen to with an iFi Go blu mainly wired—so basically I need to keep ant components a few hundred below $1K to be justifiable.

[danegreenwell]

I much prefer the sound of my KEF R Series over the comparable Klipsh as an example. They were too bright and harsh. People say the hard dome of the KEF can be fatiguing but I find it well in the middle of the spectrum between horns and soft shell dome tweeters. Really well balanced but they do need a little more power to come to life.

[luke]

My low sensitivity speakers sound "sophisticated"... my high sensitivity speakers sound "fun"

[rapidsqualor]

High Sensitivity for me. Long ago, I built a pair of Dallas II speakers designed by Ron Clarke. It's a back-loaded folded horn design using the Fostex FE 206 E driver. A very light cone and a huge magnet really take control of voice coil movement and I think that lets the voice coil follow the electric signal more accurately. The cone has very small xMax travel as the mid bass is generated in the horn. Also, this single driver needs no crossover; less affect on the signal. Great dynamic range and fast bass. The trade offs are a bit ragged frequency response, no bass below 40Hz and the physical size. 11W x 18D x 48H

[marcbungener]

what I love with low sensitivity speakers is indeed deeper bass but also the fact they are often non fatiguing, that’s certainly the case of my Wilson Sophia Serie 1 (with way too powerful Bryston monoblocs to power them)

[sidvicious]

Steve you are bang on here regarding horn speakers and I remember the first time I heard a Klipschorn and thought wow. There is so much magic that you can get from a horn speaker that you can't get from any other speaker and that midrange, wow. High efficiency speakers are great with low output tube amplifiers and give you massive volume output without stressing the amp. I remember AR and they were a great company and I had a some of their products including their rca cables. I think if I had the room, I would have a pair of planars, horns, and a pair of electrostatics. You then get an opportunity to hear a little of everything as well as the compromises, but I would still keep my Vandersteens and move up to the mighty Model 7s.

[hushpuppykl]

I love the sound of the Avant Garde speakers. They have their own sound but still pretty nice. Zu on the other hand sounds very nice initially but after a while it’s kinda dry and gets a bit tiring.

I was always wondering why the high sensitivity speakers have a certain kind of sound. Now I see that they got more dynamics and lose out on bass.

Thanks!

[carlosbauza]

It all depends on the sound! I loved my inefficient AR-3 for many years, driven by Dynaco Stereo 120 amp (60 wpc)! Now my KEF LS-50 are very much loved, together with my recent (lower performing) Klipsch RP-600M. Domestic listening rooms seem to obtain top quality sound reproduction from both efficient/inefficient speakers!

[stevebrown]

I have the pleasure of two different systems. The "downstairs" system has Dynaco A25's (around 88 db) which are kind of between closed and open. I've updated the tweeters to Morel MDT20's (silk dome) for much better high frequency response. The amp is an NAD 3155 which can pump some current. The upstairs system is all DIY. Speakers are big box with JBL 15" woofers, around 99 db. Amps are DIY Push Pull KT88's with limited feedback and running in UL (about 40 watts). Both systems sound great, but yes, the big guys upstairs with B&C compression driver has a much better jump factor and much better nuance for things like hearing the venue. Last night I took Diana Krall to both rooms and I have to say, we had a better time upstairs. FYI, I really like her Christmas album.