Speaker efficency question

cubdog
cubdog Posts: 835
edited February 2005 in Speakers
Can anyone explain to me what role speaker efficency plays in sound quality. I know that more efficent speakers play louder than less efficent ones using the same power source. There are highly regarded speakers with high efficency ratings as well as low ratings. What determines the efficency and are manufacturers overly concered with this? Thanks.

cubdog
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Comments

  • Frank Z
    Frank Z Posts: 5,860
    edited February 2005
    Efficiencyreally doesn't have a lot to do with sound quality. It's simply a means of rating the speaker output with 1 watt of power applied and the output of the speaker (measured in decibels) at 1 meter. The higher the efficieny, the greater the volume. This means that you can achieve higher volume with less amplification. There are many other factors that are much more important than efficiency.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited February 2005
    In other words.....

    1w on a Kilpsch KG4 @ 100db+ will be a couple steps away from getting you evicted.

    1w on a Dahlquist DQ10 @ 86db will sound like you stuffed a weeks worth of soiled underwear in the tweeter(s).
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited February 2005
    That's a great analogy, doro, but do the underwear really have to be soiled?? How about just balls hair smelly?
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • unc2701
    unc2701 Posts: 3,587
    edited February 2005
    Are those THX certified soiled underwear?
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,728
    edited February 2005
    yep, it's just the volume of the speaker measured 1 meter away from the speaker with only 1 watt driving the speaker. Keep in mind that you're typically only driving your speaker with no more than 20 or 30 watts continuously, you only need the higher wattage with volume peaks or impedance drops...
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  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited February 2005
    It was a far more important issue when amplifier power was expensive, let's say from the 40's through the 60's.

    The KlipschHorn speaker, the big one, had a rating of 107db.

    What's important is how we HUMANS perceive it. We perceive a 3db increase as being twice as loud as the reference signal.

    George Grand (of the Jersey Grands)
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  • Toxis
    Toxis Posts: 5,116
    edited February 2005
    Originally posted by George Grand
    What's important is how we HUMANS perceive it. We perceive a 3db increase as being twice as loud as the reference signal.
    it's funny how there's so many different theories on this. Some people say 3db is twice as loud, other's say 3db is noticably louder but 10db is twice as loud. Now I've read in a couple different audio books that agree with the second theory but I also read another one say 3db is noticable but 6db is double. I can't keep it straight. To many theories and it seems everyone has evidence proving their right. I don't worry about decibles all to much.
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